Campground Overview:
Gilbert Ray Campground located on the west side of the Tucson Mountains in the Tucson Mountain Park is beautiful campground, only 13 miles from Tucson. This campground can serve as a great jumping point to explore the nearby Saguaro National Park and Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
Guests have convenient access to the park’s extensive trail system, unique wildlife viewing opportunities, and interpretive programs presented by Pima County environmental educators. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Old Tucson Studios, and Saguaro National Park are less than five miles from the campground.
Campsites:
Gilbert Ray Campground has 130 campsites with individual 30-amp electrical hook-ups. The campground has 5 sites that are designated tent only, however tenters are welcome to camp in an RV site but are asked not to use the electrical hook-ups. It has centrally located water, picnic tables, modern restrooms, and an RV dumping station.
Directions from Tucson: Speedway Boulevard west of I-10. At Camino de Oeste, Speedway Boulevard turns into Gates Pass Road. Follow Gates Pass Road across Gates Pass (NOT recommended for trailers or RVs over 24 feet) to the “T” intersection with Kinney Road. Turn right on Kinney Road. Travel approximately 0.6 miles and then turn left on McCain Loop. The campground entrance is on the left.
Campground at a Glance
Level: |
Developed |
Season: |
Year-Round |
Nearby City: |
Tucson |
Fishing: |
None |
Campground Website: |
Gilbert Ray Campground |
Campground Map: |
Click Here |
Reservations: |
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Location: |
Nearby Attractions and Activities:
Southern Arizona and the Tucson Metropolitan Area transports visitors to another world. With lush saguaro forests stretching as far as the eye can see, awe-inspiring mountain ranges at every corner of the city, and some of the best sunsets on the planet, it’s not hard to find your moment of serenity here. The numerous recreational opportunities will keep you busy and coming back for more.
Saguaro National Park has locations on both the east and west sides of Tucson. There is hiking, biking and nature study among the most recognizable cactus in the world. Tucson, Arizona is home to the nation’s largest cacti. The giant saguaro is the universal symbol of the American west. These majestic plants, found only in a small portion of the United States, are protected by Saguaro National Park, to the east and west of the modern city of Tucson. Here you have a chance to see these enormous cacti, silhouetted by the beauty of a magnificent desert sunset.
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is widely recognized throughout the world as a model institution for innovative presentation and interpretation of native plants and animals featured together in ecological exhibits. The Museum is regularly listed as one of the top ten zoological parks in the world due to its unique approach in interpreting the complete natural history of a single region (in our case this is the Sonoran Desert and adjacent ecosystems). This represents a significant achievement, as the Museum’s collections and size are smaller than many of its counterparts. Not a “museum” in the usual sense, it is an unparalleled composite of plant, animal, and geologic collections with the goal of making the Sonoran Desert accessible, understandable, and valued.
Ironwood Forest National Monument is made up of 129,000-acres and contains a significant system of cultural and historical sites covering a 5,000 year period. Possessing one of the richest stands of ironwood in the Sonoran Desert, the monument also encompasses several desert mountain ranges including the Silver Bell, Waterman, and Sawtooth, with desert valleys in between. Elevation ranges from 1,800 to 4,261 feet. Three areas within the monument, the Los Robles Archeological District, the Mission of Santa Ana del Chiquiburitac and the Cocoraque Butte Archeological District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The monument is a travel corridor for illegal immigrants traveling from Mexico.