Best Of Tucson®

Best Place to Explore, See Owls and Talk Science and History

The Old Quarry at A Mountain

A Mountain (Sentinel Peak) is a gem, even better now with the new interpretive signs that showcase the area's history and the trails that are just as wonderful as Tumamoc Hill. But there's also a special place on the north side of A Mountain where our history and environment collide—the old quarry. From a distance it looks like a crater, which it's often mistaken for, but in reality it's a quarry that provided much of the volcanic rock used to build the walls on the perimeter of the UA campus. Other homes around the UA also used this rock, as well as the historic structures at the base and in the research area of Tumamoc. No longer blasted and mined, the quarry is part of our history that offers interesting views of wildlife, from owls to coyotes. Bring a walking stick, and be careful of the broken glass. The occasional owl sightings are worth the trek, and heck you can pretend a meteor hit the area long ago. Some people do.