Mari Herreras’ story in this week’s issue gives us a great feel for Tumamoc Hill—its history, its culture and its many fans. If you want to try the hike, there are just three rules: No pets. No hiking on weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. And no messing with the plants and wildlife.

Follow these tips to make your experience more enjoyable for yourself and your fellow hikers.

• Enjoy the community. Smile at everyone you see. Tumamoc introduces you to a cross-section of Tucsonans that you might not otherwise meet. For that moment, you also get to part of their story.

• Say hi to the mayor. You might see Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild early in the morning. Or you might be greeting his doppelganger, Dr. Ron Spark, a physician who helps with the Friends of Tumamoc.

• Save the planet. Take a water bottle, but be sure it’s a refillable one. You can top it off at the water fountain near the research buildings. There’s a port-a-potty available, too. Keep it neat.

• Keep it quiet. Lots of people want a soundtrack to help them climb; use earbuds. Nobody else, and we mean nobody, wants your soundtrack. This rule will become very important to you at some point. Feel free to share it.

• Share the sights. Wildlife is always around. If you see a coyote, javelina, deer, tarantula, hawk or owl, don’t holler, but be sure to let others know so they can share the fun.

• Keep the lights low. Nights on Tumamoc come with sparkling city views, astronomical wonders and nocturnal critters. Take a flashlight so you know where to put your feet, and try not to shine it on the hillside or on people. That will ruin everything for everyone, including the critters.

• Catch the moon. The moon is especially beautiful when seen from Tumamoc. You can still see city lights, but they’re far enough away that the moon cuts a crisp figure in the sky. Bring a night-sky phone app to identify the stars. And next Tuesday, April 15, there’s a total lunar eclipse, so load some Nick Drake into the pocket-sized device of your choice and catch the “Pink Moon” about half past midnight. You won’t be alone; it’s the “Place to Be.”

Related Stories

For the Love of Tumamoc

Humanity has embraced Tumamoc Hill for several thousand years, so maybe we finally got something right.

This article appears in Apr 10-16, 2014.

15 replies on “Tumamoc Hill: A User’s Guide”

  1. This story makes absolutely no sense. For example: “Take a flashlight so you know where to put your feet, and try not to shine it on the hillside or on people”, so what’s the purpose of the flashlight? Your only option is to the sky, since you are not to use it on the “hillside” for guidance.
    Where to actually begin the journey would be extremely useful. Example, parking, etc.

  3. Actually, when you walk up the hill at night, Linda’s rule on the flashlight makes absolute sense. Early in her list she refers to my cover story this week (http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/for-the…), there’s more info on the hill and the trailhead location (on Anklam Road across from St. Mary’s Hospital off Silverbell)–Google also works wonders. Why the flashlight rule? It’s a good idea at night, especially during rattlesnake season, to have a flashlight with you, but for the love of other nature, don’t shine it on the hills and do not — DO NOT — shine it on fellow walkers’ faces. It unsafe and rude. It’s a paved road, sometimes the cracks on it can look like snakes, and sometimes they are snakes — shine a light on the road, you’ll know where you’re going and you’ll stay safe. Thanks, DaRens

  4. Lessee: Where your feet are. Not on the hillside, not on the people. Hm. On the trail maybe? Sorry for requiring the leap of logic. Seriously. LR

  5. I meant to mention this! There is also this wonderful resource to understanding the remnants of millenia of civilization on the hill: “New Perspectives on the Rock Art and Prehistoric Settlement organization of Tumamoc Hill, “Tucson, Arizona ; Edited by Gayle Harrison Hartmann and Peter C. Follow this link to reserve it and pick it up at your nearest Pima County Library: Boyle.http://librarycatalog.pima.gov/search~S8?/…

  6. I’ve yet to go to tumamoc but I’d like to very soon. I was super interested in this post except I’m left with only one question and maybe it’s obvious but why no hiking between 7:30-5:30 weekdays?

  7. Hi, Jensta! I urge you to read the entire article here: http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/for-the… for the full answer to that and many other questions you might have, but the short answer is that the hill has been home to a UA research facility since the 1930s, and work is always being done up there during that time. Seriously, there’s a lot of fascinating info in that article. I think you’ll enjoy reading it. Why not meet Mari and me at the shrine just above the trailhead at 7 a.m. on Saturday. We’d love to meet you and have you walk with us. That goes for all our readers!

  9. My math is a bit rusty but the Uof Research owns 300 acres while the city of Tucson owns 500 plus, why isn’t the city owned property not opened 24 hours 7 days a week or did the city let the U of Research run city owned land also? I know these strict hiking rules are dictated by the UofR not the city. Shouldn’t the mayor’s be waging their fingers at the city of Tucson?

  10. Hi, Paul! Thanks for reading. The “mayors” Mari mentions are “elected” by the Foursquare phone app. You get to be mayor when you have “checked in” at Tumamoc more often than anyone on Foursquare, but so many people go up there so often, it’s not easy to keep that title, especially if, like me, you frequently neglect to check in. For example, I am the mayor of my dentists’ office for the time being because I’ve checked in there more often than anybody else. I’m eager for someone to replace me! I have occasionally been “mayor” of the dog park at Reid Park, but almost every week one or more people will have been there more often than I. That being the case, the Tumamoc “mayors” really haven’t any more influence with Mayor and Council than you and I. Mari is looking into the rest of your question.

  11. I like Tumamoc for the sights, the people, and the challenge of trotting up it. But, some people have been bring dogs up; I like dogs, but, the Tumamoc area has some restrictions to preserve it for nature study. The “mayors” and we other users have some responsibility to be mean grown ups about this–as do members UofA admin and faculty. Also–no bikes; I respect those who want to try it, like the couple I up their two Sundays ago, but just because the UofA and the City don’t really guard the area the have responsiblity for doesn’t mean the citizens should blow off posted rules.

  12. Sounds like the ultimate place for a yuppie to take a walk, or jog. Since I’m not a yuppie, what you’re telling me is to stay away. I own some land next to a public biking path, and the people who use that path seem to think they own everything for as far as the eye can see. You folks are a very exclusive group; it’s wonderful that you can smile at each other every day, and agree with each other how nice you are.

  13. Hi Linda, l would not expect them to do nothing more then wag fingers nothing else. But do it in the right direction. If it’s a city owned land it should be treated like a city owned land not as tax payer funds used to protect U of Research property.

  14. Randy, you yuppie you, should definitely stay away from Tumamoc, so as to preserve your epic misconceptions of this singular community melting pot. I don’t want to see you up there, hear? 😉

  15. @azpaul I suspect you and I both need a lot more education about the public cost and benefit of that research before we can have a solid conversation about it. Meanwhile, I feel super privileged to live in a town with a wild, open public mountain in the middle of it, to provide such good exercize and opportunities to connect to the larger community.

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