Tumacácori National Historical Park
Tumacácori sits at a cultural crossroads in the Santa Cruz River valley. Here O’odham, Yaqui, and Apache people met and mingled with European Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries, settlers, and soldiers, sometimes in conflict and sometimes in cooperation. Follow the timeworn paths and discover stories that connect us to enduring relationships, vibrant cultures, and traditions of long ago.
Fees & passes
| Type | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Per PersonThe park entrance fee is $10.00 per adult (age 16 or older) and is good for 7 days. The entrance pass is valid for seven days. | $10 | |
| Education/Academic GroupsAccredited school groups coming for educational purposes are exempt from the normal entrance fees. | Free | |
| Passes | ||
| Annual Entrance - ParkThe annual pass at Tumacácori is valid for one year from the date of purchase. | $35 | |
The park entrance fee is $10.00 per adult (age 16 or older) and is valid for 7 days.
Hours
| Hours of Operation | Daily · 9:00AM - 5:00PM |
Hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow | 9:00AM - 5:00PM |
| Nov 26, 2026Closed Thanksgiving Day | Hours not published |
| Dec 25, 2026Closed Christmas Day | Hours not published |
When to go
December draws the most visits here and July the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Tumacácori Visitor Center and Museum ↗Passport stamp
The historic 1937 visitor center building is the main entry point for those visiting the Tumacácori mission grounds. It is also an interpretive exhibit in and of itself. Its design uses architectural details from other Sonoran missions contemporary to Tumacácori.
No campgrounds, no webcams or events in Park Service data. What is here comes from the official page. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the Park Service publishes the data.
Explore
Things to do
- See More Missions4 Hours
Tumacácori National Historical Park actually includes THREE missions, not just one. Plan ahead to see Guevavi and Calabazas, two other sites south of the Tumacácori unit, but still part of the larger mission story.
Opens on the Park Service site - Become a Tumacácori Junior Ranger30-60 Minutes
The complex narrative of Tumacácori doesn't have to be dry or confusing. You just need the right feathered guide! Pancho the Vermilion Flycatcher will guide young Junior Rangers through the park.
Opens on the Park Service site - Explore the Mission Grounds10-60 Minutes
The biggest draw to Tumacácori will likely be the grand, 3-story adobe church at its center. But a mission was much more than just a church.
Opens on the Park Service site - Hike the Santa Cruz River30 Minutes
The Santa Cruz River forms a ribbon of life in the Pimería Alta. Whether walking to its edge or along its length, visitors will encounter the fundamental building blocks of nature and human civilization.
Opens on the Park Service site - Join a Guided Tour1-4 Hours
Guided tours of various types may be offered throughout the year. In park whose story is complex and nuanced, sometimes a knowledgeable guide can be a valuable asset. Join us!
Opens on the Park Service site - Hike the Anza Trail from Tumacácori to Tubac, AZ2-6 Hours
Hike through shady cottonwood galleries and mesquite bosques along this six-mile stretch of the Anza Trail between Tumacácori National Historic Park and Tubac Presidio State Historic Park.
Opens on the Park Service site
Show all 10Hide
- Indulge Your Senses
A visit to Tumacácori may include a truly sensory experience with one of our historic craft demonstrators. These artisans demonstrate traditional crafts on the grounds of Mission San José de Tumacácori.
Opens on the Park Service site - Catch a Special Event30-120 Minutes
Live events like the annual La Fiesta de Tumacácori, bring history into the present. Demonstrations, performances, and activities can be found for all ages and abilities throughout the year.
Opens on the Park Service site - Go Natural in a Historical Park
Nature in a historical park? Yes! The park's many habitats, both natural and cultivated, make its small area proportionally diverse.
Opens on the Park Service site - Admire Art and Architecture20-60 Minutes
The visitor center and museum building was designed to be an interpretive experience that embodied the historic style of the mission churches in the area.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Historic landmarks nearby
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Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Forest Service trails nearby
These trails are outside the park on National Forest land, within 15 miles of Tumacácori. Each one opens on Trailhead Atlas.
Distance is measured from the park's reference point to the nearer end of the trail.
