Dirt Destiny: The Old Pueblo, the Soul of the Sonoran Desert
Towering mountain ranges offer up legitimate vertical, an expansive desert floor flaunts singletrack that will take you places, and a culinary and cultural scene going back 4,000 years guarantees a memorable, tasty meal any time of day.
These are lands of the O’odham, who descend from a society known for its extensive and innovative irrigation systems (an ancient form of dirtwork-based flow).
Modern mountain biking here is supported by several activist and trail groups including SDMB and TORCA.
Luckily Tucson and its diverse trails remain tranquilo but make no mistake—the Old Pueblo has it all for the savvy mountain biker, and others who roll through this gregarious traildust town.
Mountain Bike Highlights to Experience in Tucson
Mountain Biking in Tucson by the numbers
| TUCSON, ARIZONA | ||
| Founded | 1775 AD | The Spanish established a fort in 1775; Native Americans have been living in the Tucson basin and the region for millennia |
| Population | 543,242 people | The second largest city in Arizona, but by a long shot (Phoenix is millions and still growing fast) |
| #MTB trails | 172 | Four trail networks |
| Miles of trail | 677 | The second most in the state, after Flagstaff |
| Altitude | 2,389 ft | Not low desert (< 1500 ft), not high desert (>5,000 ft)… maybe just right desert |
| Environment | Desert, Varied | Everything from cactus to pine trees, lots of cool critters too and–yes–water is precious |
| Vertical | 7,054 ft | Mt. Lemmon, the summit of the Santa Catalina Mountains, tops out over 9,000 ft and looms immediately north of town |
| Number of airlines | Six | Modest but efficient airport (and thousands of aircraft in the boneyards) |
| Lift service | No | There is a ski resort atop Mt. Lemmon, but no bike lift service |
| Shuttle service | Yes | Yes. Several companies offer shuttle services |
| Classic MTB destination | Yes | IMBA Ride Center, Silver designation; a longtime cycling hotbed especially in the winter months; and a UNESCO city of eating |
The Riding
It’s unique, yes (this is the only place in the world where you can ride through forests of saguaro cacti) but variety abounds in Tucson for those who seek it, both on and off the bike.
In the morning climb into the pines and by the afternoon bask poolside. The huge range of plant and animal life clues you in on how the Sonoran landscape surrounding Tucson is truly diverse.
So, it is no surprise that it offers up all kinds of different riding experiences and trail types from gnar to flow, depending on where you go. But, Tucson is raw and rugged, generally-speaking.
The Inside Line
The Five Best Mountain Bike Rides in Tucson
Cut to the chase–you can’t go wrong with these rides (in our humble opinion).
Types of Riding
- Enduro/All Mountain: You’ll be magnetically attracted to Mt. Lemmon and the opportunity it offers to experience some truly epic descending days (and it’s not the only towering Sky Island to be found in the region)
- The Lemmon Drop, Red Ridge
- Backcountry: You’ll find several areas, not far out of town, where just miles from the trailhead other people go away and the company starts to feel wild
- Upper 50 Year
- Cross Country: For smooth, ribbony singletrack (or rocky, ribbony singletrack) there are numerous opportunities, each a world of their own where you can buzz through the desert for dozens of miles uninterrupted
- Honeybee, Vortex
- Mixed: To pile on the miles there’s extensive gravel (ahem, dirt road) options on tap. Many of these can, of course, be combined with full-on MTB trails to build big loops
- Willow Springs
- Access: It’s paved, but there’s also The Loop bike path network, with zero automobiles covering over 100 miles around Tucson, and leading straight to certain riding areas, coffee shops, breweries, yoga, etc.
- CDO to Catalina State Park or Honeybee
- Adventure: Sashaying through it all together, of course, is the 800+ mile Arizona Trail, which routes directly east of Tucson and has sectors of every shape, size, and flavor to find along the way between Utah and Mexico. But that’s a whole other story.
