The attached map shows the location of the Mt. Graham site with respect to Tucson.
(Other maps can be found in the Mt. Graham pages.)

For those arriving from out of state it is most convenient to fly to Tucson, but it can be cheaper to fly to Phoenix and either get the shuttle minibus ($15 and 2 hours ride) down to Tucson or take a rental car direct to the MGIO Base Camp near Safford. You must plan on arriving at least the day before you are due to begin observing (or checkout training) at VATT since distance and altitude make the Mt. Graham International Observatory (MGIO) more difficult to access than Kitt Peak Observatory.

With no snow, it takes about 3.5 hours to drive from Tucson to the VATT (2 hours to the MGIO Base Camp; 1.5 hours more to the observatory). Since the VATT is at 10,500 feet, any precipitation between November to April will fall as snow, and in these months a four-wheel drive, high-clearance vehicle with chains (and patience)is usually required to access the site.

UofA observers' 4WD options include (March 2004):

• the UofA motor pool (621-5124)
  Excursions are ~$65 per day, plus $0.29 per mile. They are very good with roadside repairs and don't hold vehicle damage against you.
• Enterprise (on Grant, 881-9400)
  4WDs are ~$83 a day with some reasonable mileage limit (300-400 miles) and no per mileage charge. They take UofA accounts also.

Additional information about the Base Camp and its organization can be found at the Mount Graham International Observatory website.