Tucson mountain biking trails are some of the best in Arizona! Below you will find a fairly comprehensive list of the major trail networks. Many systems have numerous loop options, so we’ve posted the most popular and known routes. If you’ve got a trail you’d like to share, just use the contact form and we’ll get back in touch with you for details. Rides are rated based on technical and aerobic difficulty. Overestimating your fitness and skill can make the ride unpleasant (and even dangerous) for you and for the other riders. Read the skill rating chart below.
The Arizona Trail
If you are interested in this amazing 800-mile Trail that extends the length of Arizona, head on over to the official AZTrail website. A number of the rides below include sections of the AZTrail, but we’ve also listed specific sections of the Trail depending on your location.
Trails North of Tucson – Mt. Lemmon, Catalina, Oracle, Willow Springs
- AZ Trail North – Oracle – Coming Soon!
- Golder Ranch – 50-Year, Catalina State Park, The Chutes, Middlegate (1A to 3C)
- Charouleau Gap (3C)
- Cherry Tank (3C)
- Baby Jesus (3C)
- Willow Springs – 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo (2B)
- Rail X and Honeybee Canyon (2B)
- Peppersauce Cave (2-3B)
- The Bobby Trail System (1A through 3B)
- Tortolita Preserve – Dove Mountain (2B)
- Mt Lemmon – Meadow/Aspen Draw (3C)
- Mt Lemmon – Sunset, 1918, Bigelow (3C) Coming Soon!
- Samaniego Ridge (3C – 4D)
- Mt Lemmon – Green Mountain – (3C through 3D)
- Mt Lemmon – Bug Springs – (3B through 3C)
- Mt Lemmon – AZ Trail – Prison Camp to Molino Basin – (3B)
- Mt Lemmon – AZ Trail – Molino Basin to Italian Trap (3C – 3D)
West of Tucson – Tucson Mountains
- Sweetwater (2A to 3C)
- Tucson Mountain Park (1A to 3D)
- Starr Pass (2B to 3C) – Part of Tucson Mountain Park
- Brown Mountain (2B to 3D) – Part of Tucson Mountain Park
- Robles Trail System (2B to 3C) – Part of Tucson Mountain Park
- The Watermans (3B to 3C)
- West Silverbells (3B)
East of Tucson – Rincon Mountains
- Fantasy Island (2B)
- Mt Lemmon – AZ Trail – Molino Basin to Italian Trap (3C – 3D)
- AZ Trail East – Pistol Hill to Three Bridges (3B to 3C)
- La Milagrosa (3D)
- Chiva Falls (3C)
South & Southeast of Tucson – Santa Rita Mountains
- AZ Trail East – Three Bridges to Lakes Road (2B – 3B)
- IMBA Epic – Gardner Canyon – Kentucky Camp – Keyhole (3B – 3C)
- Dragoons – East Cochise Stronghold (3B)
- Dragoons – West Cochise Stronghold (3B)
- Garden Canyon (3B) – Sierra Vista – Redirect to the Dawn to Dust Mtn Bike Website.
- Brown Canyon (3B) – Sierra Vista – Redirect to the Dawn to Dust Mtn Bike Website.
- Cooper Loop (3C) – Sierra Vista – Redirect to the Dawn to Dust Mtn Bike Website.
- West Desert Preserve (2B to 3B) – Green Valley
- Elephant Head (3B) – Green Valley
Trail Rating System
HILL RATING
- Slight rolling terrain
- Rolling hills, no long climbs, low elevation
- Hilly, longer/more climbs, possible higher elevation
- Sustained steep climbs and/or higher elevation, advanced riders only
DIFFICULTY RATING
- Smooth trail/jeep road
- Some technical challenges but mostly nontechnical
- Lots of technical challenges (e.g. big/loose rocks, ruts)
- Highly technical, advanced riders only
Tucson Mountain Biking Trails WIKI
Chad started a Tucson Mountain Biking Trails WIKI for keeping track of all of the trails in the Tucson area. Currently, the Tucson Mountain Park, Golder Ranch, Fantasy Island, Rillito and Santa Maria trail areas have significant sections described and mapped into Google Earth. A color coded rating system similar to “The Map” has been used for the Google Earth file. Each trail is linked to a corresponding entry in the WIKI that contains further description and ratings. If SDMB members would be interested in knowing of or contributing to this resource, please do so!