Up Close with VERITAS walking tour

Go behind the scenes of the only gamma-ray telescope array in the northern hemisphere to learn how we uncover the most violent activity in the Universe with just a 500px camera. This 1-hour hard hat-required tour travels around the LOWER observatory into restricted areas and includes a platform climb. ($20 per person+ taxes and fees). Please note: This tour does *NOT* go up the mountain.

Private Group Visit: Science Center + VERITAS Tour

Designed for groups of 30-60 people, a 4-hour private visit provides uninterrupted time outside of public hours + an Up Close with VERITAS walking tour at the Lower Observatory. (4 hours, $1,200). Please note: this visit does *NOT* go up the mountain.

Public Tour

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Up Close with VERITAS

Up Close with VERITAS is a one-hour walking tour of the only gamma-ray telescope array in North America. This tour requires a leant hard hat and your own closed toe shoes. Guests of this tour must be able to walk over sometimes uneven terrain, go up a flight of outside stairs, and be able to stand for long periods of time. This tour goes right up to the telescopes and also into the staff only areas to view engineering components usually not on display to the public.

$22.07
($20.00 + $2.07 fee)

Price and availability may vary

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Large Group Visits

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Private Group Visit: Science Center + VERITAS Tour

4 hours. Starts at 9am with an arrival time of 8:30am 30-60 people. Designed for groups of 30-60 people, a 4-hour private visit provides uninterrupted time outside of public hours + an Up Close with VERITAS walking tour at the Lower Observatory. (4 hours, $1,200). Please note: this visit does *NOT* go up the mountain. VERITAS tour requires closed toe shoes (no exceptions) and a leant hard hat, as well as the ability to walk and stand for over an hour over sometimes uneven terrain.

$1,248.09
($1,200.00 + $48.09 fee)

Price and availability may vary

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Guests must wear CLOSED-TOE walking shoes for this tour. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this policy.

Any person who arrives wearing sandals or open-toe shoes will not be allowed to attend the tour.

Socks in sandals do not constitute closed-toe footwear. There are no refunds for those who show up with inadequate footwear.

We do not have footwear to borrow or purchase.
All members of your tour party must be able to walk unaided up stairs and over the course of 1-2 km (roughly 1 mile) to participate in a private tour. We are unable to accommodate wheelchairs at this time. All guests must be medically well to ascend above 5,000 ft in elevation. The elevation of Mt. Hopkins is over 8,500 ft.
To ensure the safety and enjoyment of all, tour guests should follow Observatory rules and the instructions of Observatory staff. We have your safety and enjoyment in mind. Additionally, hostile or abusive behavior toward Whipple Observatory staff or other guests will not be tolerated. Failure to follow Observatory rules or directions provided by staff and tour guides will result in the cancellation of your tour, and your tour will not be refunded.
We understand that life happens.
We do not offer refunds on tickets for the Up Close with VERITAS walking tour but are happy to assist you in transferring your tickets to another patron or converting them to a donation. We are not able to refund purchase protection that was purchased during checkout as this is not a Whipple Observatory product.


For private tours and large group visits, cancellation requests received fewer than 3 full business days prior to the event will receive a 60% refund. No-shows are non-refundable and non-transferable. We strongly encourage guests to contact us well in advance if you foresee a problem as we will do our best to work with you to reschedule your tour to a future available date. We are not able to refund purchase protection that was purchased during checkout as this is not a Whipple Observatory product.

All tours canceled by the Observatory for weather or safety reasons will be fully refunded including fees.
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