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Palisades Ranger Residence Cabin

Show on map520-749-8700
SANTA CATALINA RANGER DISTRICT, 5700 N SABINO CANYON ROAD
Tucson, AZ 85750

Overview

The Palisades Ranger Residence Cabin is located within the Palisades Administrative Site in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 20 miles northeast of Tucson, Arizona. The cabin is reached via the East Catalina Highway, which becomes the General Hitchcock Highway, a historic and scenic drive that takes visitors through multiple biozones from the Sonoran Desert to the dense forests at 8,000 feet elevation. The cabin has indoor plumbing, electricity, a full kitchen, furniture, beds and an enclosed front yard.  

The cabin is available from late March to early November depending on the weather. 

Recreation

The Palisades Ranger Residence Cabin is approximately one hour from Tucson, AZ, 18.4 miles up Mt. Lemmon. The cabin location provides access to a myriad of recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, birding, horseback riding, picnicking, sightseeing, mountain biking, rock climbing, and visiting historic areas. Fishing is also available at nearby Rose Canyon Lake. Winter sports are available at higher elevations, depending on snowfall; Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley in the Santa Catalina Mountains is the southernmost ski area in the United States.

Facilities

The Palisades Ranger Residence is a five-room cabin, suitable for up to four people. The cabin has a bedroom, dining room, living room, bathroom, and fully equipped kitchen. The bedroom has a queen bed, while the living room contains 2 full-size futons. The dining room has a table and four chairs. The kitchen is equipped with a propane stove/oven, microwave, refrigerator, pots, pans, utensils, dishes, and a coffee pot. The house has electricity, a propane heater, and running water.

While the cabin has amenities for comfortable lodging, guests do need to provide some of their own supplies, including food, sleeping bags, linens, pillows, towels, dish soap, matches, a first aid kit, toilet paper, and garbage bags. Although electricity is available, it is recommended that guests bring an additional light source in case of emergencies.

Natural Features

The Santa Catalina Mountains comprise one of the "sky islands" in the Coronado National Forest. From the desert floor to the upper slopes of Mt. Lemmon, biozones vary from Sonoran desert to subalpine forest, with wildlife communities that are equally diverse. An extensive trail network offers opportunities for day and extended trips, with easy access to the nearby Pusch Ridge Wilderness.

Nearby Attractions

Numerous attractions are also available nearby, including: the Sky Island Scenic Byway (General Hitchcock Highway), Rose Canyon Lake, Mt Lemmon Ski Valley, The University of Arizona Mt. Lemmon Sky Center, the hamlet of Summerhaven, Arizona, as well as numerous hiking trails, and opportunities for photography and picnicing. Attractions within one hour's drive include Sabino Canyon Recreation Area and Saguaro National Park East.

Camp site features

Across 1 camp site:

  • Picnic table: all 1 sites
  • Pets allowed: all 1 sites
  • Longest rig: 20 ft
  • Largest party: 4 people

Directions

Driving Directions: From northeast Tucson, take East Tanque Verde Road to East Catalina Highway. Turn left (north) on East Catalina Highway, which becomes the General Hitchcock Highway, for approximately 23 miles to Organization Ridge Road and turn left (just before Palisades Visitor Center). The cabin is located approximately 100 yards in on the right.

Stay Limit

Check in from 2 PM, check out by 12 PM.

Reviews

73 reviews
5 stars
38
4 stars
22
3 stars
6
2 stars
3
1 stars
4
Thomas O
Loop:Palisades Ranger Residence Cabin
Site:
Reviewed 20 days ago
I love this cabin. Very peaceful... quiet... simple... 10 minutes to the general store or restaurant... easy hiking all around you... I'm happy to see other visitors making small improvements. A Yamaha bookshelf music system. A cutting board. 2 decent kitchen knives. A tub drain plug. A new tablecloth. Recently someone put some badly needed futon covers, NICE JOB. Someone recently put a small folding kitchen table, excellent! If you are a repeat visitor, take note of what's missing. No junk, please! Example: toss out the old hand soap and leave a new one. Donate your roll of aluminum foil or trash bags, if there are none. Right now it could really use a better toaster oven (small not big). No one wants your food but I think everyone appreciates an unopened soda pop in the fridge, am I right? A TP-Link extender (on an outlet in the cabin) grabs wi-fi from the visitor center so the cabin gets 5 bars. But recently the VC wi-fi was no longer running. I tweaked the repeater to grab a different signal. If not working again, log into the extender to look for other nearby wi-fi, like this: Choose the TP_Link_extender wifi, then go to www.tplinkrepeater.net (written on the back) and use pw MtLemmon123. Or reset it with a paper clip and log in. See what nearby signals it offers. Maybe something, maybe nothing. Ya takes yer chances. Some people clean well, others don't. The floor is often not good. Strongly recommend to bring your robot vacuum (Roomba, shark, etc) and run it while you're out hiking. Last time I dumped 8 vacuum loads of pet hair, dirt, pine needles. I think the USFS needs to consider new fence planks. Many of them are barely hanging on.
Margarita D
Loop:Palisades Ranger Residence Cabin
Site:
Reviewed a month ago
This place has everything you need . Great location for hiking and walking. We'll be back!
Joseph R
Loop:Palisades Ranger Residence Cabin
Site:
Reviewed 3 months ago
Cabin was nice and clean and perfect for us and our 2 grandchildren. The flock of Turkeys was the highlight!
Stephanie M
Loop:Palisades Ranger Residence Cabin
Site:
Reviewed 4 months ago
Cozy, reasonably well-stocked cabin with a fenced yard for your dog in pleasant, wilderness surroundings. My husband and I had a great time! A bonus for this particular location is the wi-fi available (from the nearby visitor's center, I believe.) That said, the proximity to the visitor's center (about 100 yards away) may impinge on the feeling of seclusion some may be seeking. It all depends what it is you are looking for. We also recommend checking out nearby Rose Canyon Lake (about 3 miles down the mountain from the cabin). It's a small, 6-acre lake but is very pretty and stocked with fish. There are plenty of nice campsites there, too (but no cabins that I am aware of).
Bruce L
Loop:Palisades Ranger Residence Cabin
Site:
Reviewed 4 months ago
Comfortably appointed and rustic. Do miss having a fireplace for ambiance. Close to the lake and to Summerhaven and a variety of good hiking trails. Thank you
Hollie T
Loop:Palisades Ranger Residence Cabin
Site:
Reviewed 4 months ago
The location was great, close to summerhaven and ski valley and right off the main road. The Mt Bigelow trail is also right across the street. We watched a sunset at Windy Point and ate at Beyond Bread in the Mt Lemmon lodge. Planned on the Iron Door, but it is closed Tues and Wed. The kitchen had everything we needed and the futons were actually pretty comfortable for sleeping on. We saw many birds and wild turkeys. The fire pit was also a nice perk. Just don’t forget your TP and paper towels. There is wifi and electricity for charging devices.
Availability

See the Camp Sites section below to find detailed booking availability.

ReserveWatch
Popularity: Busy

Busiest in August, when about 63% of guest capacity is reserved. Based on 11 years of reservations.

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