50 Year Trail: Tucson’s Essential Network Artery
Golder Ranch’s Critical Singletrack Access Trail
The 50 Year Trail is Tucson’s singletrack artery for the 50 Year / Golder Ranch trail network. “50 Year” refers to a 50-year easement granted decades ago, in the 1970s, to ensure equestrians, hunters, hikers, and now mountain bikers could access National Forest lands from Catalina State Park.
That easement formalized old jeep and ranch roads—some still parallel the singletrack today—and created the access corridor that makes the entire network cohesive. The area has deep multi-use history, and given that some lands crossed are Arizona State Trust lands, the 50-year easement continues to shore up public access for everyone who enjoys this remarkable stretch of Sonoran Desert.
50 Year Leads to Other Trails
Most people don’t ride the whole thing. The official trail runs 8 miles from Catalina State Park (south) to The Chutes junction (north), climbing ~750 feet. But most riders start at Golder Ranch Trailhead—about 5 miles north of the State Park—where the trail smooths out into hardpack and sand. That’s because the biggest climb on 50 Year comes north out of the State Park: steep, loose rock, embedded rock, a grunt. It’s only as you approach Golder Ranch Road that things settle into the fast, cruisy miles everyone’s here for.
That said, riding out of the State Park is still a good ride for hardier mountain bikers. In that scenario, you start at the park, ride all the way out into the network, then descend back to the park at the end—a nice day, but a lot of extra miles (that many perfer to spend higher in the network). So 50 Year is typically ridden from Golder Ranch Trailhead out to The Chutes and then some variation of network trails.
50 Year is a critical access trail, but it also has sections of its own well worth riding. The last stretch before you hit The Chutes offers lighter technical sections and even some alternative lines with drops. It’s fun riding 50 Year either way.
Stats
- Distance: 8 miles (Catalina State Park to The Chutes junction)
- Elevation Gain: 758 ft (south-to-north)
- Difficulty: Beginner-friendly from Golder Ranch Trailhead; Intermediate from State Park
- Surface: Hardpack, sand, embedded rock (varies by section)
- Trail Network: Catalina State Park / 50 Year / Golder Ranch (Trailforks); locally called Golder Ranch
- Trailhead: Golder Ranch Trailhead (most common start) or Catalina State Park
The Good
✓ Spectacular views of the Santa Catalinas. The entire network sits up against the Santa Catalina Mountains, which rise dramatically from the trails. At any time of day—but especially early and late—this range offers some of the best backdrop riding in Tucson.
✓ Skills progression built in. This is one of the best places in Tucson to work on your technical riding and progress as a rider. You can see it just on 50 Year alone, let alone the entire trail network. From Golder Ranch Trailhead you cruise for a while, then you start to get into a bit of tech. There are optional features along the trail and alternate lines. Enough variety that you can pick features appropriate to your skill level and appetite, and over time work your way up to the bigger stuff.
✓ Critical access to the network. 50 Year is the artery—you ride it to reach The Chutes, Upper 50 Year, Middlegate, and the rest of the system. It’s not just functional, though. The riding stands on its own.
✓ Land conservation story worth knowing. The 50-year easement shows how important it is to protect public access for outdoor recreation like mountain biking. That story is still unfolding here as the Coronado National Forest formalizes the trail system on National Forest land and the State Park continues to develop.
✓ Fast, cruisy hardpack sections. Around Golder Ranch, the trail rewards momentum—smooth miles of hardpack and sand that let you open it up and carry speed.
The Bad
✗ Erosion and sand. Trail degrades in sections closer to the State Park, and sandy stretches kill momentum during dry months. Choose and hold your line carefully or you’ll be carving into the soft stuff.
✗ Active cattle ranch. Expect to see cows. This is still open range, and cows impact the trails and landscape—they chew up the trail bed as they move between watering holes and grazing grounds. It’s part of the multi-use character, and the lease keeps the land undeveloped.
✗ Navigation gaps. Lack of signage can be a problem. Signs existed in the past, but they’re long gone now. Junctions are unmarked. If you don’t know the network, it’s easy to miss a turn or end up on the wrong trail.
✗ State Park fee and parking crowds. The State Park charges a fee to access from the south end, and the parking area at Golder Ranch can get crowded during the busiest times of year (winter weekends, spring). An Arizona State Trust land permit is required to park at Golder Ranch.
✗ Brutal exposure. During midday over four months of the year, 50 Year doesn’t provide much shelter, so it gets hot and you’re exposed. The 5-mile stretch between Golder Ranch Trailhead and Catalina State Park Trailhead can be brutal once the sun is high in the sky. Start early or go late—don’t ride this midday in summer.
The Dirty
→ Think of 50 Year in three distinct sections. Section 1 comes up and out of the State Park—it’s got more grade to it, loose rock, little tech sections that require attention. Section 2 is the cruise zone, and Golder Ranch Trailhead sits right in the middle of it—this is where the trail smooths out and you can carry speed. Section 3 is when you drop off a small escarpment into the rocks as you head out toward The Chutes—more windy, more technical, but still very rideable. If you know these three sections going in, you know what to expect and can pace yourself accordingly.
Most riders start at Golder Ranch (Section 2) and ride north into Section 3, skipping Section 1 entirely. That’s the play if you want approachable, fun riding. If you’re up for the challenge, start at the State Park and earn the cruisy miles.
→ Seasonal timing matters less than time of day. You can ride 50 Year year-round as long as you start early or go late. But midday during peak summer? Stay away. The exposure on that 5-mile stretch will cook you.
→ Turn-by-turn route knowledge makes a difference. The 50 Year network has features, alternate lines, and hidden options you’ll ride past three times before you notice they’re there. The Tucson MTB Ride Guide gives you GPS tracks, junction-by-junction directions, and the route intel that takes years to learn otherwise.
How Does 50 Year Compare to Upper 50 Year?
You want to start with 50 Year, and you have to anyway! They’re absolutely complementary—you can ride both in the same session. They support different riding styles: Upper 50 Year gets into all-mountain/enduro territory with granite slabs and bigger features, while 50 Year skews trail and cross-country.
If you’re heading high, think of 50 Year as the introduction and warm-up. Upper 50 Year is where it starts to get serious.
Verdict
50 Year is a great introductory trail—but for it to be that, you need to start from Golder Ranch Trailhead, not Catalina State Park. It provides introduction, access, and warm-up all in one.
Short rides work great for first-time visitors and beginners. Intermediates can start to level up with its most technical features. Advanced riders will use it to access the higher and bigger trails.
This trail feels like an old friend, and everything in the Golder Ranch network depends on it. The riding stands on its own, and the story behind the trail—the 50-year easement, the multi-use access, the land conservation still unfolding—makes it worth knowing.
