Gates Pass
Pass · 966 m · Tucson & the Sky Islands
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Mountain pass at 3,172 ft through the Tucson Mountains west of the city. The scenic road is lined with overlooks; locals and tourists gather here to watch sunsets over the desert.
The climb over Gates Pass rewards the effort with one of Tucson's better views: a fast, narrow descent on the west side threads tight switchbacks near 14% grade, and the return trip climbs back up through sustained 8 to 10% pitches to a wide rest area at the summit. From there the desert opens for miles to the west, a view locals rate among the best sunset spots in the city. The pass takes its name from Thomas Gates, a saloonkeeper and rancher who in 1883 spent $1,000 of his own money to grade a shortcut through the Tucson Mountains, a route said to have cut about eight miles off his commute. Before he cut the road, crossing the range meant a much longer trip around it.
What you see
Wide pullouts along the summit look west across the Tucson Mountains over miles of open desert, the view sharpest at sunset.
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