ABOUT THIS SITE
This site is specific to the Tucson Mountain Range, located in west Tucson. The boundaries used are the I-10 freeway to the East, the City of Marana to the North, and the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation to the South.
Although commonly overlooked because this range is neither as high or expansive as the other mountain ranges surrounding Tucson, the Tucson Mountains are unique. The rich historical past includes Spanish missions, Indian petroglyphs, and numerous abandoned mines. It is also the backdrop used in over 400 western movies starring many of your favorites stars, including John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Tom Selleck, Sam Elliott, among hundreds of others.
Today it is a tourist hotspot with hundreds of thousands of people visiting Old Tucson, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, San Xavier Del Bac Mission, along with its numerous hiking trails and other outdoor activities. The site is dedicated to helping you maximize your fun by providing the local expertise needed to make the most out of your visit to the Tucson Mountain range.
Sidehill Sam
ABOUT SIDEHILL SAM
Old Sam is a character that has been roaming the Tucson Mountains for decades. He has stomped and traversed his way up and down the peaks and ravines throughout the range. So much so the rumor is his left leg is 3 inches shorter than the right from continually walking across the steep mountainsides. Hence, that’s where he earned the moniker “Sidehill.”
Sidehill Sam, like most prospectors who worked these mountains, never made it rich digging for gold but has collected a wealth of experience and knowledge which he loves to share with other wanderers. Especially the flatlanders found down in Tucson or from out of town.
It is said Sidehill Sam never met a cactus he didn’t like, a rattlesnake he didn’t talk to or a mountain vista he didn’t admire. If you are lucky, you may run into Sam out on a mountain trail one day. He’s easy to recognize. Look for the old man with plenty of water, an old shovel handle used as a walking stick, and most probably more than a few cactus stickers in his knees and elbows.