The Long Way
Pima County
Two people sit on rocks overlooking a small waterfall in a desert landscape.
Plate I. Visitors viewing Sabino Dam, Sabino Canyon. From fs.usda.gov
A person swims in a pool surrounded by rocky canyon walls and trees under a clear blue sky.
Plate II. Swimmer at Hutch's Pool, Sabino Canyon. From fs.usda.gov
A stone dam spilling water over rocky terrain under a clear blue sky.
Plate III. Sabino Dam, Sabino Canyon swimming holes. From fs.usda.gov
A waterfall flows through a rocky canyon.
Plate IV. Waterfall and pools, Sabino Canyon swimming holes. From visitarizona.com

Sabino Canyon swimming holes (Sabino Dam, Hutch's Pool)

Tucson, Pima County, Arizona. Recreation sites.

Details

Map. Tucson, Pima County, Arizona. Larger map
Where
5700 N. Sabino Canyon Rd., Tucson, AZ 85750. Directions
When
Our seasonal Night Tours resume Saturday, June 28, and will operate every Saturday evening through Oct. 25.
Season
January 22, 2025, through January 21, 2028.
Getting there
From the visitor center, it is approximately 1 mile Sabino "Lake" and dam.
Fees
The Coronado National Forest does not charge any per-person fee for visitors walking or bicycling into a site.
Hours
The bookstore, shuttle services, and visitor center are only open daily from 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM.
Access
Effective January 22, 2025, through January 21, 2028, the Santa Catalina Ranger District has implemented a closure order in the area of Bear Canyon Trail and the Wilderness boundary to the junction with Sabino Canyon Road.
Walk-in or reserve
Information regarding the shuttle can be located at https://sabinocanyoncrawler.com/.
Phone
(520) 388-8300
Website
sabinocanyoncrawler.com
Managed by
Coronado National Forest.
Coordinates
32.3101, -110.8222222.

The Sabino Canyon Crawler Tour is a guided, narrated shuttle tour that travels the 3.7-mile Sabino Canyon Road Trail and returns to the Visitor Center.

Notable Events

  1. 1933CWA crews built restrooms, fireplaces, concrete-topped stone tables and a stone caretaker's house. arizonahighways.com
  2. 1933CCC enrollees built Lowell Ranger Station, shelters, stairways, tables and fireplaces. fs.usda.gov
  3. 1934FERA-funded local workers began the road and the bridges across Sabino Creek. fs.usda.gov
  4. 1935The WPA took over the access-road project from FERA. arizonahighways.com
  5. 1935WPA funding completed nine bridges and built the Sabino dam and swimming lake. fs.usda.gov
  6. 1937Work on Fred Winn's smaller dam began in June 1937; its lake filled by February 1938 and was dedicated in April. arizonahighways.com
  7. 1939The last Sabino Canyon work camp closed after its projects were completed. arizonahighways.com
  8. 1939The new Sabino Canyon lake opened to anglers. arizonahighways.com
  9. 1960The road to Lower Bear Canyon was built. library.pima.gov
  10. 1963Sabino Canyon's visitor center was built. library.pima.gov
  11. 1978Private vehicles were excluded from Sabino Canyon and shuttle access continued. fs.usda.gov
  12. 2006Heavy rainfall caused extensive damage in the canyon. library.pima.gov

People

  • Fred Winn, Coronado National Forest supervisor who proposed the smaller recreation-area dam.
  • H. Glenn Lewis, Temporary replacement caretaker of Sabino Canyon Recreation Area (May 1938).
  • Sherman Woodward, University of Arizona professor who proposed a dam at Sabino Canyon (turn of the twentieth century).

Sources

  1. fs.usda.gov/r03/coronado/recreation/groups/sabino-canyon-recreation-area
  2. visitarizona.com/places/parks-monuments/sabino-canyon
  3. fs.usda.gov/r03/coronado/recreation/hutches-pool-sabino-canyon-23
  4. fs.usda.gov/r03/coronado/recreation/sabino-dam-overlook
  5. fs.usda.gov/r03/coronado/recreation/lower-sabino-picnic-area
  6. sabinocanyoncrawler.com
  7. fs.usda.gov/r03/coronado/recreation/sabino-canyon-visitors-center
  8. sabinocanyoncrawler.com/faqs
  9. fs.usda.gov/r03/coronado/alerts/sabino-and-bear-canyon-closure-order-03-05-03-25-002
  10. fs.usda.gov/r03/coronado/passes
  11. arizonahighways.com/article/oasis-desert
  12. library.pima.gov/content/sabino-canyon
  13. tucsonlocalmedia.com/sports/a-hike-and-history-of-sabino-canyon/article_1f8631a6-4df6-11e2-99f7-001a4bcf887a.html
  14. tucson.com/news/state-and-regional/history-and-culture/article_fafa8dda-c14c-5a0f-8a40-50ae1d33ebe0.html