PEPPERSAUCE CAVE
Level: Intermediate (3-B)
Description: As far a riding goes, this is generic. Straight forward jeep road (really a good jeep road) for a little over 6 miles. This is the Mt. Lemmon Control Road which goes from the town of Oracle to Summerhaven at the summit of Mt. Lemmon. The road is good enough that you could drive a high clearance vehicle right to the cave. I wouldn't want to take a family sedan or low slung car on this road (but you could). This ride is not so much about biking but rather about seeing something interesting on your bike.
Without good directions you will not find the entrance to Peppersauce Cave. I know because I walked right by it several times until a helpful couple took me to it. Pictures and directions are farther down the page.
You can do this ride almost any time of the year. It will be about 10-15 degrees cooler than Tucson. Take some food, pack a flashlight (one for each person), ride up, explore the cave, refresh and ride (coast) back to the car. Uphill going, downhill for the return.
This is a REAL cave. You will crawl in places and you will get DIRTY. The entrance is not gated. If you go in far enough there is the "Rabbit hole" to contend with. It is just what it implies. Alice in Wonderland's Rabbit hole.
Directions: From Ina and Oracle (Tucson) take Oracle Road toward the town of Oracle. Go through town to the Mt. Lemmon Control Road turn and take that to the Arizona Trail Head parking area (about 1 mile after the road changes to dirt). Load up and ride up the road past Peppersauce Camp Ground until you have about 6.25 miles on your computer (that is total distance from where you parked). You should be a single lane bridge. Check the photo on the right for what the road will look like at this point.
You will get to a very sharp left hand turn, this is where you get off and start looking for the entrance to the cave. There will be a metal sign (not mentioning the cave) on the right side of the road by a wash. You should be heading (on foot) west (right) up the wash for a SHORT distance of not more than 50 yards. On the right hand side of the wash, about 30 feet up on the side is a fairly well hidden rock outcropping which hides the entrance to the cave. It may take you a little hunting to find the opening.
The winding road up to the cave entrance
6.25 miles in you should see this.
It's hard to find, but it's there.
