100 Acre Wood: Tucson’s Family Friendly Bike Park
Tucson has some of the best natural mountain biking in the American Southwest and almost none of the infrastructure that other MTB cities take for granted. No bike park. No progressive learning environment. No place to send a beginner or a kid that isn’t immediately trying to eat them alive.
That’s about to change.
What Is 100 Acre Wood?
The 100-Acre Wood Bike Park is Tucson’s first purpose-built mountain bike park — set to open summer 2026 with 10 miles of trails and a progressive design built for riders of every level. Located at 2801 S. Alvernon Way [Google Maps location] near Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the site is a collaboration between the City of Tucson, the Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists (SDMB), and Davis-Monthan on land owned by the United States Air Force under a right-of-way easement.
When complete the park will include:
- A 10-mile interconnected trail system with beginner-friendly paths and advanced technical tracks
- Skill-building areas — rock gardens, balance beams, log rides, and progressive jump lines
- Pump tracks and flow trails with smooth, rolling terrain for bike handling practice
- 4.5 miles of trails designated as accessible to Adaptive MTB riders
Twenty Years in the Making
This isn’t a new idea. Pima County and the City of Tucson incorporated a bike park into long-range planning documents back in the late 1990s. The master planning process began in 2014, a lease with the Air Force was executed in 2016, and the master plan was adopted by the city in 2018.
Then the site spent years as Tucson’s largest homeless encampment. City officials completed the final phase of cleanup in November 2025 and construction began shortly after — the latest chapter in a project that has been two decades in the making.
$340,000 has been allocated for this phase of design and construction, funded through an Arizona State Parks Heritage Grant, the Trek Foundation, SDMB, Athletic Brewing Company, and community donors. Professional bike park designer Nat Lopes — with over 20 years of experience building parks across all 50 states, nine Canadian provinces, and 15 countries — designed the new layout.
Where Things Stand Right Now
Construction began in earnest in early 2026 and as of April is nearly complete. City officials say the park is on track to open to the public this summer.
A few things worth knowing before you show up:
- No parking on site at opening. The park won’t have restrooms, parking, or water infrastructure when it first opens. Nearest options are Veterans Memorial Plaza to the west or Golf Links Park and Freedom Park to the east — both accessible via the Aviation Bike Path.
- Not the full vision yet. The funds raised cover all infrastructure and trails for this phase, but not the complete feature set shown in the master plan. More will come as additional funding is secured.
- SDMB maintains the trails. SDMB has an agreement with the City of Tucson to maintain the trails and features at the park — same organization that maintains Sweetwater, TMP, and Fantasy Island.
- 20-year lease. The City holds a 20-year lease with the Air Force on the property. This is a long-term asset for Tucson MTB, not a temporary installation.
Why This Matters for Tucson Mountain Biking
Tucson’s trail networks are extraordinary and genuinely hard. The 50 Year fortress requires real skills before it gives you anything back. Mt. Lemmon demands fitness and technical ability just to access its best terrain. Even Fantasy Island — the most approachable network in the city — is natural desert singletrack that can intimidate true beginners without warning.
100 Acre Wood fills a gap that has existed in Tucson MTB for decades. A place to learn. A place to progress, intentionally. A place to send a kid on a bike without worrying that the desert is going to end the relationship before it starts.
For the Tucson riding community it’s infrastructure that changes who can access the sport here. For the youth programs that have been building Tucson’s next generation of riders — El Grupo Youth Cycling, GRO girl GRO, local NICA teams — it’s a training and development resource that didn’t exist before.
For visitors planning a Tucson MTB trip it adds an urban skills park to a destination that was already exceptional for natural terrain. Warm up at 100 Acre Wood, progress your skills, then head to Sweetwater and beyond.
What to Watch For
Opening is targeted for summer 2026. No official ribbon-cutting date has been announced as of this writing.
For official updates follow the 100 Acre Wood Facebook page or contact the City of Tucson Parks and Recreation Department directly.
Twenty years of planning. Months of cleanup. Construction nearly complete.
This summer, Tucson finally gets a bike park.
Want to stay current on Tucson trail news, conditions, and new openings — including when 100 Acre Wood officially opens? The Tucson Trail Cheat Sheet is a free starting point. You’ll get updates when the full 100 Acre Wood review drops. Get the Cheat Sheet →
