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Nelson Arizona Map

Explore Nelson, Arizona, with this interactive street and satellite map.

This page also offers TOPO MAPS — the official USGS topographic sheets — plus USGS aerial imagery, a labelled USNG grid overlay, a distance and bearing tool, and a GPS grid-reference readout. See How to Use This Map below.

Interactive Map of Nelson, Arizona

How to Use This Nelson, Arizona Map

This interactive map shows the street layout and satellite imagery for Nelson, Arizona. Use the Map and Satellite buttons above to switch between street map and aerial imagery views. Use the + and − buttons to zoom in or out, or scroll your mouse wheel while holding the Control key to zoom. On a touchscreen, use a two-finger pinch gesture. Drag the map to pan to any area of Arizona or beyond.

Click ⛶ Fullscreen to expand the map to fill your screen. To return to the normal page view, press the Escape key, click the ✕ Exit Fullscreen button that appears above the map, or on a mobile device tap the back button (Android) or the close icon (iOS).

TOPO MAPS — NEW. Click the green 🔍 Search Maps button below the map to open a second map with a Base map row offering three choices. OSM is the standard OpenStreetMap street map. Topo shows the official USGS topographic maps from The National Map — contours, hydrography, land cover and shaded relief, the same mapping used for hiking, hunting and back-country navigation in the Adirondacks, the Catskills and the Finger Lakes. Imagery shows USGS aerial photography, mostly 1-metre NAIP. The search box finds any US town, county or landmark by name, so you are not limited to Nelson.

Reading the map like a paper quad. Click Grid to overlay the U.S. National Grid (USNG), labelled along the edges exactly as a printed topographic sheet is — at normal zoom the squares are one kilometre across, so you can read a six-figure grid reference by eye and judge distance directly off the map. Click Measure, then tap two points, to get the distance between them together with the grid bearing in degrees and mils, the true bearing, and the magnetic bearing to set on a compass.

Click 📍 My position to take a single GPS reading from your device. It marks where you are and reports your position as a USNG grid reference as well as plain latitude and longitude — USNG being the format FEMA and US search and rescue teams work from — with a Copy position button so you can paste it straight into a text message. It takes one reading and stops, rather than tracking continuously, to conserve your battery. Note that map tiles need cell coverage, but a GPS reading does not — your coordinates stay correct even where the map itself cannot load.

City	Nelson
State	Arizona (AZ)
County	Pima County
Country	United States of America
Timezone	Mountain Standard Time — no DST (America/Phoenix)

Latitude	32.42981
Longitude	-111.264924
Population	249
Density	201.6 /km²
Incorporated	N/A
ZIP Codes	86434, 85653
Area Code	928, 520
County Seat	Tucson
School District	Marana Unified District

🌦 Goto Nelson Weather Page: Nelson, Arizona — Weather Warnings, Forecast, Radar, Satellite & Current Conditions

About Nelson, Arizona

Nelson is a locality in Pima County, Arizona, United States. It is a small community with a population of 249. The population density is 201.6 people per km². Nelson is located at 32.4298°N, 111.2649°W. It observes the Mountain Standard Time — no DST (America/Phoenix) timezone. ZIP codes: 86434, 85653.

Nelson emerges from the arid expanse as a quiet intersection of earth and sky, defined by the dry, winding passage of the Los Robles Wash that carves a pale scar through the desert floor. It lies 2.6 miles west-southwest of Marana, AZ (from Marana, AZ: bearing 258°T), and is situated 5.9 miles north-northwest of Picture Rocks. The landscape surrounding Nelson is characterized by low-slung, sun-bleached plains that stretch toward the faint, jagged silhouettes of the Tortolita Mountains on the distant horizon. Beyond the immediate reach of the wash, the terrain shifts into the subtle depressions of China Draw, where the sparse vegetation—mostly scrub brush and the occasional skeletal ocotillo—clings to a soil baked hard by the relentless sun. Water remains a rare and precious ghost here, save for the occasional, stagnant reflection found at BK Tank, which serves as a solitary focal point in an otherwise thirsty topography.

State Trust Land encompasses the entirety of the terrain surrounding Nelson, preserving a vast, unadorned wilderness that dictates the slow, deliberate pace of the local character. Historically, the region relied on the harsh demands of extraction and the rugged endurance of those who sought a living from the mineral-rich dust, though today the economy hums with a quieter, more utilitarian rhythm. The air here holds a distinct, metallic clarity that intensifies as the light wanes, turning the landscape into a study of violet shadows and muted ochre. In Nelson, the passage of time is measured not by the clock, but by the gradual lengthening of those shadows as they stretch across the open basin, marking the end of another day under the immense, unblinking desert sky.

Nearby Outdoor Places

State Trust Land (State Resource Management Area) — 0.3 mi, 270° W
Park (Local Conservation Area) — 1.3 mi, 280° W
Flap (Local Conservation Area) — 1.5 mi, 348° N
Santa Cruz River Park (Local Park) — 1.9 mi, 078° E
Bell AH1 Cobra Michelle (Attraction) — 2.4 mi, 270° W
Marana Heritage River Park (Local Park) — 2.7 mi, 090° E
Downtown Marana Sign/Cowboy Statue (Public Artwork) — 3.4 mi, 055° NE
Ironwood Forest National Monument (National Monument) — 4.8 mi, 276° W · 190k acres
Saguaro National Park (National Park) — 8.2 mi, 168° S · 89k acres
Saguaro Wilderness Area (Wilderness Area) — 9.0 mi, 162° S · 72k acres
Prehistoric Rock Art (Attraction) — 10.1 mi, 161° S
Carpenter Ranch (Historic Ruins) — 11.5 mi, 050° NE
Sasco Hotel (Historic Ruins) — 12.2 mi, 307° NW
Tucson Mountain Park (Local Recreation) — 13.3 mi, 161° S
Ancient Arizona and Sonorasaurus (Attraction) — 14.0 mi, 157° SE
Mountain Woodland (Attraction) — 14.0 mi, 157° SE
Picacho Peak State Park (State Park) — 14.6 mi, 333° NW
Overlook (Viewpoint) — 16.4 mi, 332° NW
Battle of Picacho Pass Memorial (Monument) — 16.9 mi, 332° NW
Mormon Trail Historical Marker (Monument) — 16.9 mi, 332° NW
Wells Fargo Foyer Gallery (Gallery) — 17.9 mi, 111° E
Children’s Museum Oro Valley (Museum) — 17.9 mi, 111° E
Coronado National Forest (National Forest) — 18.0 mi, 101° E · 1.7M acres
Pusch Ridge Wilderness (Wilderness Area) — 18.0 mi, 101° E · 57k acres
Auditorium (Theatre) — 18.5 mi, 083° E
The Community Playhouse (Theatre) — 21.1 mi, 127° SE
Presidio San Agustin Del Tucson (Museum) — 22.2 mi, 130° SE
N.E. Corner Adobe Wall of Spanish Presidio of Tucson (Monument) — 22.2 mi, 130° SE
Arizona Historical Society Downtown Museum (Museum) — 22.3 mi, 130° SE
SaddleBrooke Two Arts and Crafts Center (Arts Centre) — 22.4 mi, 073° E

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