Kitt Peak National Observatory Reviews

What a fabulous evening! Knowledgeable guides and great views. Well worth a visit!

We took the evening tour and it exceeded expectations! Plan to arrive about 4:30 to watch the videos. A Turkey croissant, chips, cookie or granola bar and water are included. Vegetarian is an option. Sandwich was tasty!

The docents are AMAZING, so personable, knowledgable, yet make everything understandable. A schedule was posted so we knew what ti expect but the docents gave it their all and were not "time bound". We were scheduled to leave at 9:15, but it was 9:45 when we went back down the mountain.

Book online to save a few $.

This is not a tour if walking or taking stairs is an issue. We took a short walk up a sort of steep hill to watch the sunset. There are stairs up into the telescope house.

We learned how to use a star chart, and binoculars. They did a great job of dividing us into small groups and rotating a activities.

Well organized!! Great evening.

Great experience. Everyone should visit and learn about the stars.

Great place, we did the night tour. They give you a little sandwich meal for dinner then walk up the hill to watch the sunset. Spend a little time in the telescope which is pretty interesting. We went with our 3 kids 13, 11, 8 and had a really good and educational time

My wife and I stopped by on a whim and we found a jewel of a place. We had no idea that we would have such a fun time with spectacular views of the desert and the telescopes were amazing. The staff was friendly and professional.

Awesome telescopes and beautiful mountain scenery. Docents were knowledgeable.

We had a great time even though we initially did not have a clear evening. That, combined with the fact that it was about 30F with gusting winds, must have made it a challenge for the staff. We had a meal that was far better than expected. An awesome Q and A session that was great, and that gave mother nature time to clear the clouds away so we could be awestruck by the celestial lights. You must check this out!

A walk back through time! The buildings are being well preserved, grounds kept clean and staff friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful.

We drove up in our car with our dogs to cool off. We didn't go inside, just walked around the parking lot to stretch our legs and little exercise for our dogs. Nice scenery and lots of butterflies to observe.

Kitt Peak is a great destination for stargazers and astronomy enthusiasts day or night.

Enjoyed our time here the guides were smart and funny.

Have done a couple night tours, never a day tour but I would imagine it would be the same experience. Love going! Stargazing is something I truly enjoy. Going in the summer months and fall, you'll be able to see the milky way, as long as the skies are clear.

The best observatory... great tour.biggest in Arizona. I want to do a night tour to look at the stars!!! The gift shop is amazing. The staff was awesome. Tour guide was great! Definitely will be back.

Very well informed and friendly staff. Learned a lot and plan to increase my familiarity with the night sky.

It was so cool seeing the telescopes and being able to look through them and see some beautiful images.

Always love going up to the mountain where my ancestors would go.

This place most definitely is a place to go see. It has quite a beautiful view spending over a large vast variety of Arizona desert. The work and all that goes into the upkeep not only that what every observatory does for us is great

Staff was great. Very knowledgeable and accommodating. Amazing views

Very well worth while, people very knowledgeable. Great tours

Wonderful views and a great educational opportunity for all ages. Prepare to spend some money though to access the observatory though.

Had a great time there on a Moon observation your. Got to spend time on one of the telescopes looking at various features of the moon through gear I normally don't have access to.

Most Beautiful place. Beautiful people who work there

Disappointed. We walked around on our own around 12. The solar telescope was locked. We did get to check out the 2.1 meter telescope, as great as I remembered.
We will be back again; In Shaa' Allaah.

This was a great evening outing by bus from Quail Creek. They serve a simple picnic dinner as they wait for darkness. We observed Venus, Castor and a star cluster on the site's scope. Unfortunately our evening was cut shorter than we'd hoped for as cold wind chilled most of us to the bone although we were warmly dressed. Hot chocolate available helped a bunch.

Amazing! That sums it up! The night time viewing is a must see for anyone that enjoys astronomy. Our guide Charles was beyond wonderful!! He was fun, charismatic, funny and passionate. He did a great job being interactive with the group! My 12 year old son hit it off with him from the start and Charles ignited even more passion for astronomy with him! Lucas, our other guide, was good too and very knowledgeable. This is experience is something we will never forget!

