Sonoita and Patagonia

The route takes you through magnificent country studded with cactus, beveled with foothills, and ringed with wide, open valleys. As the road climbs toward Sonoita, the landscape grows more lush—the area is nurtured by Sonoita Creek. Even during the summer, when the rest of the Arizona desert is bleached to a coarse yellow, the high grasses here retain their green tint. Everybody likes to visit Mexico at least once while in Arizona. What makes this trip easier than most Mexican vacations is that you don’t drive across the border. You’ll park in Nogales, Arizona, and walk across the international line into Nogales, Mexico. Once you leave Arizona and enter the state of Sonora, Mexico, you’ll feel worlds away from the United States. Border towns are usually safe as long as you stay on the main streets. Sonoita is a very old community that dates to around 1699. Originally it was the site of a Vista, a mission that only occasionally received personal visits by Spanish padres. According to Arizona historian Marshall Trimble, the modern-day town of Sonoita owes its existence to the Benson-to-Nogales railroad line, which was built in 1882. Today this community is still on the transportation “line” for visitors who take what locals call “the back way”—the scenic and more interesting non-interstate route—to Nogales. More than a place along the way, Sonoita is coming into its own as the site of Arizona’s flourishing wine industry. Patagonia is a picturesque town that lies in a narrow valley bounded by the Santa Rita Mountains to the north and the Patagonias to the south. Today Patagonia has some of the finest quarter horse and cattle ranches in the Southwest. It is known throughout the state for its inviting location and, thanks to the higher elevation, slightly cooler temperatures. In recent years, Patagonia has become its own tourist destination. There’s an excellent arts-and-crafts gallery to peruse and two excellent restaurants in the vicinity. In addition, the Patagonia–Sonoita Creek Sanctuary has become a bird-watcher’s paradise. This chapter from the DayTrips series describes many fascinating, exciting, (and many free of charge) things to do, most within a two-hour drive of Tucson. Each Day Trip includes destination highlights, places to visit along the way, choice restaurants and lodging, and shopping.