• Increase font size
  • Decrease font size
  • Print
  • RSS
  • Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation

    Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation

    From caring for stately saguaros in Tucson Mountain Park to overseeing after-school recreation programs, we add a vital dimension to the lives of our residents and visitors. We invite you to hike and play in our parks or take one of the many classes we offer. We're working for you!

    Notice: AZ NICA Race – Tucson Mountain Park | Friday, March 31 – Saturday, April 1

    The Arizona Interscholastic Cycling League (National Interscholastic Cycling Association) will be hosting a mountain bike race in Tucson Mountain Park on Saturday April 1, 2023 from 6:30 AM – 3:30 PM. The start/finish and staging for the race will be located at Old Tucson Studios. This event will be using trails in Tucson Mountain Park and roadside pullouts along Gates Pass Road and Kinney Road. Racers will be pre-riding the racecourse on Friday, March 31, 2023.

    The following Tucson Mountain Park trails and roadside pullouts along Gates Pass Road and Kinney Road will experience heavy event use:
    • Chaparral Trail
    • Golden Gate Trail
    • G5 and G6 pullouts (Gates Pass Rd.)
    • K11 and K12 pullouts (Kinney Rd.)

    It is highly recommended to avoid using these trails and roadside pullouts on Friday, March 31 and Saturday, April 1.
    Race information can be found here: AZ NICA Race #3 - 4/1/23 - Arizona Interscholastic Cycling League (arizonamtb.org)

    Pima County's Parks, Pools, and Fun!

    Pima County's Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation department would like to see our community's residents and visitors enjoying our pools, parks, trails and natural beauty. Please send us your photos and videos having fun in the sun by completing this form.

    Register for Classes, Tours, Bird Walks, Hikes and More

    Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation has an online registration system. The system will allow you to register for leisure classes, tours, bird walks, nature hikes and other outdoor activities. You can also reserve a ramada for your next event. You’ll need to create an account to use it.

    Attention:  ActiveNet charges a convenience fee of $2.50 per transaction, plus 3 percent of the cost of the transaction applies to reservations made online for facilities and activities. A cost saving option is available with the purchase of an annual $50 membership pass for free or reduced-rate registration for Tours and Outdoor Activities.



    Notices and Closures

    View Notices and Closures for NRPR and the Loop.

    Current Employment Opportunities

    To see current job openings with Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation visit Pima County Job Opportunities

    Organization Mission and Programs

    For more information, http://pimaparklands.org/Pima County, Arizona established its Parks and Recreation Department in 1947 to serve urban and rural residents and guests by providing leisure-time destinations and services. As the rapidly growing community has stretched public funds thinner and thinner, parks have often come last in line. 

    So, in 1987 a group of concerned volunteers founded the Pima County Parklands Foundation. Its mission is "to protect and enhance the parks of Pima County, Arizona: this includes funding park improvements, the acquisition of parklands, and the enhancement and enlargement of recreation programs."
     

    Operating Programs

    One of the Pima County Parklands Foundation's vital functions is accepting donations earmarked for a specific park or recreation program and routing them where the donors intend and augmenting donations when more funds are needed. These requests can be as diverse as installing benches in a park, constructing an enclosed run for dogs, or providing after-school snacks for underprivileged children at a local community center.

    Every summer the Foundation sponsors a free swim program, offering swims and lessons in County pools to thousands of children whose families can't afford to pay for them. And every February it sponsors an all-day outing to Old Tucson Studios-a local attraction as well as a County leased property-for over 4,000 Tucson schoolchildren.
     

    Additional Comments

    The Pima County Parklands Foundation is an all-volunteer organization, so donations are directed exactly as the donor wishes. Donors may earmark contributions for specific uses, such as improvements in neighborhood parks, enhancement of recreation programs, or acquisition of land for existing or new parks.

    In the case of a gift of land, the donor may make restrictions on how the land is to be used. Such requests will be scrupulously observed. The Foundation can also work with donors to establish lifetime living arrangements or conservation easements on land bequeathed for parkland.
     

    Donations

    Donations are tax-deductible, within the limits of the law. For more information, call (520) 241-8885 or email mhellon@aol.com. To make a donation via PayPal go to http://pimaparklands.org/  

    Checks can be mailed to:
    Parklands Foundation
    3500 W. River Rd.
    Tucson, AZ 85741

    Loop FAQ's


    Pima County gets a number of questions regarding The Chuck Huckelberry Loop. These questions and responses have been organized by category with the goal of addressing constituent concerns.

    Please visit The Loop page and the most frequently asked questions section.
    Follow UsShare this page

    Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation

    3500 W. River Road
    Tucson, AZ 85741

    (520) 724-5000


    Department Home Page
    Department News
    Department Directory
    Department Feedback Form
    Department Calendar
    Reservations
    Search Maps
    Public Works Quick Guide
    Boards, Commissions and Committees