The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) worked throughout Tuscon Mountain Park (TMP) from 1933 through 1942. The northern part the original TMP was transferred to Saguaro National Monument as the Tuscon Mountain District (TMD) in 1961, 17 years before Saguaro was re-designated as a national park in 1978. Saguaro National Park has two districts: the TMD flanks Tuscon, AZ on its western border while the Rincon Mountain District skirts Tuscon’s eastern border.

Building picnic areas served as one of the ways that the CCC contributed to the recreational development of Tuscon Mountain Park and the parts of the original TMP that now reside within Saguaro National Park. The CCC constructed eight picnic areas in the TMP. Five of these picnic sites are in the TMD. The five picnic sites in the TMD are Cam-Boh, Sus, Ez-Kim-In-Zin, Signal Hill, and Mam-A-Gah. All of the picnic sites, except Mam-A-Gah can be accessed by vehicle; reaching Mam-A-Gah requires an approximately one-mile hike (two miles round-trip) starting from the King Canyon trailhead.

Cam-Boh Picinic Area

3D Model of CCC built Restroom

On the right-hand side of the model, below the viewer settings (gear cog), explore the difference between point cloud (default) and 3D mesh.

PC (apple) users: Ctrl (command) + left click to rotate the view. Left click to move.

Phone users: one finger to rotate the view and two to move it.

In 1961, the Tuscon Mountain District was added to Saguaro National Park. At this time the National Park Service began to rehabilitate many of the CCC built structures. Included in the rehabilitation for the ramadas like this one at Cam-Boh picnic area was a concrete floor and a new roof and support beams.
The CCC built grill is flanked by two newer metal grills. Which grill would you rather use? Wasson peak (highest point in the Tuscon Mountain District) can be seen in the background and is accessible via a trail built by the CCC.

Sus Picnic Area

Women’s restroom at Sus picnic area. Sometime after 1961 modifications including a new roof, concrete floor, toilet paper dispensers, dividers and doors were installed. The restrooms at this picnic area are slightly different- a stone skirt encircles both restrooms.
A medium size picnic table with wraparound bench on the ridge overlooking the Sus picnic area.
The ramada at Sus has a modern roof structure. The picnic tables are medium size with a wraparound bench.

Signal Hill Picnic Area

The large ramada at Signal Hill (like those of the other picnic areas) consists of two picnic tables as opposed the single picnic table seen in the small ramada below.
Small ramada at Signal Hill Picnic area.
Signal Hill shelter house differs from the ramada in that it has four walls. This shelter house has a fireplace which has been filled in and an area for wood storage next to it.
Signal Hill picnic table. This table is medium size with a wraparound bench and tall back rest.

Mam-A-Gah

Restroom at Mam-A-Gah picnic area.
Large ramada with missing roof structure at Mam-A-Gah picnic area.
Large picnic tables at Mam-A-Gah picnic area.
The picnic site at the end of the ridge contains the only remaining (and still fully functional) CCC built foot operated garbage receptacle of the 14 documented that were built in Saguaro National Park and Tuscon Mountain Park. The receptacle is located between the grill and picnic table, although it is partially obscured by shrubbery in this image.

Much of the information found on this page was paraphrased from a series of cultural resource briefs published by the National Park Service in 2015 and authored by Ronald Beckwith, Archeologist for Saguaro National Park. The resource briefs were accessed on March 5, 2022, from the following website: Modern History – Saguaro National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov). The photographs were taken by B. Oak McCoy on his spring break ’22 research trip.