Christmas Day, no one there... fantastic views of the valley floor. Encountered a small hail storm on our exit.

Brought some friends from out of town and only two observatories are left open to the public. The price didn't lower to reflect the fact most observatories are closed or off limits to the public now. This place used to be one of favorite places to visit but I highly urge all reading this to not waste your time.

This observatory campus is incredible! The location of Kitt is unlike McDonald in Texas or Lowell in Flag--you drive to the top of a mountain where tours are readily available and 20+ optical observatories are in every which direction you look. Black matter will be studied here in the next few years. The tour takes you inside the observatory where black matter research is soon to start.

Carmen and Robert were great. The grounds were clean and the views were amazing. The observatory was a great day trip and chock full of interesting info about space. The tours were insightful. We enjoyed learning about the local natives that inhabited the area.

Fun drive up but the lady at the gift shop was very rude and very unhelpful

I ve been to Kitt Peak five times and I always enjoyed the visit except for my visit of last week. I had already been there to watch the sunset and what our guide explained was very interesting; we watched the sun set. This time, instead of going directly to watch it set, we first had a lecture of the monument that is falling apart, and when we got to the spot to watch the sunset, it was already disappearing. In regard to the new program about observing the moon through a telescope, the light was extremely bright and strong, and I doubt that everybody could appreciate the mares and craters...This lasted forever, it was repetetive, and when it was time to leave the observatory around 10:10 pm, the girl at the counter kept saying that the gift shop would soon close. It seemed that in order for us to depart, we had to purchase something, besides having paid $75! We left Kitt Peak at 10:50 pm

This was a fun get away with some short and refreshing outdoor walks involved in the tours. The overnight visits look really interesting.. Dark matter makes up most of the universe!! Good luck comprehending the implications...

We did the nightly observation tour and it was great. The employees/tour guides were very knowledgeable and patient. You get to identify constellations with a star chart and look through a large telescope at different objects in the night sky. On our night we got to see some different types of star clusters, Mars, and the moon. Each night is different based on what is in the night sky at the time. I would definitely do this again. Make sure you bundle up, you are outside most of the time and it does get pretty chilly after dark.

Everything about my visit to Kitt Peak was great, starting with the spectacular drive up the mountain. The telescopes are fascinating and the docents are friendly and knowledgeable. It was a worthwhile visit even though it was a cloudy day. If you are interested in astronomy and great views, I highly recommend this place.

We splurged for the Marvelous Moon showing and we were treated to a personal guide of the moon through a dedicated telescope with only 3 others. This will be an experience you won't soon forget. Plus, you can out brag all your friends when you tell them what you did this weekend!!

A must-see observatory for lovers of astronomy. I was blown away by the size of the solar telescope.

Nice program. Refreshingly freezing up there. Make sure to layer. Legs were freezing but thankfully had a down filled blanket. Looked ridiculous but was blissfully warm!

The evening tour is well worth the money. Viewing the planets and galaxies is amazing!

Great place to visit! Stay for the evening telescope viewing and tour the big telescope during the day

I make drive up to here at least once per year. There's a nice visitor center and gift shop. At 6,900+ ft (2,100 M) don't take off jogging... You can go up 10 stories to the observation deck of the Mayall telescope and see practically forever... As you walk from the parking lot to the Mayall, walk slowly...the air is thin up there. You might also want to take a sweater just in case. Also coming back into Tucson you'll have to pass through a Border Patrol Check Point...smile when you speak to the Agent.

Fantastic experience! Now I would like to take an astronomy class.

I enjoyed the tour. Very interesting. Also a beautiful location. And we had a picnic lunch at the picnic location. Beautiful and quiet.

Amazing place. Great visitors center. Far more here to see than I expected. Three daily tours and nighttime viewing (reservations required). Just a short, scenic drive from Tucson.

