Tucson riding advice request
10-09-18, 05:43 AM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Tucson riding advice request
good morning. We are planning to be in Tucson with our tandem in late October/early November. we are planning to ride East Sagaro National Park and Mt Lemmon. We would appreciate any current advice on other routes in the area. thanks. Joe
10-09-18, 06:09 AM
#2
Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: ann arbor, mi
Posts: 13
Bikes: burley rivazzi, gt quadrofoil ventana
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Go to the GABA Meetup website. Good folks to ride with and a variety of routes.
10-09-18, 06:29 AM
#3
Full Member
I have done both rides many times, but only on my single. I am not sure what the weather will be like in the high country at that time and I don't know how familiar you are with the area, but here are a few tidbits.
-There is really no water available on Mt lemmon unless you go all the way to Winterhaven. There are bathrooms at Molino Basin, Windy Point, and a campground or 2 in between. You will probably need a jacket for the higher elevations.
-Sagaro east is a real nice loop, however, it is only about 8 miles long. One of my favorite rides is out to Pistol Hill which is the loop you see in the bottom of the picture below. We would ride out to Pistol Hill and do the Sagaro loop on the way back..
-Another favorite of mine is the climb up to Kitt Peak observatory. You can park at the bottom (red arroww in picture) and it is about a 12 mile climb, and it's a climb, but the road circles the mountain on the way up an the views of the dessert are amazing. There is a gift shop at the top with bathrooms, water, and you can buy a snack. You can also walk around the observatory and they will let you in several of the telescope buildings. Highly recommend this one.
-I have ridden once from Vail to Sonoita. The plan was to go all the way to Pantagonia, but it was really windy that day, like blow you into the ditch windy, so we turned around at Sonoite. Road was nice and the climbss were not bad. There is food and bathrooms at both places.
-I have heard of Gates Pass but have never ridden it. My friend that lives there does not like for the traffic, but I know a lot of folks ride it.
- There is bike path that follows the wash, but I have never done it.
-Other than that the roads are not too inspiring (compared to my local riding in NW NJ).
-There is really no water available on Mt lemmon unless you go all the way to Winterhaven. There are bathrooms at Molino Basin, Windy Point, and a campground or 2 in between. You will probably need a jacket for the higher elevations.
-Sagaro east is a real nice loop, however, it is only about 8 miles long. One of my favorite rides is out to Pistol Hill which is the loop you see in the bottom of the picture below. We would ride out to Pistol Hill and do the Sagaro loop on the way back..
-Another favorite of mine is the climb up to Kitt Peak observatory. You can park at the bottom (red arroww in picture) and it is about a 12 mile climb, and it's a climb, but the road circles the mountain on the way up an the views of the dessert are amazing. There is a gift shop at the top with bathrooms, water, and you can buy a snack. You can also walk around the observatory and they will let you in several of the telescope buildings. Highly recommend this one.
-I have ridden once from Vail to Sonoita. The plan was to go all the way to Pantagonia, but it was really windy that day, like blow you into the ditch windy, so we turned around at Sonoite. Road was nice and the climbss were not bad. There is food and bathrooms at both places.
-I have heard of Gates Pass but have never ridden it. My friend that lives there does not like for the traffic, but I know a lot of folks ride it.
- There is bike path that follows the wash, but I have never done it.
-Other than that the roads are not too inspiring (compared to my local riding in NW NJ).
10-10-18, 02:24 PM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Lafayette, Colorado
Posts: 1,047
Bikes: 1998 Co-Motion Co-Pilot, 2015 Calfee Tetra
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 177 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
5 Posts
Frank & Kaye live part time in Tucson and would have lots of info on riding there. Look for them on this forum.
I used to live in Tucson as well but never rode a tandem there. Mt Lemmon is a long hard grunt (2300' to 9600') and traffic can be an issue on the weekend. I agree with AlcanBrad on Saguaro National Monument East. Pretty, interesting but only about 8 - 9 miles. Kitt Peak is a very interesting climb (& descent). As I recall, the curves are all mostly constant-radius so there are no decreasing radius surprises on the descent. However, I wouldn't ride out there. It is a pretty grim ride back & forth. I would drive to the base instead.
I used to live in Tucson as well but never rode a tandem there. Mt Lemmon is a long hard grunt (2300' to 9600') and traffic can be an issue on the weekend. I agree with AlcanBrad on Saguaro National Monument East. Pretty, interesting but only about 8 - 9 miles. Kitt Peak is a very interesting climb (& descent). As I recall, the curves are all mostly constant-radius so there are no decreasing radius surprises on the descent. However, I wouldn't ride out there. It is a pretty grim ride back & forth. I would drive to the base instead.
10-11-18, 06:56 AM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Upstate South Carolina
Posts: 1,092
Bikes: 1980's Spectrum 10 sp Campagnolo Centaur, 1990 Eddy Merckx 10 sp Campagnolo Centaur, Bushnell Tandem, Co-Motion Speedster Tandem
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 185 Post(s)
Liked 102 Times
in
65 Posts
Crazy Guy On Bike journal might be of some help.
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/..._id=11685&v=2x
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/...c_id=2169&v=3K
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/...c_id=1141&v=74
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/..._id=15386&v=5X
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/..._id=11685&v=2x
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/...c_id=2169&v=3K
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/...c_id=1141&v=74
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/..._id=15386&v=5X
Last edited by Paul J; 10-11-18 at 07:13 AM.
