
Gates Pass is a mountain pass along the crest of the
Tucson Mountains
The Tucson Mountains ( O'odham: Cuk Doʼag) are a minor mountain range west of Tucson, Arizona. The Tucson Mountains, including Wasson Peak, are one of four notable mountain ranges surrounding the Tucson Basin. The Santa Catalina Mountains li ...
. The road through the pass is a
scenic route
A scenic route, tourist road, tourist route, tourist drive, holiday route, theme route, or scenic byway is a specially designated road or waterway that travels through an area of natural or cultural beauty. It often passes by scenic viewpoint ...
west of
Tucson, Arizona
, "(at the) base of the black ill ILL may refer to:
* ''I Love Lucy'', a landmark American television sitcom
* Illorsuit Heliport (location identifier: ILL), a heliport in Illorsuit, Greenland
* Institut Laue–Langevin, an internationally financed scientific facility
* Interlibrar ...
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
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. The road from the east is West Anklam Road which merges with West Speedway Boulevard in the city just east of North Camino De Oeste. West of the pass the road is known as Saguaro Road and continues until it reaches Kinney Road just north of
Old Tucson
Old Tucson (formerly Old Tucson Studios) is an American movie studio and theme park just west of Tucson, Arizona, adjacent to the Tucson Mountains and close to the western portion of Saguaro National Park. Built in 1939 for the movie '' Arizo ...
.
[''Cat Mountain, Arizona,'' 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1996] The elevation of the pass is .
[
The road is lined with ]scenic overlook
A scenic viewpoint – also called an observation point, viewpoint, viewing point, vista point, lookout, scenic overlook,These terms are more commonly used in North America. etc. – is an elevated location where people can view scenery (often w ...
s, and is an area where locals and tourists come to watch the sunset.
History
The road through Gates Pass was started in 1883 by Thomas Gates, in a search for a shortcut through the Tucson Mountains
The Tucson Mountains ( O'odham: Cuk Doʼag) are a minor mountain range west of Tucson, Arizona. The Tucson Mountains, including Wasson Peak, are one of four notable mountain ranges surrounding the Tucson Basin. The Santa Catalina Mountains li ...
; Gates was a local pioneer, and a saloon and ranch keeper. He purchased the land in order to build this road.
Currently, the road carries approximately 3100 cars daily.
Gates Pass was featured in David Leighton's popular series, "Street Smarts," in the Arizona Daily Star on Jan. 1, 2013.
Safety
Gates Pass has been considered an extremely dangerous road due to a slope that occurs midway through the route, with 58 wrecks reported between 1996 and 2001. In 2006, a project was undertaken to improve the safety of the road, which included widening and a temporary closure. This project was named the third best road project in the country for the year 2006 in '' Roads and Bridges Magazine''.
References
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External links
Gates Pass on Google Maps with Street View mode
YouTube video of ride along Gates Pass
Gates Pass Area Neighborhood Association
Roads in Arizona
Transportation in Tucson, Arizona
Hiking trails in Arizona
Landmarks in Tucson, Arizona
Parks in Arizona
Tourist attractions in Pima County, Arizona
Protected areas of Arizona
Mountain passes of Arizona
Landforms of Pima County, Arizona