Campground Overview:
With its picturesque vegetation and dramatic setting at the foot of Mt. Lemmon, Peppersauce Campground is an outstanding area for enjoying an afternoon picnic or a weekend campout. Campsites at Peppersauce are spread throughout a creekside oasis of enormous Arizona sycamores and Arizona walnut trees that cast deep shade in summer and a touch of color in autumn. The campground is located on the northeastern side of the Santa Catalina Mountains on the Coronado National Forest.
These trees (and some notable clumps of poison ivy) cling to the banks of Peppersauce Creek, which provides sufficient moisture for them to prosper in spite of the fact that it’s rocky streambed is dry most of the year. Of course, beware of the flash floods — this creek can become a raging torrent in minutes when there is rain in the mountains above.
While you’re here, you’ll want to keep an eye on your hot sauce. This canyon was named by prospector Alex McKay, who camped here in about 1880 and reported that his hot sauce came up missing. The perpetrator (if there was one) has yet to be apprehended.
Campsites:
Peppersauce Campground has one reservable group camping area for up to 35 people at a time. The facility is equipped with vault toilets, several tables and benches, a grill, campfire rings and lantern posts. The parking area can hold up to 10 vehicles. First-come, first-served individual campsites are also available. A campground host is available on-site for visitor assistance.
From Tucson: drive north on Oracle Road (U.S. Highway 89). Continue for 27 miles to State Highway 77. Turn right (east) and drive 10 miles to the town of Oracle. Take the first Oracle exit and travel 4 miles through the town to Forest Road 38. Follow 38 to Peppersauce Canyon.
Campground at a Glance
Level: |
Developed |
Season: |
Year-Round |
Nearby City: |
Tucson |
Fishing: |
None |
Campground Website: |
Peppersauce 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.
Santa Catalina Mountains are a prominent mountain range north and northeast of Tucson, Arizona. The highest point in the Catalinas is Mount Lemmon at an elevation of 9,157 feet above sea level and receives 180 inches of snow annually. The mountains are a rugged range with steep slopes and deep canyons. The mountains are located on the Coronado National Forest and are apart of the “Sky Islands.” The Coronado National Forest in southeastern Arizona manages major parts of the Sky Islands north of Mexico. The Forest manages 17 mountain ranges in 12 separate units totaling 1,780,000 acres. Visitors will find an abundant amount of recreational adventures to spend their days.
The vegetation is strikingly diverse with mixed confer forests at the highest elevations and on north-facing slopes. Ponderosa pines predominate on many high elevation south-facing slopes. The higher elevation deep canyons, particularly those with running water, support lush hardwood forests of bigtooth maple, aspen, New Mexico locust, Arizona walnut, Gambel oak, and velvet ash. The Bullock Fire in 2002 and the Aspen Fire in 2003 burned much of the mountain range. Plants that grow from root sprouts like aspens, oaks, and shrubs are now regenerating in the former mixed conifer forests. It will be many years before the conifers, which must regenerate from seeds, dominate these forests again.
Oracle State Park is a 4,000 acre wildlife refuge in the northern foothills of the Catalina Mountains. The park offers day-use picnic areas and over 15 miles of trails for use by hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians. A section of the Arizona Trail crosses through the park. And it is a designated International Dark Sky Park.
Oracle State Park also serves as a Center for Environmental Education and provides programming for all ages. Interactive programs for school groups are offered by reservation. These programs are conducted along trails, so students learn about habitat and the interrelationships between plants, animals, and people.
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.
Nearby Campgrounds:
Campground full or want to see what’s around? Try one of these campgrounds located nearby
