telecaster

Hey, thanks for reading...I'm a newbie bike tourer who has the week off between Christmas and New years. I'm thinking of flying to Southern Arizona..like Tucson...and getting 7 or 8 days of touring in. I can't decide if trying to make it to El Paso is a doable in that time? Is there a fun route that starts and ends in Tucson? I'm a pretty strong rider, but have only done 60 mile days on a mountain bike/touring setup for a few days. I bought a Surly LH and can't wait to use it! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Dave

MNBikeguy

The Southern Tier runs through southern AZ. You might start with those maps and modify your route based on your time, load, and experience.
https://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/southerntier.cfm

mev

I haven't ridden Tucson to El Paso, but did ride from Phoenix to El Paso in 6 days in 2001. The adventure cycling southern tier goes from Tempe to El Paso over 545 miles and has a set of route maps. From Silver City, I instead went via Deming to El Paso and have ~413 miles recorded over 6 days of cycling, so definitely possible for a moderate rider. Even in March, I had chilly temperatures so could be a bit colder in the higher desert areas. As an example, following is a climate page for Silver City, NM: https://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?nmsilv suggesting average lows of 25F in December/January and occasional snow during those times.

Looking a bit further south from Tucson, one can go to Google maps and ask for a route from there to El Paso and request "walking" and get a possible idea that might keep you off I-10 (*). A big question for me would be making sure NM-9 was paved all the way and what sort of elevations it goes through. I-10 would be possible to ride, but not the most pleasant with noisy high speed traffic and occasionally lots of little wires from disintegrated truck tires - so I wouldn't choose to ride it by default.

My plan over Christmas is also to take a bicycle tour, though a little further east. Plan is to start in Brownsville, Texas and then cycle northbound to Dallas or so. Some other alternatives I've also done in past Christmas breaks include organized rides with San Diego Youth Hostels (https://www.mvermeulen.com/sandiego2003/index.html) which is a fun ride and Gator Hell Week (https://www.mvermeulen.com/gator/index.html). These suggest to me that occasionally you'll get a strong cold streak but otherwise CA and FL might be other winter touring possibilities in the US.

positron

I might be there at the same time, riding around the southeastern part of the state. Dont know how long i will have, but there are loop possibilities of varying lengths depending. Look around cochise stronghold, chiracauha mountains and bisbee areas. All very nice. I grew up in Tucson, and the SE bit of the state is very pretty. Im thinking a couple weeks, on and off road, but mostly on.

maybe jim malusa has ideas, since he is based in Tucson now.

telecaster

allright...thank you for all the cool info. I'll check out some more maps. Texas is a good idea too...I'll keep studying and hope you have a great ride!

telecaster

Thank you too, Positron. Maybe I'll se ya down there?

IntoThickAir

Dear Dave (the 'newbie'),

I've no idea of your tolerance for cold, but like many a Tucson man I like to keep a saguaro cactus in sight during the winter. They only live where the temp gets above freezing during the day.

Yes, it can get cold in Arizona. Southeast Arizona is great riding, but too high (for me) during the winter. As for New Mexico and the Southern Tier, you'll find snow in the 6000 foot passes. You should start in Tucson and head west, making a loop through the cactus desert. Get a map and see how this roughly 300-400 mile loop looks:

West on Highway 86 out of Tucson through the Tohono Oodam Reservation, via Sells, to Why, where you turn north on 85, which takes you through Ajo and up to Gila Bend. From here you have two options: (1) take the road to Maricopa (I can't recall the name of the road, but it's a little-used two lane blacktop), then cut through the farmlands and head for Casa Grande, Arizona City, Friendly Corners, and out to I-10 at Red Rock. Here you'll have to use the frontage road along the interstate for a while, but it's only ten miles or so until you get to Marana and cut west again, finding the way to Saguaro National Park, and ultimately returning to Tucson via Gates Pass (steep but short).

Or (2) you can lengthen your trip a bit, and at Gila Bend take old 85 (not the new one, which is big and busy) along the remains of the Gila River up to Arlington-Buckeye-Laveen, until you catch South 51st Ave (you're near Phoenix now) to Baseline Road and Maricopa Road and the town of Maricopa. From here you simply follow the directions I gave above (assuming you have a good map.)

