This is a virtual cache -- there is no container at the posted coordinates, which is just outside of the entrance and boundaries of Tucson Mountain Park.
To Claim this Virtual Cache as a Find:
In addition to posting an online log about your visit, upload a photo(s) or email it to me as noted below:
Current photo(s) that includes you or a personal item, taken at the location, with the mountain to the north of your position in the background..
Online logs not accompanied by the requested email or uploaded photo will be deleted.
As you travel or explore through the park, share your photos of the things you enjoyed about the experience.
Overview
If you are visiting Tucson Mountain Park for the first time, you are in for a rare treat. It is a special place, a paradise for wildlife enthusiasts and home to the iconic saguaro, coyote, and the much-maligned Gila monster and diamondback rattlesnake. The park offers a wealth of wildlife, trails, history, and activities for all ages.
Gates Pass is nestled at the crest of the Tucson Mountains and offers sweeping views of Avra Valley to the west and Santa Cruz Valley with the City of Tucson to the east. Gates Pass Overlook is a popular observation point for both tourists and locals. It includes interpretive displays and historic structures and offers an excellent opportunity to view and photograph spectacular sunsets.
The park’s extensive shared-use trail system provides memorable hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding opportunities on trails that range from leisurely to challenging.
Also found within the park are the renowned Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and Old Tucson Studios, which has been indefinitely closed since September 2020.
History
At approximately 20,000 acres, Tucson Mountain Park is one of the largest natural resource areas owned and managed by a local government in the U.S. The park was created in 1929 to preserve the unique vegetation, wildlife, and terrain of the Sonoran Desert from the efforts to homestead and mine in the area.
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps built many of the buildings, ramadas, and water conservation structures that still remain in the park. In 1962, Pima County agreed to divide the northern part of Tucson Mountain Park to create Saguaro National Monument. President John F. Kennedy signed the act creating the monument, which is now Saguaro National Park.
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.