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The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain
Marana, Arizona, United States · Ritz-Carlton · Grand Luxury
The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain sits on 850 conservation-sensitive acres in Wild Burro Canyon north of Tucson, with its buildings arranged along desert ridgelines rather than the washes below to protect the Sonoran habitat. It won Forbes Five-Star for both hotel and spa in its 2009 opening year, and its 27-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature course, at 7,849 yards the longest venue in PGA Tour history, hosted the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship for six years.
- 253 rooms
- Opened 2009
- Neighborhood: Dove Mountain
- Rooms from 920 sq ft (85 m²)
About The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain
- The resort earned Forbes Five-Star ratings for both the hotel and its spa in its 2009 opening year, a dual distinction rarely achieved from day one.
- Builders arranged the resort's structures along desert ridgelines rather than the washes below, limiting disturbance to the Sonoran Desert habitat of Wild Burro Canyon.
- Entry-level rooms start at 920 sq ft (85 m²).
History
The Sonoran Desert north of Tucson is one of the most biologically rich arid landscapes on earth. Wild Burro Canyon, in the Tortolita Mountains of Marana, carries that richness at a specific local scale: the desert ridges, wash corridors, and saguaro forests of the canyon system are habitat for species found nowhere else outside this particular configuration of elevation, aspect, and soil. When Ritz-Carlton and its development partners conceived a resort on 850 acres of this landscape in the late 2000s, the decision to build in a conservation-sensitive manner — arranging structures along the ridges rather than in the washes, limiting site disturbance, and integrating desert revegetation into the construction process — was not merely a marketing posture but a response to the site's actual ecology.
The resort opened in 2009 and immediately earned Forbes Five-Star ratings for both the hotel and the spa, a dual distinction rarely achieved at opening and reflecting the completeness of the property's design and service model. The 27-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature golf layout, extending to 7,849 yards at its longest configuration, was designed with the desert ridgeline topography as its organizing principle, with fairways tracing the natural contours of Wild Burro Canyon rather than imposing a flat-land course template.
From 2009 through 2014, the resort hosted the PGA Tour's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship for six consecutive years, the first time a World Golf Championships event had been held in the American Southwest. The tournament brought the world's top 64 players to Dove Mountain each February, generating a global television audience for imagery of professional golf played against the backdrop of saguaro cacti and the Tucson basin. The resort has held AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five-Star recognition continuously since opening, establishing it as the preeminent luxury address in the Sonoran Desert and among the most distinctively sited resort hotels in the Ritz-Carlton global portfolio.
The setting
Located at 15000 North Secret Springs Drive in Marana on Sonoran Desert ridges northwest of Tucson, the resort is 90 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport and 45 minutes from Saguaro National Park.
Restaurants and bars
- Saguaro Blossom — Restaurant
Experiences
- Impact Experiences — On-property community activities such as preparing meals for hunger relief, assembling school supplies and emergency kits, and making cards for children's healthcare facilities.
- Glow Golf — Evening glow putting and chipping challenges with golf pros on an illuminated putting green, using glow golf balls and a glow-lit flag.
- Hiking in the Tortolita Mountains — Guided hikes on National Geographic-mapped desert trails into the Tortolita Mountains, including areas inhabited by the Hohokam.
- Group Ranch Adventures — With The White Stallion Ranch: horseback, trail and hayrides, sunset rides, Saturday Rodeo, and cowboy dinner under the stars.
- Yoga Breakfast — Morning yoga class led by a certified resort yoga instructor, followed by a spa-inspired healthy continental breakfast in a private location.
- Stargazing Afterglow — Group stargazing with astronomers and high-powered telescopes, with a Stargazing Dessert station.
Amenities
- Forbes Five-Star spa with desert-inspired therapies and outdoor showers
- Jack Nicklaus Signature 27-hole championship golf course on 850 acres in Wild Burro Canyon
- Outdoor pools with desert landscape views
- Hiking trails in the Tortolita Mountains
- 29,305 sq ft meeting space; 14 meeting rooms; 9,000 sq ft ballroom
- Private casitas with fireside rooms, fire pits, and stargazing programs
- Sauna
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
- Tennis
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- AAA Five Diamond (2026)
- Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star (2026)
- MICHELIN Two Keys (2026)
- Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Spa (2009)
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