- Ripsey Ridge
What People Are Saying About Tucson Mountain Biking
Reading through the various articles that have been published on mountain biking in Tucson, one thing is clear: people don’t forget their close encounters with cacti. But it also seems like the desert and the town evoke sentiments that are, in the end, quite favorable to the place despite its sharp edges.
- Destination: Tucson, Arizona on Bike Mag (published Dec, 2023)
- The Mountain Biker’s Guide to Tucson, Arizona on Singletracks (updated Sep, 2023)
Overviews
50 Year Trail/Golder Ranch/Catalina State Park
Trailsage liked the slabs, but we’re not sure about his suggestion to paint the rocks! (But he has a point that the lack of trail markings makes navigation hands on…)
Mountain Bike Equipment Choices for Tucson
Bikes
You can find a good time with almost any mountain bike in Tucson. XC? Head for the many, many miles of flowy desert trails down low. Enduro? Go high on Mt. Lemmon and descend until you’re gnared out. The only MTB we wouldn’t recommend is a dedicated DH bike, given the lack of lift-served trails and the tendency of all the trails to include technical climbing sections, somewhere.
Transport
You’ll probably want a vehicle in Tucson. It’s a sprawling desert city. That said, The Loop provides great access for bikes around the city, as well as out to some trail networks.
Most trails can be accessed with a standard vehicle, but for those with access to a high clearance rig there is lots of potential for adventure to more remote trailheads, desert camping, etc.
Clothes
Cover up. Between the sun and the spines wearing protection usually works out in your favor.
Lightweight, tear-resistant fabrics are ideal when the temps climb. But don’t forget that the desert cools significantly on a clear night and in the shoulder months–and certainly the winter–cold weather clothing (think layers) is key.
Environment
Weather
It’s the desert so it gets hot. That said, given the accessibility of higher altitudes and the tendency of the desert to cool at night (not so much in the middle of a city, looking at you, Phoenix) the savvy mountain biker can ride Tucson year-round.
The sweet spots on the calendar are the fall and the spring. If you want to send Mt. Lemmon top to bottom (or bottom to top) fall is your best bet as snowpack up high can stick around long enough for things to heat up down low in the spring.
Rocks and Soils
If you pay attention the Tucson region is anything but consistent. You’ll feel, hear, and see lots of variations in the rocks and soils as you start to cover ground.
The big mountain ranges around Tucson (Santa Catalinas, Rincons, Santa Ritas) were formed deep underground long ago in the ovens of the earth. Much melting and smelting of minerals galore, etc.
So in the Old Pueblo you’ll generally be riding on some kind of crushed rock (granite in the Catalinas, volcanics in the Tucsons) over other rock (!), or hardpack. You see some cool stuff–lots of granite, schist and their mineral components such as feldspar, quartz and muscovite.
As you wander off more frequented trails don’t be surprised to encounter lots of loose rock. Or embedded rock. Or loose rock on embedded rock. You get the idea.
Find loam? Write home. (But it is out there…)
Rain in the desert is always amazing, and while a brief pause is usually needed to let things dry out just enough for hero dirt (vs damaging the dirt). nobody worries much about mud except for immediately after rain when otherwise rock-hard clays will turn into voracious muck.
Always present: sand. When it’s dry (most of the time) deep sections can easily swallow a rim. Carry some speed and get your weight back and centered to plow through.
Better trails don’t spend too much time in the sand-filled drainages, or arroyos, and find harder substrates to make for fast rolling good times!
Should I Go to Tucson?
The bottom line: if you like a laid-back vibe but appreciate the amenities of a sizable city, don’t mind driving to explore, and can handle (and appreciate) the sharp edges of the desert then Tucson should be on your mountain bike list. The riding is undoubtedly unique, the environment captivating, and sliding around on desert singletrack in the late light of the day is a feeling every mountain biker should savor at least a time or two.