Tucson Road & Gravel Cycling Routes
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- By Fair Wheel
- Posted in Rides and Routes
Explore Tucson road and gravel cycling with local insight from Fair Wheel Bikes. This guide covers Mount Lemmon, Gates Pass, The Shootout, Saguaro National Park East, Dove Mountain, Rancho Vistoso and Redington Pass, with Ride with GPS route collections, planning advice, group ride information and links to road and gravel bike rentals.
Tucson Road & Gravel Cycling Routes
Tucson gives us an unusually wide range of riding without having to travel far from town. We can spend a morning climbing Mount Lemmon, head west through Gates Pass and the Tucson Mountains, ride the rolling roads north toward Oro Valley and Dove Mountain, loop through Saguaro National Park East, or leave the pavement behind on the long dirt roads east of Tucson.
We have been riding these roads and desert routes for decades, so this guide is intended as an introduction to the different kinds of riding Tucson offers rather than a static list of turn-by-turn directions. Our dedicated road and gravel route pages contain the current route files, maps and ride details, while the collections below provide an overview of the routes we currently recommend.
Road Cycling in Tucson
Road riding in Tucson can mean very different things depending on the direction we leave town. The Santa Catalina Mountains give us one of the country's best-known sustained climbs, while the Tucson Mountains offer shorter, sharper climbing through classic Sonoran Desert terrain. North Tucson opens into long rolling rides, and the east side combines quieter roads with Saguaro National Park and longer desert loops.
That variety makes Tucson especially good for a multi-day cycling trip. We do not have to repeat the same style of ride every day. A climbing day on Mount Lemmon can be followed by a fast group ride, a rolling endurance route or a shorter scenic loop.
Tucson Road Cycling Routes
Our road collection includes the routes we most often ride and recommend, including Mount Lemmon, The Original Shootout, Tuesday's Gates Pass ride, Saguaro National Park East, Rancho Vistoso and Dove Mountain. For individual route descriptions and current ride files, visit our Tucson Road Routes page.
Mount Lemmon
Mount Lemmon is the Tucson ride most visiting cyclists already know about, and it deserves that reputation. Catalina Highway climbs from the Sonoran Desert toward Summerhaven through dramatically changing terrain, vegetation and temperatures. Riders can turn around at one of the overlooks for a shorter day or continue toward the top for the complete climb.
Windy Point is one of our favorite stops along the way, and the changing views make the climb feel different throughout the ascent. The combination of distance, sustained climbing and a long descent also means Mount Lemmon deserves more preparation than a typical local road ride.
Explore Tucson Road Riding
Gates Pass & the Tucson Mountains
West of town, Gates Pass gives us a completely different road experience. Instead of one sustained mountain climb, the west side combines shorter climbs, rolling terrain and wide-open desert views through the Tucson Mountains.
Our Tuesday fast ride heads through this area, while longer rides can continue farther west or connect into larger loops. Gates Pass is one of our favorite options when we want plenty of climbing and scenery without committing the entire day to Mount Lemmon.
Saguaro National Park East
The east side of Tucson offers excellent road riding as well. Saguaro National Park East provides rolling terrain and one of the area's most recognizable desert landscapes, while longer routes can extend beyond the park toward Colossal Cave and the surrounding east-side roads.
We maintain several Saguaro East options so riders can choose a shorter, medium or longer day rather than treating the area as a single fixed route.
Oro Valley, Rancho Vistoso & Dove Mountain
Heading north and northwest gives us longer rolling routes through Oro Valley, Rancho Vistoso and Dove Mountain. These rides accumulate plenty of elevation but do it more gradually than Mount Lemmon, which makes them excellent choices for longer endurance days.
The open desert, views toward the Santa Catalina and Tortolita Mountains, and extensive bike infrastructure north of Tucson make this part of town worth exploring even for riders who initially come here focused on Mount Lemmon.
The Shootout & Tucson Group Riding
Tucson has a long history of fast group riding. The Original Shootout has been part of the local cycling scene for decades and continues to attract strong local riders, visiting racers and professional cyclists training in southern Arizona.
Our Tuesday morning ride provides another fast weekday option through the west side. Even if you are not interested in joining the group, both routes stand on their own as excellent Tucson road rides.
Because group pace, seasonal start times and ride details can change, we keep that information on our Tucson Group Rides page.
Gravel Riding in Tucson
Tucson's gravel riding feels very different from its paved routes. Rather than a dense network of short gravel roads, many of our best mixed-surface rides head away from town into long stretches of open desert and mountain terrain. The east side around Redington Road is one of the primary gateways into that kind of riding.
Routes can range from manageable mixed-surface outings to very long days that combine substantial climbing, remote dirt roads and limited services. Redington Pass can be ridden as an out-and-back or incorporated into much larger routes toward the backside of Mount Lemmon and the surrounding mountain roads.
Surface conditions change throughout the year, particularly after storms and monsoon weather. A route that is relatively smooth one month can become considerably rougher later, so gravel tire choice should reflect the ride rather than just the mileage. While some Tucson mixed-surface routes can be ridden on narrower tires, we generally prefer the additional margin and comfort of a true gravel setup for the longer and more remote options.
Tucson Gravel Cycling Routes
Our gravel collection brings together the mixed-surface routes we currently recommend around Tucson. Use it as an overview of the available riding, then visit our Tucson Gravel Routes page for individual routes and more detailed ride information.
Choosing the Right Tucson Ride
Road
Major climbing: Mount Lemmon.
Fast local riding: The Shootout and Tuesday rides.
Shorter climbs and desert scenery: Gates Pass and the Tucson Mountains.
East-side riding: Saguaro National Park East.
Long rolling miles: Rancho Vistoso and Dove Mountain.
Gravel
Redington Pass and the surrounding east-side dirt roads open the door to some of Tucson's longest and most remote mixed-surface rides.
For shorter gravel days, choose routes that stay closer to Tucson and avoid committing to the bigger loops around Mount Lemmon.
For longer backcountry rides, plan around surface conditions, water availability, climbing and the additional time that rougher roads can add to a route.
Before You Ride
Desert riding rewards preparation. Many Tucson routes include long exposed sections with limited water, and temperatures can change significantly throughout the day or with elevation.
We recommend checking weather, route conditions and available daylight before leaving. Carry enough water and food for the distance, sun protection, flat-repair supplies and a charged phone. For remote gravel rides, plan more conservatively than you would for a similarly sized road route because surfaces and conditions can change quickly.
Mount Lemmon deserves special attention because conditions near the top can be dramatically different from temperatures in Tucson. Gravel routes around Redington can be equally demanding because of their remoteness and limited services.
Visiting Tucson Without Your Bike
If you are coming to Tucson to ride, you do not have to travel with a bike. We rent road and gravel bikes for riders who want to explore these routes while they are here.
For Mount Lemmon, Gates Pass, Saguaro East, The Shootout and other paved rides, visit our Road Bike Rentals.
For Redington Pass and Tucson's mixed-surface riding, start with our Gravel Bike Rentals.
For current maps, mileage, elevation and individual route files, continue to our Road Routes or Gravel Routes pages.