Tubac day trip from Tucson: the presidio, Tumacacori and golf on the way

A Tubac day trip from Tucson takes about 55 minutes each way down I-19 and pairs well with golf. Spend the morning at Tubac Presidio State Historic Park and the arts village, drive 15 minutes south to the Tumacacori mission ruins, and play either Tubac Golf Resort or one of the Green Valley courses on the way back north.

Tubac is the farthest point south on our Tucson map, and the one true golf resort south of the city. Here is how to fit the sights and a round into one day.

Quick facts

• Drive: downtown Tucson to Tubac about 55 minutes and 45 miles (OSRM free-flow); Green Valley is 34 minutes from downtown on the way.
• Golf: Tubac Golf Resort, 27 holes; Anza nine closed until about January 2027, Rancho and Otero open.
• Sights: Tubac Presidio State Historic Park (site of a 1752 presidio), the arts village, Tumacacori National Historical Park.
• Walk or ride: the Anza Trail links Tubac and Tumacacori, about 4.5 miles.
• Heading north: a permanent Border Patrol checkpoint on northbound I-19 between Tubac and Green Valley; carry ID.
• Road signs: I-19 distances are in kilometres.

Getting there: I-19 south

I-19 runs south from I-10 near downtown through Sahuarita, Green Valley, Amado, Tubac and Rio Rico to Nogales. Its distance signs are in kilometres, so do not be surprised by the numbers.

If you are based in Green Valley, the trip is much shorter. From Tubac Golf Resort, the Green Valley public courses are 30-34 minutes north by road.

The checkpoint. Northbound I-19 has a permanent US Border Patrol checkpoint south of Green Valley, between Amado/Tubac and Green Valley. Anyone driving north from Tubac passes it, so carry ID; non-citizens should have a passport and I-94 if issued. This is general knowledge and the exact location was not re-verified for this guide.

Tubac: the presidio and the arts village

Tubac Presidio State Historic Park was Arizona's first state park, on the site of a 1752 Spanish presidio. It sits next to Tubac's arts-and-crafts village of galleries and shops, so the two make one walkable stop. Allow the morning; the research notes call it an easy half day from Green Valley.

Tumacacori and the Anza Trail

Tumacacori National Historical Park protects ruins of Spanish mission churches along the Santa Cruz River, about 15 minutes south of Tubac. An NPS fee applies. The Anza Trail links Tubac and Tumacacori, about 4.5 miles, if you would rather walk or ride one way.

Lunch. Wisdom's Cafe is a roadside cafe on the I-19 frontage road near Tumacacori, family-run since 1944 and known for fruit burritos. Its current status and exact location were not verified for this guide, so check before you go. At the resort, the Stables Ranch Grille is the golf course restaurant.

Golf on a Tubac day trip

Tubac Golf Resort

Tubac Golf Resort is 27 holes on the historic Otero Ranch in the Santa Cruz River valley: the Otero, Rancho and Anza nines, lined with mesquite and backed by mountain views. The original Otero nine is a Robert "Red" Lawrence design, and the course opened in 1959. Rancho #4 is the "Tin Cup" lay-up hole from the 1996 film.

Status for this season: the resort's October 1, 2026 release says the Rancho and Otero nines stay open through fall and winter, and the Anza nine is closed for a greens rebuild until about January 2027. Everyone plays Rancho/Otero until then, so expect busier tee sheets. The Otero greens were rebuilt in 2023 and Rancho's in 2024, all to Dominator bentgrass, with Anza following.

The resort sells public tee times online (TeeItUp), carts are included per one listing, and there is a driving range, three practice greens and a putting green. No published winter rate card was found; a June 10, 2026 listing showed $42.09-$55.95 for 18 (a summer price). See the Tubac Golf Resort course guide and our Tubac Golf Resort guide.

Staying over. The Tubac Golf Resort & Spa hotel sells stay-and-play packages; dated room and package prices were not published, so ask the resort for your dates. One golf package site listed a resort fee of about $31.98 a room per night (undated). For longer stays, Tubac seasonal casitas are listed on Airbnb near the course, without published monthly prices.

Golf on the way: Green Valley

If you prefer to play nearer home, four Green Valley public courses sit on the drive back north. Drive times are from Tubac Golf Resort.

Prices were seen on the dates shown (GolfLink and GolfNow) and change; winter rates were not published. On cold winter mornings, the Torres Blancas and Canoa Ranch Frost and Heat Index line (520-352-1082) tells you whether the course is open. San Ignacio and Canoa Ranch are the closest of the four; see the Canoa Ranch course guide, the Canoa Ranch golf guide, the San Ignacio golf guide and our Green Valley golf guide.

South of Tubac: check before you go

• Rio Rico Golf Club: a Robert Trent Jones Sr. course from 1971, but status unclear, call first (520-281-8567). Sources conflict, no 2026 tee times were found and the resort site did not resolve on October 26, 2026.
• Kino Springs Golf Course: closed. It shut in June 2019 for well work and is listed as closed since 2021.

Our closed golf courses guide covers these and others.

A sample Tubac day

1. 7:30 AM: leave Tucson on I-19 south, or tee off at a Green Valley course if you are staying there.
2. Morning: Tubac Presidio State Historic Park and the arts village.
3. Late morning: drive about 15 minutes south to Tumacacori.
4. Lunch: near Tumacacori or back at the resort.
5. Afternoon: 18 holes on Rancho/Otero at Tubac Golf Resort.
6. Evening: drive north through the checkpoint, about an hour to central Tucson.

In midwinter, swap the order and play late morning: Green Valley's January normal low is 36.1F, so first tee times there can carry frost delays.

More stops on the I-19 corridor

Other sights sit on the same road. The Titan Missile Museum is minutes from Green Valley off I-19, Mission San Xavier del Bac is on the way back into Tucson, and Madera Canyon is about 30-40 minutes from Green Valley. Nogales, Sonora is farther south, but read the current advisory first: Sonora is Level 3 on the State Department advisory, and a September 2026 consulate alert limited US personnel to daytime essential travel. Our things to do in Tucson guide covers them all, and where to eat in Tucson has more food stops.

Plan it on the map

Open the Tucson golf map to see Tubac, Green Valley and the I-19 corridor in 3D with drive times between each stop. The plan can fit a Tubac day into a longer trip, or into the weekly rotation of a winter stay in Green Valley.