Tumamoc Hill


Tumamoc Hill is a small mountain or large hill on the west edge of Tucson, across the street from St. Marys Hospital. It has a shrine at its base, a scientific research center near its peak, and a paved road that winds steeply up to the top over a distance of 1½ miles. Hundreds of people of diverse ages and backgrounds walk there after work, when the road is opened to the public. If not for the Landscape Lottery I would have remained ignorant of all this, and would never have seen the fine views that await those who make the hike (it is an impressively strenuous urban walk, especially if you are racing to beat the sunset).

The actual GPS point for Tumamoc Hill was somewhere on its NW slope. But anything off road on the mountain is off limits to the public. I made the most of the resulting ambiguity by simply choosing my favorite view, from the top.