Hidden Valley Neighborhood: A Hidden Tucson Gem

About Hidden Valley Neighborhood

Hidden Valley is a neighborhood just south of Sabino Canyon Recreation area, near Snyder Road and Sabino Canyon Road. It consists mostly of ranch-style homes built between 1960s and 1970s, although there are newer homes in the area too. Homes are typically on large ½ acre to 1-1/2 acre lots. Residents are often seen taking a walk or jogging through the slightly hilly area. Search Hidden Valley homes for sale.

Developer Wesley Miller aptly named the area Hidden Valley because the land was between the Santa Catalina mountains to the north and a large hill to the south, which created the hidden valley.

Mountain view from the Hidden Valley neighborhood in the Tucson Foothills — View from the Hidden Valley neighborhood in the Tucson Foothills

Schools

The northern part of the neighborhood falls within the Catalina Foothills School District #16, with these servicing schools: Canyon View Elementary, Esperero Canyon Middle School, and Catalina Foothills High School. The southern part of the neighborhood falls within the Tucson Unified School District with these schools serving the neighborhood: Fruchthendler Elementary, Magee Middle School, Sabino High School.

Wes Miller Park

There is a voluntary HOA which allows access to the Wes Miller private park just east of the neighborhood. The Wes Miller Park has a couple of grills, a pit for horseshoes, and access to Sabino Creek that runs most of the year. The park is private property and is closed to non-residents and residents who don’t contribute to the voluntary HOA.

History of the Hidden Valley Area

El Sabino Ranch

The land that Hidden Valley neighborhood occupies was once known as El Sabino Ranch. El Sabino Ranch was started in 1916 by Charles “Charley” DeBaud Sr. DeBaud was a cowboy and rancher who was born in Tucson in 1876. He got his first ranching job at the age of 15. DeBaud owned other Arizona ranches including Hidden Spring Ranch, near Sonoita, and a ranch near St. David.

In 1938 the El Sabino Ranch was purchased by Pell Foster. Foster was a board member of the US Steel Corporation. He spent the winter months at the 700-acre ranch, which consisted of a 10-room main house, a guest house, and 4 employee houses. Foster died on a train while en route from Tucson to New York in 1947.

After Pell Foster’s death in 1947, his estate sold the ranch in 1953 to Mary Gardner. Gardner bought the property “as an investment with the possibility of establishing a registered cattle ranch for purebred Herefords.” As a side note, Gardner purchased Harold Bell Wright’s estate in 1950, which she subdivided a couple years later with the help of Lewis A. Romine.

Becoming Hidden Valley

Mary Gardner sold the land to Wesley and Helen Miller in 1957. The Miller’s, along with their son John Wesley Miller, developed the land in 1958 to 1972. They also developed neighboring Rockcliff Estates subdivision in 1973.

John Wesley Miller is more recently known for developing the Armory Park del Sol, a solar neighborhood that he started in the early 2000s near downtown Tucson. John Wesley Miller remains an active Tucson builder today.

Longtime Tucsonans fondly remember the old Hidden Valley Inn restaurant around the corner from the neighborhood and will forever associate the restaurant with the name of the neighborhood.

Beautiful view of the Catalina Mountains from Hidden Valley neighborhood.

Hidden Valley street names

According to the Arizona Daily Star:

Amethyst Lane: Named after Helen’s February birthstone
Bauxite: The Miller’s family was from a Missouri mining town and named many streets after minerals. Bauxite is the mineral that is a source of aluminium
Big Horn Trail: Named for the Bighorn Sheep in the Catalina Mountains
Bornite Way: Named for the copper ore mineral named after Austrian mineralogist Ignaz von Born
Buffalo Run: Named for the buffalos that used to roam the plains of Missouri where the Miller’s were from
Rockcliff Road: Named because the road is built into the side of a large rocky hill
Rockgate Road: Named for the gate to the old El Sabino Ranch
Rawhide Trail: Named after the western themed TV show
Surrey Trail: Named after the carriage used in the late 19th and early 20th century
Siesta Drive: Named for Wes Miller’s napping habit, evidently he could take a name anywhere
Moonstone Drive: Named to honor Helen’s mother’s wedding ring.

Homes for Sale in Hidden Valley Neighborhood

5 things I love about Hidden Valley

The gorgeous panoramic mountain views
Access to a private park with seasonally flowing creek
Unique architecture & custom homes
The close proximity to Sabino Canyon National Recreation Area
The gentle hills in the neighborhood are a great place to take a walk and meet some neighbors