5 Reasons Why Tucson, Arizona Is A Bicycling Paradise

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From slippery asphalt to desert dirt and from leafy suburban parks to stands of towering saguaros, Tucson, Arizona has pretty much anything a cyclist could want in terms of conditions and views.

Hundreds of miles of trails – both paved for a flat, level road and rough and steep for an exhilarating mountain bike ride – crisscross and surround the southern Arizona community.

In fact, the quality and variety of Tucson’s bike trails make the city consistently high on the lists of the Best Places to Bike in the United States. In early 2021, the popular Chuck Huckelberry Loop in Tucson was named the country’s most popular recreational bike path by USA Today.

Hailing the city’s famed sunny weather, rugged mountain ranges, and pristine, paved trails, visit Tucson tourism website says, “It’s no wonder Tucson is consistently ranked one of the top US cycling cities.”

For me, there is no more comfortable way to get around the busy city than getting on a bike and riding the super smooth, paved paths and using the convenient underpasses to avoid car traffic along the way.

Based on my experience of Tucson’s trails and information from the community’s tourism website, here are five reasons Tucson is a cyclist’s paradise.

1. You can get almost anywhere by bike

Tucson, home to the sprawling University of Arizona campus, is a natural place for cycling. And practically anywhere in the city, you will likely see people on their bikes – on leisurely trips with their families, or on the way to work or class.

The variety of trail surfaces ensures that almost everyone can find the right cycling experience. Given the myriad of options for both mountain bikes and road cyclists, Visit Tucson notes that “Riders of All Levels Can Easily Find Their Solution”.

In 2018, the city was named one of the top 5 best places to ride a bike in America by the PeopleForBikes website. Among the major cities in the United States, Tucson was number two behind Portland, Oregon. Overall, Tucson was ranked number five behind Fort Collins, Colorado; Wausau, Wisconsin; Boulder, Colorado; and Portland, Oregon. The website defines a great bike city as a place where you want to ride for fun, not just for practical reasons.

Tucson’s trails live up to this standard, offering interconnected routes that easily get cyclists from neighborhood to neighborhood. Not only is the connectivity convenient for locals who can easily commute, but it’s also great for visitors who want to leave their car behind and enjoy the warm desert air.

Cindy Barks

2. It is home to the most popular trail in the US of 2021

A major contributor to the connectivity of Tucson’s hiking trails is the Chuck Huckelberry Loop, a 136-mile system of paved, shared paths and short stretches of buffered bike paths that connect community parks, green paths, trailheads, bus stops, hotels, restaurants and schools. Shopping and entertainment options.

Along the way, the network also connects the communities of Tucson, Marana, Oro Valley, and South Tucson.

The paved path offers dozens of access points throughout the metro area. It not only offers space for bicycles, but also for hikers, runners, skaters and riders. The Loop is also the site of annual cycling events such as Loop the Loop, which opens the El Tour de Tucson season in September.

In February 2021, USA Today announced its 10 best awards of the year and the Chuck Huckelberry Loop was listed as the country’s number one recreational trail.

The loop consists of a number of shorter trail sections. Alone or in combination with other loop sections, some of these shorter trails are worth a visit.

Cindy Barks

Santa Cruz River Park Trail

Along the route of the Santa Cruz River, the 42-mile Santa Cruz River Park Trail runs through a number of scenic parks and neighborhoods, including El Rio Park, Christopher Columbus Park, the pretty area around Silverbell Lake, and El Paseo de los Arboles Commemorative Park.

The trail was built with flood protection after the Santa Cruz River flooded nearby communities in the early 1980s. Today the paths that run on both sides of the mostly dry river bed are used both for flood protection and for recreational purposes.

Cindy Barks

The Santa Cruz River Park Trail also includes part of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, a system that follows a historical route de Anza took in 1775 on his journey to build a fort in California’s San Francisco Bay.

Cañada Del Oro River Park Trail

Known for its sweeping views of the nearby Santa Catalina Mountains, the Cañada del Oro River Park Trail runs 11 miles through the northern suburbs of Tucson, Marana, and Oro Valley.

On its route, the path leads past commercial shopping centers and the Northwest Campus of Pima Community College.

Part of the trail is named Christina-Taylor Green Memorial River Park in honor of one of the victims of the January 2011 shooting at a Congress on Your Corner event hosted by Congressman Gabrielle Giffords. Park improvements include a shaded spot, a bronze statue surrounded by a butterfly garden, botanical trails, benches, and a butterfly sculpture.

Cindy Barks

Rillito River Park Trail

The paved Rillito River Park Trail runs nearly 22 miles along either side of the river of the same name. The trail that connects to the Santa Cruz River Park Trail is a magnet for families looking for an easy ride on the mostly flat stretch.

The trail passes a number of shops and restaurants, making it a convenient route for a longer outing. The Rillito River Park Trail also features regular stops with drinking fountains, toilets, and exercise stations.

Julian Wash Greenway

Showcasing the natural features of the Sonoran Desert, the Julian Wash Greenway extends 18 miles from the Santa Cruz River Park Trail near South Tucson to the southeast corner of the city.

On the way, the path offers views of the distant mountain ranges and the desert terrain. It connects to several parks, including the Julian Wash Archaeological Park, which tells the story of the Hohokam people who once lived in the area.

For a large part of its route, the Julian Wash Greenway is accompanied by a path with soft ground for riders and joggers.

3. Bike rentals in abundance

For those looking for a quick and easy route to Tucson’s hiking trails, Tugo Bike Share has 330 bikes at 41 stations in 13 of the neighborhoods.

Bike rentals are a fun, flexible, and inexpensive way to get around the city, whether you’re commuting, running errands, or sightseeing. The system offers rentals for one-way trips, full days or unlimited 3-hour trips within 24 hours.

4. The mountains make for breathtaking single-track rides

Street biking isn’t the only cycling option in the Tucson area. With its nearby ring of rugged mountains and the legendary Saguaro National Park, Tucson has many rugged single trails that regularly attract hordes of mountain bikers.

The Mountain Biking Project recommends 25 routes in the Tucson area, including the Honeybee Canyon Loop, a route recommended for beginners because of its relatively smooth surface; the Sweetwater Trail System, which includes a series of loops of varying difficulty through classic desert terrain; and the Golder Ranch Trail System, an 11.1 mile moderate to difficult route that includes steep sections and sharp turns.

5. You can ride (almost) all year round

With more than 350 days of sunshine a year, Tucson is widely recognized as one of the sunniest cities in the United States, and Visit Tucson stresses this point, noting that “the community’s seemingly endless sun supply means you will almost certainly have beautiful dry roads.” Travel.”

Of course, with all that sunshine, there comes pretty intense heat in the summer months. While you could technically ride a bike in June, July, and August – and some people do – temperatures in excess of 100 degrees can be dangerous and uncomfortable. Nevertheless, there is still a lot of great cycling weather in autumn, winter and spring.

Pro tips

Desert dwellers know that the best time to exercise outdoors is in the early morning and evening hours during the hot summer months. While Tucson’s average highs climb to 100 degrees in June and July and the mid-to-high 90s in August and September, the average minimum temperatures drop to a more comfortable 70-degree range during the summer months.

Tucson, Arizona’s second largest city, is about 115 miles southeast of Phoenix. Flights are available at either Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport or Tucson International Airport.

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