Tumacácori NHP protects three Spanish colonial mission ruins in southern Arizona: Tumacácori, Guevavi, and Calabazas. The adobe structures are on three sites, with a visitor center at Tumacácori. These missions are among more than twenty established in the Pimería Alta by Father Kino and other Jesuits, and later expanded upon by Franciscan missionaries.
The Basics
Hours:
Open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, when the Park is closed.
Address:
PO Box 67
Tumacácori, AZ 85640
Phone:
520-398-2341
Fax:
520-398-9271
Map
Directions
Tumacácori National Historical Park is located at exit 29 off of Interstate 19, fifty miles south of Tucson, Arizona and eighteen miles north of the international border with Mexico at Nogales, Arizona/Sonora.
Climate
Tumacácori is in the upper regions of the Sonoran Desert. It is warm and dry most of the year. Temperatures will reach the high nineties and low hundreds during some days in the summer months. Temperatures can drop below freezing at night during the winter. The rainy (monsoon) season is from mid-July through most of August. Winter rains and sometimes snow can be expected in January and February.
Visitors to Tumacácori enter the park through the visitor center. Staffed by Park Service employees and volunteers, the museum and bookstore provide orientation and a wealth of information. A fifteen minute video is available in the museum, started at any time by the push of a button.
A self guiding tour book for the Tumacácori Mission grounds can be bought or borrowed in the bookstore. Tours led by a park ranger or volunteer are available at some times of the year.
Children of all ages enjoy participating in the park's Junior Ranger program during their visit.
Allow one to two hours for plenty of time to tour both the grounds and the museum. All areas are accessible by paved foot paths. There are no roads in the park.
For Kids
Our Junior Ranger Photo Hunt is great for visitors of all ages. Under the direction of an adult, children of all ages may tour and learn about the Park while looking for items and locations pictured in the Photo Hunt images. Our Junior Ranger Guide, available upon request, is also packed with activities that will keep the children busy on the long drive home.
Outdoor Camping
Camping is available in the Coronado National Forest in Madera Canyon, 38 miles north of Tumacácori in the Santa Rita Mountains, and at Peña Blanca Lake, 22 miles south, as well as at Patagonia Lake State Park, 34 miles south and east of Tumacácori, on state route 82. There are two RV parks located on East Frontage Road in Amado.
Bog Springs Sixteen miles SE of Green Valley in Madera Canyon. I-19 Exit 63. Open all year, 14 day limit, 13 units, backpacking. RVs and tents welcome. (520) 281-2296
Mountain View RV Park I-19 Exit 42 or 48, East Frontage Road in Amado. Open all year; daily, weekly, monthly, and annual rates; 60 units, waste disposal, full hook ups, swimming pool. RVs and tents welcome. (520) 398-9401
De Anza Trail RV Park I I-19 Exit 42 or 48, East Frontage Road in Amado. Open all year; daily, weekly, monthly, and annual rates; 82 units, waste disposal, full hook ups, swimming pool. No tents. (520) 398-8628
Patagonia Lake State Park Twelve miles east of Nogales on State Route 82. Open all year, 15 day limit, 115 units, waste disposal, boat launching, boating, fishing, general store. RVs and tents welcome. (520) 281-6965
Upper White Rock Sixteen miles NW of Nogales at Peña Blanca Lake, I-19 Exit 12. Open all year, 14 day limit, 15 units, waste disposal, boat launching, single electric boats only. RVs and tents welcome. (520) 281-2296
Calabasas Thirteen miles NW of Nogales, at Peña Blanca Lake, I-19 Exit 12. Open all year, 14 day limit, 6 units, boat launching, boating, fishing. RVs and tents welcome. (520) 281-2296
"In the Footprints of the Past," a numbered trail guide, is available in the visitor center for $1.00. Copies of the trail guide are also available for visitors to borrow at no cost, upon request.
Tours of the Tumacacori Mission Church and Grounds Daily, 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM January through April Tours may also be available at other times of the day and year: call, or inquire at the visitor center information desk. Tours begin at the visitor center and last approximately 45 minutes.
Calabazas Mission Tour Second Wednesday of the month, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM October through March $10.00 per person. Reservations Required. The ruins of San Cayetano de Calabazas, normally closed to the public, can be visited on monthly guided tours.
Tours begin at the Tumacácori visitor center at 9:00 AM and arrive back by 12:00 PM. Using their own cars, participants will travel by carpool caravan to Calabazas. There they will take a short, uphill walk to the mission, where they will be met by a living history character, a mission resident out of the past. The ranger will also provide insight into the history of Calabazas, as well as Tumacácori, Guevavi, and other missions of the historic Pimería Alta region.
Participants must come prepared with water, clothing appropriate to the weather, and comfortable walking shoes. Those who desire may also wish to bring a picnic lunch and take advantage of the regular tour of Tumacácori Mission at 1:00.
