Make sure to stop by the Tucson Visitor Center (110 S. Church Ave., 520/624-1817, Mon.–Fri. 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Sat.–Sun. 9 a.m.–4 p.m.). The bureau produces a helpful guide to the city you can pick up at the office or out in front when they’re closed. There are scores of tourist pamphlets for the perusing. Park in the metered parking on Church Avenue in front of the Technicolor La Placita Village, which houses the center and a few shops and cafés.

The Arizona Office of Tourism (1110 W. Washington St., Ste. 155, Phoenix, AZ 85007, 602/364-3700, 866/275-5816, www.arizonaguide.com) will send you a free print or electronic version of the official state guide, and their website is full of information and lists of accommodations, events, and restaurants throughout the state.

If you’re planning to spend a lot of time in the state’s national forests, you can get maps and information beforehand from the National Forest Service, Southwestern Region (333 Broadway SE, Albuquerque, NM 87102, 505/842-3292, www.fs.fed.us/r3), or from the websites for the individual forests, listed in the destination chapters of this book.

The Arizona BLM State Office (1 N. Central Ave., Ste. 800, Phoenix, AZ 85004-4427, 602/417-9200, www.blm.gov/az/st/en.html) also has a lot of information on the state’s wildlands, and the Arizona State Parks Department (1300 W. Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85007, 602/542-4174, www.pr.state.az.us) has information on all the parks managed by the state.