San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area


Some 350 bird species (many endangered), more than 80 mammal species and more than 40 species of reptiles and amphibians have been recorded along the 40-mile stretch of the San Pedro River within this 89-sq-mile conservation area. This vital riparian ecosystem has also become a corridor for drug smuggling from Mexico – suspicious activity should be reported.

The visitor center, in the 1930s San Pedro House, is 6 miles east of Sierra Vista on Hwy 90. From here you can access several hiking trails.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

2. Rose Tree Museum

11.83 MILES

Every spring the world's largest rosebush – planted in 1885 – puts on an intoxicating show in the courtyard of this museum, a beautifully restored…

3. Bird Cage Theater

11.87 MILES

In the 1880s the Bird Cage was a one-stop sin-o-rama. Besides holding onstage shows, it was a saloon, dance hall, gambling parlor and a home for …

4. OK Corral

11.89 MILES

Site of the famous gunfight on October 26, 1881, the OK Corral is the heart of both historic and touristic Tombstone. It has models of the gunfighters and…

5. Tombstone Epitaph Museum

11.93 MILES

Pick up your free copy of the Tombstone Epitaph, reporting on the infamous shoot-out, at the historic newspaper office, now a museum showing how the paper…

6. Fairbank Historic Site

12.19 MILES

It's the silence that grabs you in Fairbank, 10 miles west of Tombstone. Established in 1881 to serve the New Mexico & Arizona Railroad, Fairbank was a…

7. Boothill Graveyard

12.3 MILES

For a list of the graves – and causes of death – of those buried here, buy the brochure at the entrance. The graves of Billy Clanton and Tom and Frank…

8. Ramsey Canyon Preserve

12.32 MILES

Up to 15 species of hummingbird flit over the igneous outcrops of this beautiful Nature Conservancy–owned preserve, with especially heavy sightings from…