Around an hour of drive from Tucson's downtown, and from hot desert you can transport yourself into a green forest wonderland with a very different climate. Especially after the last time I realized that I need to come here way more frequently! You can get up to over 9000 feet in elevation, it's a very nice place to cool off in hot Summers or to see some snow during Winter time. There is a lot of very cool hiking spots with great rock formations. They are like giant guardian spirits watching over town from above;)