Kitt Peak National Observatory

On our trip to Tucson the end of December and early January we took a trip to Kitt Peak. My knowledge and experience going to an observatory came from the few times I have been to Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. This did not prepare me for our trip to Kitt Peak. Griffith is at an elevation of 1135 ft and it was warm. Griffith's purpose is to make astronomy available to the public and it is used as a tourist spot that has also been a popular spot for movies and TV shows. This is the complete opposite of Kitt Peak.

Kitt Peak from the highway.

The side of the road as we were driving up the mountain.

As we were driving up the mountain the snow should have been my first clue as to how cold it was going to be.

Kitt Peak is located on a mountain above the Sonoran Desert, on land owned by the Tohono O'odham Nation. The National Science Foundation has a lease for the use of 200 acres on the mountain, at an elevation of about 7000 ft, with the Tohono O'odham Tribal Council. This perpetual agreement requires the facilities on the mountain to only be used for scientific research. So, you can imagine that the almost 6000 foot elevation difference between Griffith and Kitt Peak should have given me a light bulb moment that it was going to be COLD!

I was standing at one of the observation buildings after having walked from the large tall observatory in the back of this picture. You can see the elevation changes, but what you can't see is the icy walkways. Brrrrrr!

Because Kitt Peak is a working observatory, the scientists that work there sleep in dorms during the day and work at night. There are signs asking you to be quiet while you are touring, so you do not wake the scientists. Another bit of knowledge that would have helped me dress appropriately would have been that there were several buildings to see that were spread out over the acreage, and we would be walking from building to building, up and down the hilly landscape, in the cold and snow. Oh, and none of the buildings are heated except the visitors center and gift shop. Are you getting the impression I did not dress appropriately? Correct!! I did have to buy a sweatshirt at the gift shop.

It looks like the Scientists were having a little fun in the snow.

One of the powerful cameras in one of the observatories. 

This was taken from the large tall observatory in a previous picture, and the building in the back left of this picture shows how far our walk was from one end of the site to the other.

The other thing I was not prepared for was the absolute beauty of the scenery. To say it was breathtaking still does not do it justice. The drive up the mountain was so beautiful and in some spots a little scary. But, once we got to the observatory there was not a direction you would look and not see the absolute beauty of God's creation. In every direction were mountains and desert. You could see rock formations and snow covered peaks. It was most definitely worth the cold to see the surroundings of this mountain top observatory.

One of the many beautiful views.

When you visit Tucson you never think about the diverse landscape. You always think desert, cactus, snakes, coyotes, javelinas and scorpions, but when you arrive and see the city, and that it is surrounded by mountains, it changes your whole thought process. The desert is the draw for many tourists with the warm weather, and the desert landscape that is so foreign to most of us, but then you venture out into the mountains, it is like you have gone into a different world. The rocks, trees, snow, bears, deer and sheep are a huge contrast to the desert environment we expect in Tucson.

The views just kept getting better.

You can see the desert at the base of the mountains.

Just as the desert has its own unique beauty, the scenes from Kitt Peak are as out of this world as the sights seen through the astronomers telescopes.