TR - Tucson road trip

[smmokan]

i am probably an intermediate rider and thought honey bee ridgeline was a great ride. I do not know how difficult you want the trails. The ridgeline loop is really well built and offers great riding without the chunk. Honeybee is easy riding but it would be hard not to enjoy the descent down Rail X ranch.

I was looking at that one too, and then potentially adding in the Badlands loop to make it a longer ride.

In that same area, is it worth it to descend Tortuga's Revenge? Looks like fun, but it doesn't get high marks on MTB Project.

[BFD]

I was looking at that one too, and then potentially adding in the Badlands loop to make it a longer ride.

In that same area, is it worth it to descend Tortuga's Revenge? Looks like fun, but it doesn't get high marks on MTB Project.

I rode a few miles of badland. It was pretty easy riding maybe a little narrower than honeybee probably add an hour to the ride. The honeybee ridgeline loop I think is around 35 miles. I was not that tired at the end especially since the return is all easy downhill. I only one rode one trail that was not recommended with high marks and i would agree with that rating. If you added the badlands loop might not be the trail you want at the end of a long ride.
maybe the local bike shop can give better info.

[evdog]

In that same area, is it worth it to descend Tortuga's Revenge? Looks like fun, but it doesn't get high marks on MTB Project.

I wasn't able to ride Badlands a couple weeks ago when I was there. But the pedal over to the Ridgeline connector was very easy. I can't see Badlands being too tiring to include.

That Tortuga's trail looks interesting. Description says "super technical climbing and descending" which could be why it doesn't get a good rating. The recent comments said it is very hard to follow. I'll check it out next time I visit.

If you want a full tour of the area the AZ endurance series Tortolita 50 is going down next weekend, Feb 6. The route looks different from what we did in this TR, going back over the mountains rather than a 15mi pavement pedal back. The descent on Wild Mustang to the west of the Torts is very chunky and fun.

[smmokan]

Just got back from Tucson last night, so I thought I'd update this thread with my ride experience:

Friday's Ride: Wild Burro - Ridgeline - Wild Mustang - Upper Javelina (from Wild Burro TH), ~17 miles, 2600+ vert. Overall, a super cool ride that I'd recommend to anyone that's visiting. Once you get out of the initial canyon (we went up Wild Burro, which was the wrong call since it's mostly HAB for ~3/4 mile), the climb and descent down Ridgeline is pretty flowy and definitely has that "out there" feel. Then when you get back to Wild Mustang and Javelina, the trail gets rowdy, rocky, and janky and is pure awesome. The descent is bad ass with lots of tech moves. We rode it on Friday and didn't see another mountain biker; only a few hikers but virtually no one after we were a mile out from the TH. https://www.strava.com/activities/4740624850

Saturday's Ride: Lemmon Drop w/ Bug Springs - Prison Camp - Milagrosa, 21 miles w/ 1700 vert. An absolute must-do if you're a confident technical descender. The trails are all very different, and each one is awesome in its own way. Be aware- there are a handful of short punchy climbs along with a couple of HABs mixed in, so it's not an easy shuttle ride. We used Home Grown for the shuttle, and it was definitely the way to go- Tara is a super cool person and they run a smooth operation. I will definitely come back to Tucson to ride the entire Lemmon drop if/when it's open after fire rehab. My Strava file includes the last ~4 miles from the bottom of Milagrosa to Le Buzz, where we parked. https://www.strava.com/activities/4746481092

Sunday's Ride: 50 Year Trails, 11 miles w/ 1000 vert. Really cool trail system with lots of awesome features spread throughout (rock rolls, chutes, etc) but in all honesty, I was disappointed compared to the first two rides. Mostly because it was super packed with other hikers and group rides, but also because there aren't any long descents, just lots of short bursts and pedally sections. If you're here during the week and want something different to ride, then I could see spending a few hours. But if your only option is the weekend, I'd avoid. https://www.strava.com/activities/4752319648