About Agua Caliente
Agua Caliente, literally meaning hot water, is a unique 101-acre park that features a perennial warm spring and pond that is home to an exceptionally rich mix of plants and animals. Agua Caliente Park has a long and interesting history with evidence of human habitation dating back about 5,500 years. In 1873, a ranch and health resort was developed to promote the curative properties of the warm springs. In 1984 local businessman Roy P. Drachman donated over $200,000 toward the purchase of Agua Caliente Ranch and Pima County named the park in honor of this contribution. Roy P. Drachman Agua Caliente Park opened to the public on January 19, 1985.
Improvements have added the modern conveniences without eliminating the historical aspects of the park. On July 9, 2009 Agua Caliente Ranch Rural Historic Landscape was placed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The flow rate from the spring has varied over time reportedly as high as 500 gallons per minute to an unmeasurable seep in recent years. The sources and pathways for the water that now infrequently comes out of the natural spring head are not fully understood. Rainfall and snow on the Santa Catalina Mountains, shallow and deep rock stresses and fractures as well as significant heat generated hundreds of feet below the surface, all contribute to the complex and changing system. In recent years the pond has been maintained with water pumped from a well located on the property.
Visit the renovated 1870s Ranch House Visitor Center and Art Gallery, tour the park on one of the many naturalist led walks, or picnic in the shade of mature palm trees and native mesquite trees. Browse through the many bird-related items for sale in Tucson Audubon Society’s Nature Shop. Stroll the network of accessible paved and gravel trails with interpretive signs that explain the geology and history of the warm spring and the natural and human history of the site.
Pond Restoration FAQs
The Restoration of Pond 1 at Agua Caliente Park
On February 3, Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation and its contractor began filling Pond 1 at Agua Caliente Park as part of a months-long restoration project. Refilling the pond took up to eight weeks. Additional landscaping and construction of the bridge to the wildlife island was completed by July 2020.
The park had been closed since mid-October 2019. The work done consisted of grading and deepening the pond and installing a polymer liner to reduce pond seepage to conserve water.
Endangered Gila topminnow released at Agua Caliente Park
Staff from the Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation Department, Office of Sustainability and Conservation, and the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) released 500 Gila topminnow into the newly restored main pond.
Informational posters
Bringing Back the Native Fish
Trouble in Paradise Poster
Water Conservation
Brochures/Documents
Special Event Permit
A Special Event Permit is required for all functions with 10 or more guests. The maximum group size is 40 guests. The Special Event Permit is free. A Special Event Permit does not guarantee parking or a specific location in the park. All sites are on a first come basis. All group activities must conclude before sunset.
Special Event Permit – Due to Covid-19 pandemic Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation is not accepting any reservations at this time.