Wilderness First Aid Certification Course
Saturday, November 15, 2025 - Sunday, November 16, 2025
8:00am - 5:00pm Mountain Elgin, Arizona

Location Details
Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch of the National Audubon Society
366 Research Ranch Road, Elgin, 85611, AZ
We are located roughly 60 miles south/southeast of Tucson in the town of Elgin, Arizona (366 Research Ranch Road, Elgin, AZ 85611)
- From Tucson, travel east on the I-10 to AZ-83 South.
- Turn right to head south, eventually passing over AZ-82 and into the town of Sonoita.
- Continue south and then east (it takes a hard left just south of the AZ-83/AZ-82 intersection) on AZ-83
- Turn left onto Elgin Road (keep an eye out for the school to guide you!)
- Make a slight right onto Elgin-Canelo Road (don’t proceed over the bridge onto Upper Elgin Road!)
- Turn left onto Babacomari Road to pass through the Babacomari Ranch and toward the AWRR
- About two miles in, turn right at the small “Research Ranch” sign
- Proceed through our main gate, taking a slight left at the fork toward Ranch Headquarters.
- Once you reach our Researcher Complex (a cluster of researcher housing units and a lab about 1.2 miles from the previous fork, follow the sign to Ranch Headquarters by turning right.
- Travel about one mile to Reach Headquarters, park where you’d like in the large dirt parking lot and head inside!
(***The route through the Babacomari Ranch to AWRR Headquarters is dirt. Four-wheel drive is not necessary and low slung passenger vehicles with focused drivers can make it in, but a little bit of clearance helps with some rocks, divots, and stretches of washboard. The clearance of your average Subaru makes the job easy!)

Here on the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch, we're all about keeping our staff, researchers, and other visitors safe. That's why on Saturday and Sunday, November 15 and 16, we will be once again hosting (and participating in!) a 2-day Wilderness First Aid Certification Course led by the Mighty Boots Wilderness Project. This sixteen-hour course will allow participants to take a deep dive into Wilderness First Aid and will leave them better prepared to respond to emergency situations in the field.
With questions or to register, reach out to info@mightyboots.org. Registration is $200 per person (CPR/AED certification is included).
(Do you want to stay overnight on the Research Ranch on the evening between this course’s two sessions? Learn more about our lodging options here and reach out at researchranch@audubon.org with questions or to schedule your stay.)