Santa Cruz County - 45 Attractions You Must Visit

1ac5885a-f089-45f7-b5f8-da711c0e01dd

About Santa Cruz County

Santa Cruz is a county in southern Arizona, United States. Santa Cruz County of Southern Arizona is a big mountain range by Sky Island standards, but there is relatively little convenient access. If you love nature, Santa Cruz makes an excellent launching pad. Board a boat tour from the wharf for whale-watching—grays, blues, or humpbacks, depending on the time of year—or take a winding drive in the Santa Cruz Mountains to see the ancient trees at Big Basin Redwoods State Park.

Types of Attractions in Santa Cruz County

Activities Around

List of Attractions in Santa Cruz County

Atascosa Mountains

Atascosa Mountains

1 Day Treks

Mountain Peaks

The Atascosa Mountains is a mountain range in western Santa Cruz County, Arizona. It is sandwiched between the larger Tumacacori Mountains to the north, and a small east–west border range to the south, the Pajarito Mountains. The highest peak is Atascosa Peak at 6,440 feet (1,963 m); adjacent to the northeast is Ramanote Peak, 6,047 feet . Pena Blanca Lake on Ruby Road, arising from the lowest elevations of Calabasas Canyon–are part of the Atascosa's southern border.

Baldy Saddle

Baldy Saddle

1 Day Treks

Mountain Peaks

A beautiful mountain area which offers beautoful trekking area and also there are so many things to explore around. You can spend a day and more here exploring the rocky and the wild area.

Canelo Hills

Canelo Hills

1 Day Treks

Mountain Peaks

The Canelo Hills are a long low ridge of rounded hills extending about 20 miles from northeast to southwest.The range consists of a series of northwest–southeast trending ridges extending from the Sonoita Creek valley southwest of Sonoita to the Parker Canyon Lake area in southwest Cochise County, Arizona.

Canelo Hills Cienega Reserve

Canelo Hills Cienega Reserve

1 Day Treks

Mountain Peaks

The Canelo Hills Cienega Reserve, is a nature preserve southeast of Sonoita, Arizona on the east side of the Canelo Hills. The area's 260 acres are a mix of rare cienega wetland and black oak and Arizona fescue fields. The preserve is notable for the extremely rare Canelo ladies tresses orchid and the Gila chub and Gila sucker that grow along its alkaline banks. The ranch was purchased by the Nature Conservancy in 1969 from the Knipes family. It

Cave of the Bells

The Cave of the Bells is located in Sawmill Canyon at the end of a four-wheel drive road on the eastern slopes of the Santa Rita Mountains. The cave contains a lake which is 80 meters below the entrance level. The lake has been measured at 76 °F (24 °C) and is believed to be warmed by sources below. The nearby Onyx Cave is also of interest.

Coronado National Forest

The Coronado National Forest covers 1,780,000 acres of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. This Forest has eight Wilderness Areas, among which are some of the most biologically diverse in the nation. Views are spectacular from these mountains, and visitors may experience all four seasons during a single day's journey, wandering through the desert among giant saguaro cactus and colorful wildflowers in the morning.

Dos Cabezas WineWorks

Dos Cabezas WineWorks

Man-made Structures- Other

Cabezas WineWorks has been producing innovative wines from the particularly challenging terroir of Arizona’s high desert for over two decades. This WineWorks features a tasting room, a wine club and events scheduled throughout the year. The winery is supplied with distinctive, high-quality fruit from its two estate vineyards: Pronghorn Vineyard in Sonoita, and Cimarron Vineyard in their Kansas Settlement.

Elgin Winery and Distillery

The Elgin Distillery is the highest awarded craft distillery on the planet, which produces ultra premium award winning spirits using local ingredients and time tested techniques. Each spirit is meticulously crafted by hand, resulting in high quality spirits that are second to none. It is one of the iconic attraction in this area.

Fort Buchanan

This is a United States Army installation in Puerto Rico. It is located in the metropolitan area of the capital, San Juan.Fort Buchanan serves a population of approximately 130,000, including military personnel, their dependents, retirees, veterans, and the civilian workforce. This fort is host to a number of tenant activities and also hosts a number of non-DoD organizations that provide services to soldiers, their dependents, and community members.

Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory

Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory

Man-made Structures- Other

Planetariums

This is the largest satellite facility of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), part of the Center for Astrophysics. It is their largest field installation outside of their main site in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is located near Amado, Arizona on the summit, a ridge and at the foot of Mount Hopkins.

Harshaw Creek

Harshaw Creek

Lake/ River/ Ponds

Harshaw Creek is a stream in the Patagonia Mountains of Santa Cruz County, Arizona, named after David Tecumseh Harshaw, who settled along its banks in the mid-1870s. Much of Harshaw Creek is located within the Coronado National Forest and is available for recreational use. Several ranches are also located alongside the creek, although cattle grazing is limited. The creek and its tributaries were the center of extensive gold and silver mining activity beginning at the end of the 19th century.

Josephine Saddle

Josephine Saddle

Outdoors- Other

1 Day Treks

Josephine Saddle is a great stopping place for a hike going up Colby Canyon or to take a break for a longer hike. There are great views from the saddle, a pretty nice flat area. Also at the saddle area is the top of a water tank which provides a nice place to sit and dangle one’s legs while taking in the view.

La Misión San José de Tumacácori

A historic Spanish mission preserved in its present form by Franciscans in 1828.The mission is now part of Tumacácori National Historical Park, which contains three separate sections. This mission site is included in the Tumacácori National Historical Park that extends for 360 acres, and is open to the public daily.

Las Cienegas National Conservation Area

Las Cienegas National Conservation Area

Outdoors- Other

1 Day Treks

Forests

The Las Cienegas National Conservation Area is a National Conservation Area of Arizona, located in the transitional zone between the Sonoran Desert and the Chihuahuan Desert. tMore han 45,000 acres of rolling grasslands and woodlands in Arizona’s Pima and Santa Cruz counties was protected as a National Conservation Area. The region’s rolling grasslands, oak-studded hills that connect several "sky island" mountain ranges, and lush riparian corridors attract both people and wildlife.

Las Lagunas de Anza Wetlands

Las Lagunas is a lush Natural Wetlands smack dab off the I-19 Freeway just 8 miles from the Mexican borderThis trail is great for walking and other nature trips, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. The site is managed by Santa Fe Ranch Foundation and the Las Lagunas de Anza outreach group.

Lightning Ridge Cellars

Lightning Ridge Cellars is a perfect example of the best wines Arizona has to offer. They offer wines based on Italian heritage. Their estate wines are made from classic Italian varietals: Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Montepulciano, Primitivo, Malvasia and Muscat Canelli. Clay soils, long warm summers, cool nights and an old world style of winemaking provide the perfect combination to produce rich, full-bodied wines.

Madera Waterfalls

Madeira waterfalls are some of the most magnificent and jaw-dropping waterfalls in the Atlantic Ocean. Their height, which is usually over 100 meters makes them one of the most gigantic waterfalls around.

Mission Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi

Mission Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi

Man-made Structures- Other

Mission los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi is a National Historic Landmark located in the Tumacácori National Historical Park. It was founded by Jesuit missionary Fathers Kino and Salvatierra in 1691 as La Misión de San Gabriel de Guevavi, a district headquarters in what is now Arizona, near Tumacácori. Subsequent missionaries called it San Rafael and San Miguel, resulting in the common historical name of Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi.

Montosa Canyon

Montosa Canyon

Outdoors- Other

Montosa Canyon is a valley in Arizona and has an elevation of 959 metres. Montosa Canyon is situated south of Rex Well, and east of Diablo Wash. it is one of the iconic attraction in this area and also there are so many things to see.

Mount Hopkins

Mount Hopkins

1 Day Treks

Mountain Peaks

Mount Hopkins is a 2600-meter tall mountain in the Santa Rita Mountains of southern Arizona. It is in the Coronado National Forest and is bounded on three sides by the Mount Wrightson Wilderness.

Map of attractions in Santa Cruz County

Comments

For more information about Santa Cruz County, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Cruz_County,_Arizona