The Long Way
Pima County
A dark wooden cabin sits in a forest clearing with a picnic table and grill outside.
Plate I. Palisades Ranger Residence Cabin. From recreation.gov
A picnic table, grill, and fire pit in a wooded area.
Plate II. Front yard, Palisades Ranger Residence Cabin. From recreation.gov
A dark wooden cabin sits in a fenced-in wooded area with a picnic table and fire pit.
Plate III. Palisades Ranger Residence Cabin. From recreation.gov
An interior view of a cozy living room with a black futon and a wood stove.
Plate IV. Living room, Palisades Ranger Residence Cabin. From recreation.gov
A dining room with a table set for meals, wooden floors, and patterned curtains.
Plate V. Dining room, Palisades Ranger Residence Cabin. From recreation.gov
A bedroom with a bed, hardwood floors, and windows with curtains.
Plate VI. Bedroom inside Palisades Ranger Residence Cabin. From recreation.gov
An interior view of a kitchen with white cabinets and appliances.
Plate VII. Kitchen, Palisades Ranger Residence Cabin. From recreation.gov

Palisades Ranger Residence Cabin

Tucson, Pima County, Arizona. Five-room cabin.

Details

Map. Tucson, Pima County, Arizona. Larger map
Where
Tucson, Pima County, AZ. No street address stated. Directions
When
Check in after 2:00 pm; check out before 12:00 pm.
Season
Available from late March to early November depending on the weather.
Getting there
From northeast Tucson, take East Tanque Verde Road to East Catalina Highway. Turn left (north) on East Catalina Highway, which becomes the General Hitchcock Highway, for approximately 23 miles to Organization Ridge Road and turn left (just before Palisades Visitor Center). The cabin is located approximately 100 yards in on the right.
Fees
$125 per night (up to 4 people); $125 per day.
Access
Electricity, propane heater, and running water; guests provide their own supplies including food, sleeping bags, linens, pillows, towels, dish soap, matches, a first aid kit, toilet paper, and garbage bags.
Walk-in or reserve
Reserved through Recreation.gov; door keypad code is given when you rent the cabin.
Phone
520-749-8700
Website
recreation.gov
Managed by
Coronado National Forest.
Coordinates
32.40994361, -110.7151846.

The cabin has indoor plumbing, electricity, a full kitchen, furniture, beds and an enclosed front yard.

Notable Events

  1. 1933Construction of the road up the Santa Catalinas began in 1933, and a labor camp established near Soldier Camp became home for a rotating and eclectic mix of prisoners, at first minor offenders on loan from a federal prison in Texas. tucsonsentinel.com
  2. 1934A second CCC company occupying the Tanque Verde Camp worked on projects around the Palisade Ranger Station and Soldier Camp high in the Santa Catalina Mountains. npshistory.com

People

  • Bert Lewis, Born at the Palisades Ranger Station while his father was ranger there; lived in the rock house as a child; the family spent summers in the Palisades.
  • H. Glenn Lewis, Appointed temporary caretaker of Sabino Canyon Recreation Area; the next year became ranger for both Sabino Canyon and the Palisades Ranger Station (appointed May 1938).
  • Helen Lewis, Wife of ranger H. Glenn Lewis; gave birth to their son Bert at the Palisades Ranger Station; the family spent summers in the Palisades.
  • Frank Harris Hitchcock, Champion of the road up the Santa Catalinas; proposed and helped arrange for the use of convict labor to construct the highway (came to Tucson in 1928).

Sources

  1. fs.usda.gov/r03/coronado/recreation/palisades-ranger-residence-cabin
  2. recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/250033
  3. fs.usda.gov/r03/coronado/recreation/cabin-rentals-rooms-view
  4. npshistory.com/publications/usfs/region/3/coronado/ccc.pdf
  5. tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/052419_mt_lemmon_highway
  6. arizonahighways.com/article/oasis-desert