Mount Graham International Observatory (MGIO)

MGIO is a division of Steward Observatory, the research arm for the Department of Astronomy at the University of Arizona. Scientific researchers from around the world make use of the MGIO facilities. We serve this community, operating and maintaining facilities at the remote observing site located in the Pinaleño Mountains in southeast Arizona. This area is a part of the Coronado National Forest — administered by the Safford Ranger District, U.S. Forest Service.

Discovery Park is scheduling tours of the Mount Graham International Observatory. They are conducted on Saturdays, beginning mid-May until mid-November, or until weather prohibits them. Group arrangements (reservations) can be made at any time.

The tours feature a trip up scenic Mount Graham, focusing on the mountain’s rich geology, history, and diversity of life; a lunch near the summit of the mountain; and a guided tour of the present observatory facility, which consists of the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope and the Heinrich Hertz Submillimeter Telescope. A featured attraction is the newly constructed 16-story enclosure — housing the world’s most powerful optical telescope, the Large Binocular Telescope.