Middlegate Trail Review: Flowing Tech in Tucson
Intermediate Step-Up in the Golder Ranch Network
Middlegate might not flow the first time you ride it. Or the second. It’s the kind of trail that makes you work for it—steep technical granite on the way up, lines you can’t fully see until you’re committed on the way down. But by the third lap, something clicks. The climb becomes a puzzle you know how to solve. The descent becomes a rhythm you can hold. That’s when Middlegate starts to flow—not because it changed, but because you did.
Stats
- Distance: 3 miles
- Elevation Gain/Loss: ~300 ft/350 ft (clockwise)
- Difficulty: Intermediate to Advanced
- Surface: Sand, hardpack, embedded rock
- Connects: 50 Year Trail → Cottonwoods area → back to 50 Year (clockwise recommended)
- Trailhead: Golder Ranch
The Trail
Middlegate is the most approachable “upper” trail in the 50 Year system. It’s still technical—a fair amount of climbing including steep technical granite sections—but things aren’t generally as big or committing as Upper 50 Year. Think of it as the step up from (lower) 50 Year Trail and The Chutes, but not yet into Upper 50 Year or Gem territory.
The descent at the end is the real payoff. Once you know the lines and you’re comfortable with the terrain, it flows. There are side lines and optional obstacles that open up a few larger moves if you’re feeling it. The climb is techy fun in its own right—granite obstacles that require attention, skill, and power—but it’s the downhill that makes Middlegate worth riding.
Several other trails feed into Middlegate, including Upper 50 Year, Rattlesnake, and Stone Cactus. This makes Middlegate key for accessing the upper sections of the network.
Worth Riding?
Ride Middlegate if you’re comfortable on all of 50 Year Trail and The Chutes and you’re ready for the next level. Skip it if you’re short on time or want to stay mellow—this isn’t a quick cruise the first time around.
Most people ride Middlegate as a clockwise loop off 50 Year Trail. The standard Golder Ranch start gets you onto 50 Year, then up and around Middlegate, then back down. The descent rewards the climb, and by the time you finish and hit the Cottonwoods you’re feeling pretty good. One final grunt up a hill, jump on the forest road, cross the cattleguard, and you’re back to where you started.
Like a lot of trails in the 50 Year network, Middlegate takes familiarity to flow. The first time through you’re figuring it out. The second time you’re starting to see the lines. The third time it all comes together—especially when you start putting multiple pieces and sections together and rolling through.
