{"id":4184,"date":"2015-04-16T06:30:13","date_gmt":"2015-04-16T13:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=4184"},"modified":"2019-12-26T16:14:30","modified_gmt":"2019-12-27T00:14:30","slug":"mountain-bike-spring-break-ever-sunny-tucson-arizona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/mountain-bike-spring-break-ever-sunny-tucson-arizona","title":{"rendered":"Mountain Bike Spring Break: Ever-Sunny Tucson, Arizona"},"content":{"rendered":"

If spring showers have you desperately craving sunny singletrack, it might be time to hit the road to Tucson, Arizona.<\/p>\n

In fact, Tucson ties a couple other Arizona cities for the third sunniest city in the U.S. So when winter is lingering in other states, sunshine, warmth and Tucson\u2019s massive network of fun trails make it worth packing up the bike and buying a plane ticket or filling the car\u2019s gas tank. Here\u2019s how to get the best of Tucson on two wheels.<\/p>\n

Sample both the desert and mountain trails.<\/h4>\n

Tucson is famous for its giant, sculptural saguaro cacti\u2014and for good reason. But did you know the city is also surrounded by five different mountain ranges? Mount Lemmon looks out over the Tucson Valley from the northeast, and is covered in popular trails. And high-quality mountain bike trails wind up and down the mountains on every side of the city. Plus, the Arizona Trail, which stretches all the way from Mexico to Utah, skirts Tucson along the east side, offering big link-up possibilities.<\/p>\n

If flowy, fun and long sounds like your jam, head up to the Canada Del Oro\u2014or CDO\u2014trail that winds its way down Mount Lemmon from 9,000 feet to the desert floor over about 21 miles. If you\u2019re in for a full-day adventure, Lemmon Drop also connects several different trails on Lemmon\u2019s flanks for almost 30 miles of both forested and wide-open desert riding.<\/p>\n

If you want to start on something more mellow, the popular 15-mile Honeybee Canyon Loop offers smooth terrain with a fast finish to reward a climb at the start. Closer to town, Fantasy Island also links a group of rolling, beginner-friendly trails. And that\u2019s just scratching the surface. The Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists<\/a> host a great trail list on their website.<\/p>\n

Get in on the 24-hour action.<\/h4>\n

If you\u2019re looking to meet new mountain bike buddies or have the competitive itch, register for the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo mountain bike race. The event is a great way to experience Tucson\u2019s landscape and local biking culture. For an entire weekend, mountain bikers converge in the Sonoran Desert, setting up tents and living out of RVs in \u201c24-Hour Town,\u201d on the edge of a massive singletrack racecourse. It\u2019s one of the biggest 24-hour events in the world, and watching the sun come up when you\u2019re out on a relay lap among the saguaros is nothing short of magical.<\/p>\n

Camp near where you ride.<\/h4>\n

Camping options as well as biking trails cover Mount Lemmon in the Coronado National Forest. Catalina State Park north of the city is also within the Coronado National Forest and holds a campground near the popular Golder Ranch trail system.<\/p>\n

If you want to stay on the west side of town, check out the Gilbert Ray Campground in Tucson Mountain Park. It abuts the south side of the super-scenic Saguaro National Park, which doesn\u2019t allow any car camping but hosts several primitive hike-in campsites if you\u2019re craving a more backcountry experience sans bikes.<\/p>\n

Gear up where the locals shop.<\/h4>\n

Fairwheel Bikes rents both road and mountain bikes and gets the locals\u2019 thumbs-up. If you\u2019re a closet roadie with a gear fascination, this is the shop to visit. They specialize in high-end and hard-to-find parts. For a more rootsy vibe, check out Ordinary Bike Shop, where they built their reputation by building up old rigs and recycling used parts. But they don\u2019t stop there\u2014they\u2019re well stocked and super knowledgeable.<\/p>\n

Taste the Mexican food\u2014but don\u2019t forget the coffee and pizza.<\/h4>\n

In this part of the country, the odds of finding good Mexican food are pretty solid, no matter where you go. But Tucson Tamale is a legend\u2014so much so, they flash freeze their fresh tamales and ship all over the U.S. They even have vegetarian and vegan options. For a caffeine fix or a post-ride pizza and beer\u2014or all three\u2014locals head to Time Market.<\/p>\n

Photography by Matt Hage \/\u00a0\u00a9HagePhoto<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If spring showers have you desperately craving sunny singletrack, it might be time to hit the road to Tucson, Arizona. In fact, Tucson ties a couple other Arizona cities for the third sunniest city in the U.S. So when winter is lingering in other states, sunshine, warmth and Tucson\u2019s massive network of fun trails make […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":4185,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[76,25,370,110,1540,1525],"internal-tag":[511,1675,495],"class_list":["post-4184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cycle","tag-arizona","tag-cycle","tag-hilary-oliver","tag-mountain-biking","tag-mountain-west","tag-tucson","internal-tag-arizona","internal-tag-pre-redirect-cycle","internal-tag-united-states"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/mountain-bike-spring-break-ever-sunny-tucson-arizona","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Mountain Bike Spring Break: Ever-Sunny Tucson, Arizona","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/mountain-bike-spring-break-ever-sunny-tucson-arizona","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/mountain-bike-spring-break-ever-sunny-tucson-arizona"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/04\/AZBIK20080117-131-e1448308012553.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/04\/AZBIK20080117-131-e1448308012553.jpg?fit=1500%2C1004"},"articleSection":"Cycle","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Angela Crampton"}],"creator":["Angela Crampton"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["arizona","cycle","hilary oliver","mountain biking","mountain west","tucson"],"dateCreated":"2015-04-16T13:30:13Z","datePublished":"2015-04-16T13:30:13Z","dateModified":"2019-12-27T00:14:30Z"},"rendered":"