DOG-FRIENDLY PARKS IN TUCSON, AZ

The Sonoran Desert valley sits at 2,389 feet elevation, ringed by four mountain ranges that define Tucson's dramatic setting. This city of 542,000 spreads across 241 square miles between the Santa Catalina Mountains to the north and the Rincon and Santa Rita ranges to the east and south. Desert climate creates scorching summers exceeding 100°F and mild winters averaging in the mid-60s. The Santa Cruz River, usually dry, flows north through the western portion of the city. Tucson's elevation provides slightly cooler temperatures than Phoenix, 100 miles to the northwest.