San Pedro House | Arizona
San Pedro House is a historic ranch house restored by the Friends of the San Pedro River. It serves as a bookstore and gift shop run by volunteers. The area around the house has interpretive signs about native plants, riparian areas, watersheds, aquifers, and wildlife.
San Pedro House is a renowned birding destination. It sits at a hub of trails leading to the San Pedro River and two ponds. The American Bird Conservancy has designated this area as a globally important for bird area.
The house has a parking area for cars and trailer-towing vehicles, trash facilities, double-vault toilet, and picnic tables for public use. The area features trails for hiking, bicycling, equestrian activities, and wildlife viewing. Some natural interests include:
- The Big Cottonwood Tree (west of the house), which is not as old as you might think. Cottonwoods grow very quickly in favorable conditions. This one is estimated to be between 90 and 130 years old, whereas the cottonwood behind the house was planted in 1956.
- Abandoned agricultural fields, once used for growing alfalfa and cattle feed, dominate the landscape. Native vegetation is steadily returning along the Del Valle Trail.
- The riparian forest, one of the rarest forest types, contrasts with the adjacent fields. Cottonwood and willow trees provide habitat for over 350 bird species and other wildlife. These trees and other vegetation promote soil deposition, refilling the incised channel over time.
- Linear pools, which often form along rivers, provide excellent habitat for turtles, frogs and fish. They are created by a wash coming into the river, thick vegetative growth or changes in underground geology. Kingfisher Pond was created years ago when this area was a sand and gravel quarry. The large hole created by the operation eventually filled up with ground and flood water. There are no surface inlets or outlets. Green kingfishers are often spotted here!
The historic San Pedro House was part of the ranching and farming operation along the San Pedro River during the early 1900s until the 1980s.
Hours and Seasons
The San Pedro House is the primary visitor center for the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. The house is a restored ranch house that now contains a visitor center and nature store operated by the Friends of the San Pedro River. It is open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. Here you can get information and brochures along with advice from the staff to help you enjoy your visit.
The best time of year to visit is late October to mid-May.
Features and Services
- Drinking Water: There is drinking water available at the San Pedro House.
- Toilets: There is an accessible double vault toilet.
- Cell Phone and Internet: Cell phone service is generally good at the San Pedro House. Public internet/Wi-Fi is not available.
- Pets: Pets are generally allowed but must be kept on a leash at all times in developed areas, including trailheads, interpretive sites, and locations near the two visitor contact stations. Service dogs are legally permitted anywhere that visitors can go. Please pack out any pet waste.
Safety and Conditions
You are responsible for your own safety. Call 911 to contact local law enforcement, obtain emergency services, or report a fire.
There is no first aid available on-site. The nearest hospital is in Sierra Vista.
The San Pedro River is subject to seasonal flooding, and summer monsoons are common.
The region is a corridor for illegal immigrants traveling from Mexico. Nevertheless, visitors can safely enjoy the San Pedro National Conservation Area. Please report all suspected illegal activities to the Bureau of Land Management or local law enforcement authorities. Avoid contact with people exhibiting suspicious behavior or engaged in dangerous activities.
Accessibility Description (ABA/ADA)
View images of accessibility features in a new window.
Parking. Parking for this site is in a large, packed-gravel lot with room for about 60 cars. There is 1 paved designated accessible parking space next to the concrete sidewalk that leads to the toilet, contact station, and picnic ramadas. Cell phone reception is generally good at this site.
Toilet and drinking water. An accessible double vault toilet on a concrete pad sits near the front of the site. The site has 3 water spigots for public use, 2 in the picnic areas and 1 near the San Pedro House. The spigots in the picnic areas have easy-to-use lever valves.
Visitor contact station. A wheelchair ramp in the rear of the contact station allows mobility device users to access the building. The contact station is staffed 7 days per week and has a bookstore and gift shop. Staff lead tours and can provide information about the site. In addition, a wall of interpretation with details about the history of the site and the surrounding area sits near the large cottonwood tree to the right of the picnic ramada, about 50-75 yards from the parking area.
Picnic areas. Behind and to the right of the San Pedro House as you enter the site, there is a large ramada picnic ramada covering a dozen plastic picnic tables with inset legs, allowing wheelchair users to pull up to the ends. In the same area there are, in addition to a wall of interpretation, 2 shade structures that each cover 2 picnic tables on a concrete pad. These tables can accommodate wheelchair users. There are also several uncovered accessible picnic tables under the cottonwood trees near the House. Trash receptacles are available for all these picnic areas.
Trails. About 500-600 yards of paths of packed dirt lead through the gardens and picnic areas. An engineered, hard-packed natural surface path 1-2 miles long takes visitors to Phoebe Pond. Visitors can also take a hard-packed trail from San Pedro House to the San Pedro River and then back to King Fisher Pond or the House, follow a loop around a large agricultural field, and connect with the San Pedro Traverse Trail.
Numbered interpretive signs are scattered along the trails. A booklet available at the contact station provides a key to each sign. There are 3-4 benches without arms along the main loop trail leading from the San Pedro House to the river and back.
Descriptions and photos uploaded February 2025. Please note that actual on-the-ground conditions may vary due to natural events (e.g., weather, wildfires, erosion), normal wear and tear, or site improvements.
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Contact Us
Activities
Addresses
Geographic Coordinates
Directions
From Tucson, follow I-10 E to AZ-90 S (exit 302). Follow AZ-90 S for 27.4 miles. Turn left to stay on AZ-90 S at the light on the intersections of Hatfield Street and North Buffalo Soldier Trail. Follow AZ-90 S for 4.4 miles until you turn left using the two left lanes on the intersections of AZ-92 S and Fry Boulevard. Continue on AZ-90 S for 9 miles until you see the San Pedro House sign. Turn right into the parking area.
There is a large, packed-gravel parking lot. There is one paved accessible parking space. Avoid blocking parking areas or trail access at trailheads.
Fees
Day use throughout the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area is free; you don't need a permit.
You must have a permit for overnight backcountry camping. Permit fees are $2 per person per night. You may have a campfire only in designated areas. Camping is limited to seven consecutive nights in any one location, unless otherwise authorized.
Commercial operators must secure special authorization prior to their planned visit.
Nearby Attractions and Ammenities
You can get food and supplies in these nearby communities: Sierra Vista, Tombstone, Whetstone, Bisbee, Hereford and Palominas. Nearby public lands include the Coronado National Memorial and the Coronado National Forest.