Sabino Canyon, Canyon in Santa Catalina Mountains, Arizona.

Sabino Canyon is a V-shaped canyon in the Santa Catalina Mountains of Coronado National Forest north of Tucson. Its steep slopes of tan, brown and grey rock carry saguaro cacti and low desert shrubs, and a central drainage runs between them. The canyon narrows toward the background, where distant ridges overlap.

The recreation area was developed by the United States Forest Service during the 1930s, when roads and bridges were built that still operate today. These early infrastructure projects first allowed public access to this previously isolated mountain location.

The name Sabino comes from the sabino tree, and the canyon's stonework carries local memory: hand-painted tiles at the entrance, decorated with southwestern themes, recognize major donors to Friends of Sabino Canyon. The non-profit, founded in 1993, holds an annual outdoor holiday concert, Music in the Canyon, to fund its work in the canyon.

An electric shuttle system runs daily with nine stops along the canyon road, providing access to different trailheads and places to swim. The shuttle makes it easy to explore the full length of the canyon without driving yourself.

The road into the canyon runs about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) and stops short of its intended goal: crews during the Great Depression meant to reach the top of Mount Lemmon, but the steep terrain at the canyon's end halted the work. The unfinished route is now the shuttle road.