Incredible observatory experience in a very dark environment. Nice in the summer since it is much cooler than Tucson. Really need to do a day visit as well as a nighttime visit. Go when there is no moon, or a sliver of moon at most.

From Tucson the drive is very pretty down 86. Then a lovely winding road up to the top of Kitt Peak. Saguaro, Cholla, gorgeous rock formations and the most stunning yellow flowers blooming in November. The observatories did not disappoint. Beautiful views and the buildings were out of this world!

This was a great place to go and see various telescopes we saw all three of the ones on the tour it was an interesting driver up you have to go through a lot of desert before you get to the mountain itself and then you go up the mountain and it kind of reminds me of Pikes Peak just not as a very nice visit very nice place to go and see the sights

I found Kitt Peak extremely interesting. I had wanted to visit since I was a kid, back in the mid 70's, reading my astronomy books!
It's an actual working observatory, with several telescopes in operation, manned or remotely controlled by various well known universities.
We signed up for the NOP (Nightly Observing Program) and enjoyed the intro given by Robert, and our actual guide, Fred, made the evening fun and informative. We were a bit rushed when it came to actual object viewing time thru a 20" scope, but still, I have no complaints. The drive up the hill, which is a sacred site to the Tohono O'odham people was spectacular.....its curvy, and you go up & up & up. The views=WOW! I will return again.

Excellent experience with great presentation of astronomy facts, knowledge and history of the facility.

This was a very educational experience. The displays were very well done. There is a small movie theater and a gift shop. There are also displays outside along with picnic tables and public restroom. This may not be the best place to bring small children. This is a good place to visit in the summer when Tucson is hot. Ask about the night time public sky gazing programs offered.

We enjoyed this so much. If you are AT ALL interested in stargazing this is the place to be. I can't even describe how big and dark the night sky is up at Kitt Peak. We did their special program where they fed you dinner, told you about the history of Kitt Peak, and view different constellations and plants through the telescope. I highly recommend experiencing this.

Great views. It was winter when we visited. Want to return when the air is a little warmer. It was fun. They had the Visitors Center set up for kids and adults. Good side trip.

There's a lot to see and do here for a couple of hours and it's quite peaceful on top of the mountain. If you love space and science, you'll love this place.

Spectacular! Nice bus tour up but on arrivaln your met by a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable volunteer group who helped with binocular viewing as well as the big telescopes. Put this on your list!

It exposes you to Natural & Technological wonders, while keeping your sense of adventure alive!

Easy day trip with kids on a weekend, must see after snow. Cool off in the higher altitude during the summer. Road classes at 4pm so plan accordingly.

Super - Super disappointed. I visit every year. Always walked the entire campus, looking at all the various observitories, fabulous self guided experience. Now. Don't look or breath without paying, and even then don't blink. Two domes for thirteen dollars? You don't see anything! Don't walk there - it's suddenly dangerous. Unless you pay. In short this is now a place you visit for the views and not for the science. Very disappointed.

Came here almost 10 years ago. I still like it, but you can tell things have kind of slid a bit. Seems to be due to funding being cut from NSF. Still worth a visit though.

Awesome experience, knowledgeable and patient staff.. Well worth the time and money

Nice home tour guide with lots of explanations. We would have liked to have a parking for the trailer at the bottom of the mountain.

Sits 90 minutes out of Tucson but if you have the stargazing inclination to make the trip you won t be disappointed. They have 3 daytime guided tours to single locations as well as nighttime programs. The NOP runs from 6-10:00 pm. The docents are extremely knowledgeable.

The drive itself was worth it! This time of year you get to experience snow. You are literally at the peak of the mountain and the observatory is a very interesting place

Drive up and down was spectacular. Very disappointed to be unable to enter any buildings except one to see an actual telescope unless you pay.

Awe inspiring facility, I was expecting one maybe two observatory's, I was amazed how many they operate and the amount of scientific discoveries they have made. We will definitely be making a trip up at night to veiw them in operation.

Great place to kill time! Beautiful views, educational reading and has a gift shop.