Southwest Discoveries has been guiding adventure-seekers around the American Southwest since 2006. Led by experienced naturalist guide Mitch Stevens, our guided hiking tours have introduced people from all walks of life to the amazing beauty of the Southwest in ways few people have experienced. With a focus on ecological conservation, our fully customizable hiking tours meet and exceed environmental standards while leaving our guests with memories that last a lifetime. From short hikes to multi-day trekking expeditions, we tailor every aspect of our tours to meet your group's mobility needs and unique interests, with options for specialized excursions including our award-winning photography workshops, culinary tours, birding expeditions, and historic and cultural immersions. From the majestic heights of our sky islands to the wondrous depths of our spectacular canyons, let us be your partner in discovery and adventure. Happy trails!
-
I just cannot overstate the value you and Southwest Discoveries have brought to my life both in enrichment of interaction with nature and adventure, and with amazing, wonderful people. Absolutely a grace. Mitch Stevens has a passion for nature, conservation, and interaction with Arizona’s lands that is rarely equaled. He interprets the natural world, and especially geology, with charisma and charm that make his outings extremely popular in the Southwest. He leads outings safely, thoughtfully, and with amazing knowledge and planning.
Keith BagwellSierra Club,
Unrivaled guided hiking tours. Unbelievable culinary experiences. Unparalleled adventures. You have many travel companies to choose from, but Southwest Discoveries is a little bit different. Our unique itineraries put expert guides on your side for every new adventure, bringing you up close and personal with the desert in ways you can't experience on your own.
Eric MorrisonTucson, Arizona
Mission Statement
Southwest Discovery's mission is to inspire wonder in the natural world while promoting ecological conservation through our expertly guided hiking tours in Tucson and the Southwest.
Vision Statement
Southwest Discoveries envisions a world where humans explore the wonders of nature with joy and respect while all living beings thrive in a symbiotic ecosystem that is sustainable, healthy, and fun.
Land Acknowledgement
It is with great reverence that Southwest Discoveries operates on the ancestral lands where O'odham, Pascua Yaqui, Apache, Hopi, Navajo, and Zuni families have lived for thousands of years. We are grateful for their continued stewardship of this land and seek to contribute to the appreciation, protection, and conservation of the wild habitat of Southern Arizona. We are dedicated to honoring the vibrant culture, history, traditions, language, and wisdom of our local First Nation communities, both past and present.
Inclusivity Statement
Southwest Discoveries welcomes adventure-seekers of all walks of life, whatever their race, gender, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation, identity, or religious affiliation. As naturalist guides, we place great emphasis on respect for nature, which includes not just the plants and animals, but all of us humans as well. We ask that our participants join us in that same reverence for all living beings, on and off the trails.
DISCOVER THE SOUTHWEST
Inspired Exploration
Every Southwest Discoveries guide has tested the waters, explored the trails, and gone through each adventure before bringing guests along for the ride. That experience works in your favor, helping you see the trails, the tours, and the backwoods through a local perspective. Through our familiarity with the region, you get access to the gold standard for style, service, and all that the Southwest region has to offer adventurers at heart.
Authentic Discovery
Southwest Discoveries offers adventure tours to multi-generational groups. Regardless of age, experience level, or background, if you have a sense of adventure, want to break a little further away from your comfort zone and be enriched and awed by extraordinary places, our trips are designed for you!
Is Adventure Travel for You?
Culture, history, and information can change the way you see the world. Our knowledgeable guides share hidden gems that reveal new perspectives, allowing you to see the Southwest in ways the everyday traveler cannot.
Every tour is personalized to your preferences. If you don’t feel comfortable with a portion of the trip, talk to us before you travel, and we’ll let you know what other options are available to you.
Rich Insights
Our guides have led hikes, canyoneering tours and backpacking outings for the Sierra Club, the world’s leading conservation group.
It is our hope that after experiencing these lesser trodden and sometimes endangered places, you will feel inspired to help preserve these wonders. By doing so, those who succeed us in time will not be denied the chance to be filled with that same awe that brings forth all that is best in us.
Conservation
Following in the footsteps of John Muir and the Sierra Club, we inspire people to fall in love with nature.
When we have a personal connection to nature, we will work to preserve it.
Mitch Stevens
Mitch Stevens is the founder and lead guide of Southwest Discoveries. After growing up surrounded by asphalt, Mitch pursued an education at City College of New York. After graduating with a degree in geology, he eagerly left the confines of the city and he and his wife moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1984. Mitch came to discover the great outdoors and fall in love with Arizona’s special places. Through his countless trips across the state and region, Mitch made it his mission to encourage fellow hikers and enthusiasts to protect the beauty of the desert. After leading Sierra Club outings since 2006, Mitch saw a fresh opportunity to share the beauty of the Southwest through the lens of conservation. The core mission of the Sierra Club is to explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the Earth. John Muir, who founded the Sierra Club in 1892, was the most famous and influential conservationist and naturalist on the planet. He believed that by partaking in adventurous activities such as hiking and backpacking, people would fall in love with wild places and want to protect them. That is the core mission of Southwest Discoveries. Today, Mitch continues to serve as outings chairman for the Rincon Group of the Sierra Club in Tucson while leading personalized guided hiking tours across the Southwestern region of the United States. He also makes regular presentations at Canyon Ranch about the “Islands in the Sky and the Southwest Monsoon.”
Barry Infuso
Barry Infuso has a rich history of pairing culinary experiences with Southwest discoveries.
Barry began his career after graduating from Prescott College and the University of California at Berkley. His education allowed him to receive a California Culinary Academy Grande Diploma and Master of Science in Nutritional Anthropology.
After graduating, Barry worked for ten years as the food editor for Tucson Lifestyle Magazine and five years on a TV cooking segment for KGUN-9, Tucson. He also served on the Board of Directors for Tucson City of Gastronomy for seven years, was President of the Chef’s Association of Southern Arizona for ten years and was Director of Slow Food for Southern Arizona for thirty years. He has also served two years as a Certified Travel Ambassador, three years as a Docent with the Tucson Visitors Center, and 22 years as a part-time guide for Canyon Ranch.
Through his work, he won the Canyon Ranch Foundation Food Pioneer Award for his work with Pasqua Yaqui Community and the Outstanding Volunteer Award for the American Heart Association.
Today, Barry is one of the distinguished Southwest Discoveries guides, leading culinary tours around Tucson and personalized hiking tours on Arizona trails.
Eric Morrison
Eric Morrison, M.A. is a long-term K-12 and college educator in Tucson, retiring as Department Chair for Academic Skills at Pima Community College. A major focus of his work has been with lower-literacy adults and those with disabilities, and he worked intensively with the American Institutes for Research in Washington, D.C., conducting research and writing articles on assistive technologies. He has long enjoyed hiking, backpacking, and canyoneering, and is an enthusiast photographer with images published for websites, juried art periodicals, magazines, and an academic textbook. He enjoys helping others see new perspectives and elements in the desert, and considering options for composition in the Southwest.
GET IN TOUCH
We love talking to our guests!
CONTACT
Information
- Address
9420 East Golf Links Rd. #122
- Email
info@southwestdiscoveries.com
- Phone
888-882-2282
- Local Phone
520-722-6860
WE LOVE HEARING FROM ADVENTURE SEEKERS
Ready to start your next adventure? Contact Southwest Discoveries today to speak directly with a tour guide. Ask questions about our tours, get details about personalized guided hikes for groups, conferences, or partnerships, and learn more about what awaits you in the Southwest.