Does The Lowdown Guide earn commissions from Sabino Canyon & Mt. Lemmon lodging recommendations?

Yes. When you click an Expedia link on our Sabino Canyon & Mt. Lemmon pages and complete a booking, we earn a small referral commission at no additional cost to you. The price you pay is identical whether you book through our link or go directly to Expedia. Because there is no lodging inside the recreation area and Summerhaven has only a handful of cabins, these links point to Tucson-area hotels — and our recommendations are based on editorial research, not on which properties happen to pay a commission.

Are the Viator tour links on the Sabino Canyon & Mt. Lemmon site affiliate links?

Yes. Links to Viator tours and activities on The Lowdown Guide Sabino Canyon & Mt. Lemmon pages are affiliate links. If you book a guided tour through one of our Viator links — a Sabino Canyon tram or nature tour, a Catalina Highway scenic drive, or another Tucson-area outing — we earn a small commission. This does not affect the price you pay, and it does not affect which experiences we recommend. Note that the Sabino Canyon shuttle fare itself and Coronado National Forest day-use fees are paid directly to those operators and are not affiliate transactions.

Affiliate Disclosure

Last updated: July 2026

How We Earn Revenue

The Lowdown Guide is an independently operated travel resource. To keep our content free for readers, we participate in affiliate programs with select travel partners. When you click certain links on our site and make a purchase or booking, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Our Affiliate Partners

We currently work with the following affiliate programs:

Viator — Tours, activities, and experience bookings. We earn a commission when you book a tour or activity through our Viator links. This includes Sabino Canyon and Mt. Lemmon tram and nature tours, Catalina Highway scenic drives, and other Tucson-area outings.
Expedia — Hotel and lodging reservations and travel packages. We earn a commission when you book accommodation through our Expedia links. Because there is no lodging inside the recreation area and Summerhaven has only a handful of cabins, these point to the Tucson-area hotels most visitors base out of.

How Affiliate Links Work

Affiliate links look and function like regular links. When you click one, a small tracking code tells the partner that you came from our site. If you go on to make a purchase, the partner pays us a referral fee. The price you pay is exactly the same whether you use our link or go directly to the partner's website.

On our site, affiliate links are typically found in:

Lodging booking call-to-action boxes (e.g., "Check Tucson Lodging Prices")
Tour and activity recommendation sections (e.g., "Browse Sabino Canyon & Tucson Tours")
Comparison guides and "which sky-island trip is right for you" sections

What Is Not an Affiliate Link

The Sabino Canyon shuttle fare, the Catalina Highway's Coronado National Forest day-use or corridor fee, and any Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley lift ticket are all paid directly to those operators or to the U.S. Forest Service (or covered by an America the Beautiful annual pass) — not affiliate transactions. We earn nothing from any of these, and we will always tell you plainly when the best option, including the free option of simply walking the Sabino Canyon road or driving the Catalina Highway yourself, costs nothing beyond that direct fee.

Our Editorial Independence

Affiliate partnerships do not influence our editorial content. Our recommendations are based on personal experience, local knowledge, and independent research. We recommend places and experiences we genuinely believe will improve your trip, regardless of whether an affiliate link is available.

We will never recommend a tour or lodging option solely because it offers an affiliate commission. If we feature something, it's because we believe it provides real value to visitors choosing between Sabino Canyon and Mt. Lemmon — and we say plainly when the free, self-guided option (walking the canyon road, driving the byway yourself) is the better call.

FTC Compliance

In accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, we disclose that this site contains affiliate links. This page serves as our comprehensive disclosure, and we also include brief disclosure notices near affiliate links throughout the site.

Questions?

If you have any questions about our affiliate relationships or how we fund this site, please contact us. We're happy to be transparent about how The Lowdown Guide operates.