Guidebooks for Arizona's national parks and the Southwest
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthGreat Horned Owl 3× · American Black Bear 2× · American White Pelican 1× · Ringtail 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 170 birds, 33 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican kestrel · Barn Owl · Black Vulture · Common Black Hawk · Cooper's hawk · Elf Owl · Golden Eagle · Gray Hawk · Great Horned Owl · Harris's Hawk · Merlin · Peregrine Falcon · Red-tailed Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Swainson's hawk · Turkey Vulture · zone-tailed hawk
Waterfowl & wadersBlack-bellied Whistling Duck · Black-crowned Night Heron · Double-crested Cormorant · Great Blue Heron · Great Egret · Snowy Egret · White-faced Ibis
Shorebirds & seabirdsCommon Snipe · Killdeer · Spotted Sandpiper
Gamebirds & dovesCommon Ground Dove · Common Pigeon · Eurasian Collared Dove · Gambel's quail · Inca Dove · Mourning Dove · White-winged Dove
WoodpeckersGila Woodpecker · Gilded Flicker · Ladder-backed Woodpecker · Lewis' Woodpecker · common flicker
Hummingbirds & swiftsAnna's Hummingbird · Black-chinned Hummingbird · Broad-tailed Hummingbird · Calliope Hummingbird · Costa's Hummingbird · Costa's hummingbird · Rufous Hummingbird · Vaux's Swift · Violet-crowned Hummingbird · White-throated Swift · broad-billed hummingbird
Also on the checklistAbert's Towhee · American Bushtit · American Cliff Swallow · American Dusky Flycatcher · American Goldfinch · American Pipit · American Robin · Barn Swallow · Bewick's wren · Black Phoebe · Black-headed Grosbeak · Black-tailed Gnatcatcher · Black-throated Sparrow · Blue Grosbeak · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Brewer's Blackbird · Brewer's Sparrow · Bridled Titmouse · Bronzed Cowbird · Bullock's Oriole · Cactus Wren · California Scrub Jay · Cassin's Sparrow · Cassin's Vireo · Cassin's kingbird · Cedar Waxwing · Chihuahuan Raven · Chipping Sparrow · Common Poorwill · Common Yellowthroat · Crissal Thrasher · Dark-eyed Junco · Eastern Phoebe · Gray Vireo · Great-tailed Grackle · Green Kingfisher · Green-tailed Towhee · Hammond's Flycatcher · Hepatic Tanager · Hermit Thrush · Hooded Oriole · House Sparrow · House Wren · Hutton's Vireo · Indigo Bunting · Lark Sparrow · Lazuli Bunting · Lesser Goldfinch · Lesser Nighthawk · Lincoln's Sparrow · Lucy's warbler · Mallard · Mountain Bluebird · Northern Raven · Northern beardless tyrannulet · Northern cardinal · Northern mockingbird · Olive-sided Flycatcher · Ovenbird · Painted Bunting · Pine Siskin · Plumbeous Vireo · Purple Martin · Pyrrhuloxia · Red-winged Blackbird · Roadrunner · Rock Wren · Rose-throated Becard · Roughleg · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Rufous-crowned Sparrow · Rufous-winged Sparrow · Sand Martin · Savannah Sparrow · Say's Phoebe · Scott's Oriole · Song Sparrow · Streak-backed Oriole · Summer Tanager · Swainson's Thrush · Tecolote occidental · Thick-billed Kingbird · Townsend's Solitaire · Tree Swallow · Tropical Kingbird · Vermilion flycatcher · Vesper Sparrow · Violet-green Swallow · Warbling vireo · Western Flycatcher · Western Kingbird · Western Meadowlark · Western Tanager · Western wood-pewee · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · White-throated Sparrow · Willow Flycatcher · Worm-eating Warbler · Yellow-billed Cuckoo · Yellow-headed Blackbird · Yellow-throated Vireo · ash-throated · ash-throated flycatcher · brown creeper · brown-crested flycatcher · brown-headed cowbird · bullock's oriole · canyon towhee · curve-billed thrasher · dusky-capped flycatcher · house finch · loggerhead shrike · phainopepla · rough-winged swallow · starling · varied bunting · verdin · western bell's vireo · yellow-breasted chat
Small mammalsArizona Cotton Rat · Bailey's pocket mouse · Botta's pocket gopher · Cactus Deermouse · Sonoran Desert pocket mouse · Western Harvest Mouse · brush mouse · deer mouse · fulvous harvest mouse · house mouse · northern grasshopper mouse · northern pygmy mouse · southern grasshopper mouse · tawny-bellied cotton rat · western white-throated woodrat · white-footed mouse · yellow-nosed cotton rat
PredatorsAlleghanian Spotted Skunk · American black bear · bobcat · coyote · hooded skunk · kit fox · northern raccoon · striped skunk · white-backed hog-nosed skunk
Hoofed mammalscollared peccary · mule deer · white-tailed deer
Also on the checklistCaucasian wildcat · Virginia opossum · domestic cattle · feral dog
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Stargazing in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
Weather & climate
Located above the heat of the low desert, Tumacácori National Historical Park is in the mesquite highlands, close to 3,300 feet in elevation, where temperatures are five to ten degrees cooler than Tucson or Phoenix. Visiting the park in this moderate climate is pleasurable during any season of the year but remember to prepare accordingly. Bring layered clothing and drink plenty of water.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to enter Tumacácori?
Entrance is $10 per person on foot or bike. The park entrance fee is $10.00 per adult (age 16 or older) and is good for 7 days.
Source: National Park Service
Which passes work at Tumacácori?
The $80 America the Beautiful pass covers the entrance fee here, and a Tumacácori-only annual pass is $35.
Source: Is the pass worth it
Can I pay the entrance fee in cash?
No. Tumacácori takes cards only at the entrance.
Source: National Park Service
When is entrance to Tumacácori free?
Next on October 27, Theodore Roosevelt's birthday. 2 fee-free days are left this year, for US residents only.
Source: Free entrance days
Do I need a reservation to enter Tumacácori?
No. There is no timed-entry or entrance reservation at Tumacácori. Camping and some tours have their own reservations.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Tumacácori?
Standard hours are 9:00AM - 5:00PM, every day. Dated exceptions are listed under Hours.
Source: National Park Service
How busy is Tumacácori?
28,449 recreation visits in 2025, number 307 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Tumacácori?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 4G LTE, and T-Mobile 5G. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
Is Tumacácori good for stargazing?
Yes. Tumacácori is a certified International Dark Sky Park.
Source: Dark sky parks
What is the weather like at Tumacácori?
Located above the heat of the low desert, Tumacácori National Historical Park is in the mesquite highlands, close to 3,300 feet in elevation, where temperatures are five to ten degrees cooler than Tucson or Phoenix. Visiting the park in this moderate climate is pleasurable during any season of the year but remember to
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
