Kitt Peak
Peak · 2099 m · Tucson & the Sky Islands
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Kitt Peak (2,099 m) in Arizona's Sonoran Desert hosts Kitt Peak National Observatory, one of the world's largest collections of optical telescopes. The Very Long Baseline Array radio telescope here is one of ten dishes spanning the continent; reach the observatory via State Route 386, 89 km west-southwest of Tucson.
The paved climb up State Route 386 opens onto widening views over saguaro-studded slopes of the Sonoran Desert long before the summit's cluster of white domes comes into sight. Kitt Peak sits on Tohono O'odham Nation land, leased to the University of Arizona and its research partners in 1958 under an agreement with the tribe. What went up since is one of the densest concentrations of research telescopes anywhere, with more than twenty instruments from universities and countries around the world sharing the ridge. Among them is the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope, opened in 1962 with its angled shaft driven deep into the rock to hold the sun's image steady, which was the largest solar telescope on Earth for decades. The mountain's O'odham name, Ioligam, refers to the manzanita shrubs that grow on its slopes.
What you see
A cluster of white telescope domes tops the ridge, visible for miles across the desert as the road climbs toward the summit.
Practical
The visitor center runs guided day tours and nightly stargazing programs; State Route 386 is paved to the summit and open to cyclists year-round.
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