Upper 50 Year Trail Review: Tucson’s Original Granite Tech
Upper 50 Year Trail is a Natural Wonderland
Upper 50 Year Trail has more features—and bigger features—than most other trails in Tucson. Many trails rack up technical moments, but Upper 50 Year’s granite slabs are an order of magnitude more than most anything else you’ll ride here.
Numerous granite rolls and optional drops that test your commitment, step-ups that demand true power, and hidden lines threading through exfoliating domes—this is signature riding that shows what Catalina granite mountain biking is actually about.
The trail sits higher on the Santa Catalinas than most Tucson networks, which changes everything. You’re not down in the basin grinding through creosote and prickly pear. Up here in the 50 Year / Golder Ranch Trail Network you get junipers, occasional piñon mixing with the mesquite, and a setting that connects to terrain climbing past 9,000 feet.
You’re riding natural geological features that have been adapted into trail, not purpose-built flow. The granite domes are real. The consequence is real. The riding is dreamy if you’re into this kind of terrain.
Trail Stats
- Length: 1.9 miles (one-way, point-to-point within network)
- Elevation change: ~350 ft climb, 330 descent (riding north-to-south)
- Surface: Granite slab, hardpack, packed sand, decomposing granite
- Difficulty: Intermediate-Advanced
- Best time: Fall/Winter/Spring; dawn or dusk year-round
- Access: 50 Year Trailhead, mid-network (approach via Lower 50 Year)
Upper 50 Year Trail is intermediate-advanced, and that rating isn’t soft. The features are sizable. The commitment required to clean sections is genuine. If you don’t know the trail, bring time—time to session the step-ups, scout your lines on the slabs, walk what you need to walk, and explore the stuff hiding off the main line.
This isn’t a trail you rush. Rushing Upper 50 Year kills the experience. (That doesn’t mean you can’t go fast.)
Upper Fifty Year on Trailforks.comThe vast majority run Upper 50 Year Trail north-to-south (starting at the top of The Chutes) because the climbs are rideable that direction. The granite slabs that are rollable descents southbound become desperate, unrideable wall-climbs if you flip the direction.
The very best riders have cleaned it backwards—there’s video evidence—but for mere mortals, riding Upper 50 Year northbound means walking the best features. Stick with the standard direction unless you’re packing serious power and excel at making things harder than they need to be.
The Good
✓ More features and bigger features than most other Tucson trails. The exfoliating Catalina granite domes define what riding these mountains is supposed to feel like. There’s even a giant old crusted saguaro hiding just off trail if you know where to look. This is what makes Upper 50 Year different from Honeybee or Fantasy Island—you’re riding mountain terrain.
✓ Multiple line choices on the big slabs (from intermediate-friendly to committing). With time and a methodological approach, motivated riders can really progress their skills here.
✓ Higher elevation brings different vegetation (junipers, piñon, cooler temps than lower networks)
✓ Signature, namesake trail of the 50 Year / Golder Ranch Network—if you’ve got the skills and only ride one trail here, ride this (luckily you gotta ride other trail to get there and back)
✓ Rideable year-round if you time it right (dawn or dusk advantage from Samaniego Ridge shading).
The Bad
✗ Short steep features throughout (step-ups, slab climbs, tight turns)—totally rideable but easy to get hung up if you’re under-speed or hesitant.
✗ Big slabs require commitment; consequence on granite is real and the exposure deserves consideration.
✗ Approach trails (Lower 50 Year specifically) can rut in areas when ridden wet; Upper 50 drains quickly.
✗ Skill floor is intermediate-advanced minimum—if you’re not comfortable reading granite and picking steep lines, you might end up off in the desert. But if you have the skills, most of “the bad” turns to good!
The Dirty
→ Samaniego Ridge looms directly east, blocking morning sun longer than other trails (dawn patrol stays cooler).
→ Don’t ride Upper 50 Year when you’re time-crunched and unfamiliar with it—the trail usually wins.
→ Route knowledge unlocks hidden lines and features most riders pass within 20 feet of and never see.
→ Opening climb has power moves that catch many people out but it’s 100% rideable with skills and fitness. A great project!
Want the Full Route Beta?
This review covers what Upper 50 Year Trail is like to ride. But if you’re planning a trip and want to actually navigate the network—which trails connect where, which junctions are key, which loops unlock the best riding, and where features are located—that’s what the Tucson MTB Ride Guide is for.
The guide includes turn-by-turn directions and GPS tracks for what we call the Tucson Classics. You’ll get junction coordinates, feature locations, seasonal strategy, and the kind of route knowledge that otherwise takes years to build.
Tucson MTB Ride Guide – includes quarterly Tucson updates
The Verdict
Upper 50 Year Trail is one of the trails that best defines the 50 Year network. If you want to understand what Catalina granite riding is about—natural features with real consequence, technical commitment that rewards skill, old-school desert mountain biking that hasn’t been sanitized into flow—this is it.
It’s not for everyone. The features are sizeable. The commitment is real. The trail doesn’t apologize for being technical. Intermediate-advanced riders with the skills and the patience to explore will find Upper 50 Year genuinely rewarding. Those looking for quick laps or predictable flow should ride elsewhere.
For riders who appreciate natural, challenging terrain where the geology does the talking and you have to earn every clean line? Upper 50 Year is special. One of the best technical natural trails in Tucson, and beyond.
Get 50 Year Trail Updates
The 50 Year / Golder Ranch network is always growing and changing—new trails opening, seasonal conditions shifting, route knowledge evolving. Get quarterly updates on 50 Year trail status, new openings, and riding strategy delivered to your inbox.
