Sabino Canyon is a popular recreation area for residents and visitors of Southern Arizona, providing a place to walk, hike or ride.

Present-day varieties of plant life first appeared between 6,000 and 8,000 years ago, and some of the earliest human occupants of Sabino Canyon were the Native American Hohokam people.

From that point forward, access by cars was restricted to allow visitors to reach Upper Sabino Canyon by foot, bicycle or Shuttle.

On July 31, 2006, flooding from a thunderstorm washed out the bridge at Rattlesnake Creek (just beyond mile marker 1 and shuttle stop #1), restricting the tram to the road below this point.

Friends of Sabino Canyon has provided nearly $500,000 for projects in Sabino Canyon, including trail rehabilitation in the aftermath of the Aspen Fire, a water well, educational exhibits in the visitor center, new entrance plaza facilities, research into bats, amphibians and reptiles, and the restoration of the original Lowell House Ranger Station and the historic depression-era bridges and other stonework.