What will you find? Cowboys and Indians. Road-killed rattlers and fabulous forests of saguaros. Industrial farms and valleys of creosote bush and nothing more. Just enough towns to fill your bottles with water and panniers with food. Little traffic, with the exception of weekenders from Tucson and Phoenix to Puerto Penasco, Sonora. You have the option, too, of a 80 mile (round trip) excursion from Why to the international frontier at Sonoyta, Mexico. You'll need your passport (or, still accepted, driver's license and birth certificate) to return to the U.S., however.

I rode and described much of this route in my book, Into Thick Air, if you'd like a preview. As for myself, I always like a surprise, and like to travel semi-informed, not quite sure what's around the next bend. It's easier to be happy with few expectations. Of course it's nice to know where there's food and water. If the route catches your fancy, write again and I'll give you more detail. (On the other hand, you can always just ask as you ride: where's the next store?)

Oh, the places you'll go!

Yours,

wheel

Elevation is the key.
I got socked in a snow storm at 7500 feet in the end of May. I had a three season tent in 20 degree weather at night.

That being said I went to Prescott during January had a nice toasty fire with no tent.

As a back up you can catch greyhound they always run buses back and forth to El P.

Doing my Tempe to Tucson loop on turkey day weekend. 240 miles in four days.
construction found here 511az.com
I would take I 10 outside Tucson to El Pa

Personally I would bring winter gear and head for some hills Payson, Safford, Prescott, Flagstaff

joluma09

i live in tucson and i like the white mountains and all the trials in flagstaff...

lighthorse

The Southern Tier doesn't go anywhere near Tuscon.

telecaster

Hey man....I've been reading your book lately....how cool to hear from the Author!
dId you eat some of the Kangaroo road kill that was peeking from under the blanket on the floorboards of your ride in Australia?
Lately, all I want to do is take off on my bike...but, find it hard to get the time off to do it. I like knowing that people like you are out there.
Thanks for taking the time to give me loop directions...I just may ride those routes.

Dave

telecaster

Thanks to all of you for answering...the wheels in my head are spinning.

telecaster

Hi Wheel,

Hey, are you going to ride East or West of I-10 on the way down to Tucson? Is there much climbing on your loop?

telecaster

Hey, you're right Lighthorse. Ha, I got Tucson and Phoenix mixed up...

wheel

My Turkey route down to Tucson 1000 feet up
https://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path...son-Tempe-US60


and the suggested I 10 route to Phoenix no hills watch the cross wind. lose 1000
https://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Tempe-to-Tucson
keep in mind the perspective on both maps.

Note I10 Phoenix to Tucson is no bicycling. I take the old I10 now a frontage road very low traffic if any.


Well Phoenix 7 days try this route.
https://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Scottsdale-Globe
you can expand and ride in to globe and head down to Oracle then either come back my turkey route 79 or head into Tucson.
That should be a good seven days worth of riding.
elevation around 1,000 to 4,000
Here is my log of this route.
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...28&highlight=3

zonatandem

A few years ago did ride I-10 between Phoenix/Tucson. From Casa Granda area to Tangerine Rd in Tucson.
State trooper pulled me over and gave me a lecture. I pointed out that Frontage Road by Picacho (where I was stopped) had been freshly graveled and there was no way to ride it with my skinny tires and not get numerous punctures. Pointed out that I-10 shoulder was my only alternative unless he wanted to give a ride past the mess.
He let me go and said 'be safe'.
You can ride numerous loops in Tucson area including to Sonoita, Tombstone, Bisbee, Green Valley, Amado, Nogales and Sierra Vista. Be aware that Bisbee is at 1 mile elevation and that area can get a dusting of snow and colder (freezing) night temps.
You can also ride north on Hwy 77 from Tucson and go to Catalina, Oracle (and Biosphere II), Winkelman and Globe/Miami and do a loop to Superior and Florence back to Tucson. Some hillwork involved in all these rides.
These areas are a bit more scenic than heading for El Paso.
Enjoy your stay!
Pedal on!
Rudy/zonatandem

The Figment

Tucson>Tubac>Nogales>Patagonia>Sierra Vista>Bisbee>Tombstone>Wilcox>Tucson.

Elephant Butte has some really nice fireroad/singletrack...