In 2015, with the help of $180,000 in support from Friends of Saguaro National Park, Saguaro National Park replaced the 55-year old interpretive exhibits in the Rincon Mountain Visitor Center with new, bilingual exhibits to help visitors understand the story of Saguaro National Park and appreciate the connection between people and place. Unlike the (newer) Red Hills Visitor Center in the Tucson Mountain District, the Rincon Mountain Visitor Center has no outdoor interpretive

space- where rangers can provide interpretive talks to visitors and school groups.

In 2017, with the help of $65,000 in support from Friends of Saguaro National Park, Saguaro National Park began designing the 2,500 square foot, year-round, fully accessible, outdoor program space next the Rincon Mountain Visitor Center. The space will include a hardened surface, accessible benches, a shade structure, A/V equipment for assistive listening technology and an educational donor

mural created by local artist Gail T. Roberts.

Now completed, the outdoor space will be used for daily interpretive programs, special events, demonstrations, hiking clubs and educational programs. The “outdoor classroom” will also provide the park’s 1 million annual visitors with spectacular views of the Rincon Mountains, which are not visible from any other location within the Rincon Mountain Visitor Center building.

The ground breaking ceremony

took place on May 16th, construction was completed on August 26th, and the grand opening took place on October 14th to coincide with Saguaro National Park's 25th Anniversary (as a national park).

This project would not have been possible without the support from our donors, notably; Tucson Electric Power, Diamond Ventures, Southwest Gas, Richard Schoen, Virginia Van Der Veer, The Spears Family, Friends of Volunteer Al Solomon and Western National Parks Association.