DAILY TOURS AND ECO-STATIONS
All public tours are included in the price of admission, no reservations are necessary. Private group tours are also available. For non-profit and education groups please contact sspikes@tohonochul.org. For bus tours, corporate or destination management companies please contact marketing@tohonochul.org.
Butterflies of Tohono Chul
October – April | Saturdays 11 a.m. and Sundays 1 p.m.
May – September | Saturdays and Sundays at 10 a.m.
Nature lovers, shutterbugs and bug lovers will get an in-depth glimpse of some of the most engaging creatures in the Sonoran Desert, butterflies! View the Butterfly ID Guide here.
Free with admission.
Birds of Prey – Night & Day
2nd & 4th Wednesdays | October 9 to December 11 | 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Children’s Ramada
Naturalist and wildlife rehabilitator Kathie Schroeder rejoins us with her Harris’ Hawk buddy Sueño and two new friends Poppy, the Western Screech Owl, and Banshee, the Barn Owl. Discover the different habits of birds of prey who hunt by night or by day, and get to know a collection of the most unflappable birds in town.
Weekly Happenings
MONDAYS
DAILY TOUR | Walk in the Park
Oct-Apr: 10a.m., 12p.m. & 2p.m. | May – Sept: 9a.m.
DAILY TOUR | Birds of Tohono Chul
Oct-Apr: 8:30a.m. | May-Sept: 8a.m.
ECO STATION | Winged Things | Overlook
Oct-Apr: 11a.m. to 1p.m. | May-Sept: 9a.m. to 11a.m.
TUESDAYS
DAILY TOUR | Walk in the Park
Oct-Apr: 10a.m., 12p.m. & 2p.m. | May – Sept: 9a.m.
SPECIALTY TOUR | Art in the Park | Sept-May: 11a.m.
SPECIALTY TOUR | Wildflowers: What’s Bloomin’
Mar-Apr: 10a.m.
EVENT | Stories in the Garden | Year-round | 10a.m.
ECO STATION | Wild Woolies | Overlook
Oct-Apr: 11a.m. to 1p.m. | May-Sept: 9a.m. to 11a.m.
WEDNESDAYS
DAILY TOUR | Walk in the Park
Oct-Apr: 10a.m., 12p.m. & 2p.m. | May – Sept: 9a.m.
DAILY TOUR | Birds of Tohono Chul
Oct-Apr: 8:30a.m. | May-Sept: 8a.m.
EVENT | Birds of Prey – Night & Day
February-April, October-December
Periodically 2nd & 4th Wednesdays | 11a.m. to 1p.m.
Check Tohono Chul’s website for the Birds of Prey – Night & Day Schedule
ECO STATION | Rock & Ruins | Overlook
Oct-Apr: 11a.m. to 1p.m. | May-Sept: 9a.m. to 11a.m.
THURSDAYS
DAILY TOUR | Walk in the Park
Oct-Apr: 10a.m., 12p.m. & 2p.m. | May – Sept: 9a.m.
SPECIALTY TOUR | Art in the Park | Sept-May: 11a.m.
SPECIALTY TOUR | Wildflowers: What’s Bloomin’
Mar-Apr: 10a.m.
ECO STATION | Who Eats Whom? | Overlook
Oct-Apr: 11a.m. to 1p.m. | May-Sept: 9a.m. to 11a.m.
FRIDAYS
DAILY TOUR | Walk in the Park
Oct-Apr: 10a.m., 12p.m. & 2p.m. | May – Sept: 9a.m.
DAILY TOUR | Birds of Tohono Chul
Oct-Apr: 8:30a.m. | May-Sept: 8a.m.
EVENT | Reptile Ramble | March – May & Sept – Nov | 10a.m.
ECO STATION | Creepy Crawlies | Overlook
Oct-Apr: 11a.m. to 1p.m. | May-Sept: 9a.m. to 11a.m.
SATURDAYS
DAILY TOUR | Walk in the Park
Oct-Apr: 10a.m., 12p.m. & 2p.m. | May – Sept: 9a.m.
DAILY TOUR | Birds of Tohono Chul
Oct-Apr: 8:30a.m. | May-Sept: 8a.m.
SPECIALTY TOUR | Wildflowers: What’s Bloomin’
Mar-Apr:10a.m.
SPECIALTY TOUR | Butterflies & Their Plants
Oct-Apr: 11a.m. | May-Sept: 10a.m.
SPECIALTY TOUR | Connecting Plants & People
Year-round | First Saturday | 10a.m.
SPECIALTY TOUR | Desert Landscaping
Year-round | Third Saturday | 10a.m.
ECO-STATION | Prickly Plants | Overlook
Oct-Apr: 11a.m. to 1p.m. | May-Sept: 9a.m. to 11a.m.
SUNDAYS
DAILY TOUR | Walk in the Park | Oct-Apr: 1p.m.
SPECIALTY TOUR | Art in the Park | Sept-May: 2p.m.
SPECIALTY TOUR | Butterflies & Their Plants
Oct-Apr: 1p.m. | May-Sept: 10a.m.
Activity Descriptions
Walk in the Park –
Experience Tohono Chul Park while learning some of the basics of the ecology of the Sonoran Desert.
Birds of Tohono Chul –
Learn to identify residents and those just passing through, plus information on habits and habitat.
Download Tohono Chul Park’s Bird Checklist (PDF format)
Art in the Park –
Get an in-depth and behind-the-scenes look at our changing art and cultural exhibits.
Stories in the Garden –
Traditional and original stories about the desert and its creatures in the Children’s Ramada.
Wildflowers: What’s Bloom’n? –
Bring your camera to capture the colors of spring and develop more than a nodding acquaintance with our annual wildflowers. View the Wildflower ID Guide here.
Reptile Ramble –
Learn to identify resident reptiles and find the answer to the age-old question, “Why do lizards do push ups?” Be prepared to meet a few non-venomous reptiles, perhaps a lizard or even a tortoise, and a few venomous, rattlesnakes and or a Gila monster.
Connecting Plants and People –
Discover the edible and useful plants of the Sonoran Desert.
Desert Landscaping –
Unearth the how-to’s for using native and arid-adapted plants in water-saving landscapes.
Eco-Stations at the Overlook
October – April: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
May – September: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
These touch carts, staffed by Park Docents, feature hands-on Sonoran Desert learning opportunities for visitors of all ages. Stocked with everything from binoculars and hand lenses to mounted specimens and scientific models, and supplemented with an azing array of feathers, bones, skins, and plant parts, these investigation stations allow for a full range of sensory experiences.
Winged Things – Mondays
From birds to butterflies, a look at the winged things of the skies
Wild Woolies – Tuesdays
The warm, hairy beasties of our deserts
Rocks and Ruins – Wednesdays
Explore Tucson Basin geology and archaeology
Who Eats Whom – Thursdays
Follow the predator/prey trail and explore a tangled food web
Creepy Crawlies – Fridays
Sometimes scary, but always cool! – spiders, scorpions, snakes and lizards
Prickly Plants – Saturdays
Spiny and downright hostile, plants are well adapted to our desert environment