Ride Planning. Ride 1

Ride 1: 1 Day Tour of the Catalinas

Mileage: 110 mi

Elevation change: ~5,200 ft

I plan on leaving at around 8:00 A.M. for this ride. Although the elevation change will make this ride a difficult one it will also be a welcomed break from Southern Arizona's intense summer heat. I should be up in the mountains by around 10:00am when the sun is at it's most intense. There's around 24 miles of climbing straight up the Catalina Highway to Summerhaven. I plan on stopping in Summerhaven for some lunch at the convenience store and to refill on water then heading down the backside of the mountain into the city of Oracle. Descending the backside of Mt Lemmon will prove to be challenging as it's 30 miles of downhill down a dirt road. The elevation of Oracle is higher than Tucson's valley as well and I should be able to entirely avoid the mid day heat if I time my ride correctly. From Oracle into Tucson is almost exclusively downhill.

The Catalina Highway is one of the most picturesque roads in the country. Dramatic landscape shifts keep you pushing forward as you climb in elevation. A popular rest point is Windy Point Vista (5,800ft elevation, 18mi up the mountain) as there are restrooms and a beautiful, scenic overlook of Tucson but still no water. You have to climb almost all of the mountain before you reach a water source around Bigelow or Summerhaven.

Liz and I are planning on camping on Incinerator Ridge this weekend and riding from Incinerator Ridge up Ski Valley to the trailhead that leads to Mt. Lemmons Summit and then back to camp at Incinerator Ridge. I'll provide pictures and stories of these two trips once I complete the rides.

My bike comes in tomorrow. More material then.

- Nate