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La Milagarosa A wonderful, beautiful, technical, dangerous ride in the Santa Catalina Mountains. Steep climbs, sharp descents, 1-3 foot drops, plenty of rocks, all single track, beautiful - beautiful - beautiful. This is a technical riders dream and a place for the rest of us to exercise caution. Sweeping views of the Tucson valley coupled with some of the most challenging riding in the area make this an excellent 3-4 hour ride for the "adverturesome." Strap on your armor and have a ball. The climb up to the saddle after leaving Molino Basin is very steep and only rideable by the very best. Without exercising caution the descent to West Spring in Ballota could end with an "endo" in many spots. Once you have picked up the Milagrosa Trail (the trail itself may be easier riding than crossing the saddle) you may want to stop often to take in the views, they are wonderful. DIRECTIONS: This is setup as a shuttle ride but you can pump it up the road if you wish (about 5 miles of climb) Take the Mt. Lemmon Highway to the bottom of the mountain and park on your left in a paved parking area just past Snyder Road. Leave one vehicle and drive up to the Molino Basin parking area ($5 fee). From here you can head up the Highway to Prison Camp (around 2 miles) and ride the single track back down as a warm up or you can go across the Highway and start the climb up to the saddle. The entrance to the single track climb is directly across from Molino Basin parking and is well marked. Cross the saddle and head down to West Tank in Ballota. After reaching the tank go to your left up the hill and then down to a gate, go about 1/4 past the gate to a "y" and take a right (toward Tucson). Follow the well defined single track back to Snyder Road and head over to where you left the car. WHEN TO GO: Anytime but summer. - Back to Trails - |