Private tours of Kitt Peak may be scheduled for groups of 10 or more. These docent-led tours will begin with a brief introductory talk about Kitt Peak, and then head to one of the following telescopes; the McMath-Pierce solar telescope, the Mayall 4-meter telescope, or the 2.1-meter telescope. Private tours can be scheduled Monday through Friday, betweenat 10:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. The Visitor Center and Gift Shop are wheel-chair accessible and feature a handicapped-accessible restroom. However, most of the telescope domes visited during the school programs are not wheelchair-accessible and require climbing one or more staircases.
This program is free to members of the Tohono O’odham Nation.
To receive the group rate your group must have at least 16 participants and make a single payment at check in. If not, you will be charged the full public rates. Purchase orders are no longer honored. Payment can be made by check, cash, VISA, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover card.
Group Rates, Multiple Dome Tour (16 or more):
Adults (13 on up) $12 ea
Children (7-12) $7.00 ea
Group Rate, Single Dome Tour (16 or more):
Adults (13 on up) $10.00 ea
Children (7-12) $6 ea
Group discounts cannot be combined with other offers, membership discounts, or Groupon.
Very large groups can be accommodated in rare circumstances. For groups of 60 or more participants (including drivers, chaperones, parents, teachers, etc.) there is an additional flat fee of $150 added to the group fee. Groups of 80 or more, the additional fee is $250. Groups of 100 or more, the additional fee is $450.
Schools, civic groups, churches, and clubs from the Tohono O’odham Nation are free for the daytime tours. All other schools, groups, clubs, Native American Tribes, and scouts are regular price, as above.
Use our online reservation form to schedule your group’s visit!
Bring warm clothing. It is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. You will spend much of your time outside. Temperatures on Kitt Peak are often 15 to 20 degrees cooler than temperatures in Tucson.
To help prevent the spread of the virus causing Covid-19, we have closed the observatory and the mountain road to the public, and cancelled all upcoming public programs. Please do not travel up the mountain road for any reason, or by any means. If you are scheduled for programs in the next few months, please check back before traveling to Arizona, or traveling up the mountain.
Kitt Peak is first and foremost a research facility. To avoid interfering with research during nighttime programs, the Visitor Center adheres to strict lighting control procedures.
Your vehicle’s headlights will be covered. When you leave after any evening program, you will be guided by an observatory vehicle for one mile down the mountain road. After that first mile, staff will remove the headlight covers for you.
Guests may not leave the programs early except in cases of genuine emergency. By making a reservation in any of our nighttime programs, you indicate your understanding of and willingness to abide by these procedures.
No one may visit the observatory after 4:00 P.M. unless registered for a nighttime program.
