Riding the Tucson Arizona Desert | First Impressions

In an attempt to escape the claws of winter back home in Canada, Tom Bradshaw and Christina Chappetta headed south to the desert of Arizona for some warmth and sunshine. Little did they know, they'd encounter a healthy dose of cactus along the way, but also enjoy some amazing mountain bike trails and views, thanks to a helpful shuttle from Homegrown MTB.
Presented by: Visit Tucson - www.visittucson.org/things-to...
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[@johnpahl3555]

You guys are really hitting on my favorite part of mtn biking. Anywhere you go there’s so much to explore and it’s all so different. Even if you don’t always find the greatest trail, the stoke of the adventure is always high!

[@pinkbike]

For sure! Coming from British Columbia, we LOVE riding different stuff. Keeps us honest on the bikes and always intrigued -Christina

[@desertromper]

Tucson has tons of awesome trails

[@miker3131]

If you guys come back through Tucson you should consider 50 year trail. And of course mount Lemmon. It has the best (only true) DH you’ll find in Tucson 50 year is definitely one of the most popular. And some of the most beautiful views in town imo besides the mountain of course.

[@johncostello7993]

I agree. 50 year upper loop and Bug Springs on Mt. Lemmon. Two best trails in Tucson. Would also make a great video.

[@miker3131]

@@johncostello7993 definitely 2 of my favorite. I really loved aspen draw and milli too. Really miss Tucson riding 😞. Had to move in August.

[@hardtailparty]

x2

[@tayloru8282]

50 Year trail is the business!! Agreed on needing to visit it.

[@michaelsteven1090]

@@miker3131 do I need a big hit bike?

[@creepingjesus5106]

Any chance when you're doing more touristy stuff like this, you could have a quick overview of local bike rental and wild camping, please? Just relative price, choice, availability would do, cos I'm sure I'm not the only one who would appreciate that kinda little heads up.

[@pinkbike]

Love this idea for sure!. With this specific series, First Impressions, we keep it pretty straight forward with our riding. Make sure to check out the Destination Showcase pieces for a bit more info on the areas -Christina

[@horusman1]

That "road" you were on that was sandy was actually a dry wash. Basically a river when it rains, but otherwise sandy paths. Looks like fun.

[@JK-dh1mc]

Glad you guys enjoyed biking my home town!

[@christoingram]

This just makes me want to ride. Job well done folks!

[@vwmk5gtiblk]

Suns out guns out Christina 🤙🏻🤣

[@kmanglass427]

Rock on! LOVING seeing yall riding in my neck of the woods!

[@SGT2603]

Hey again. I would like to say i finally got my Meta and you were right. Worth the wait. Wow that bike can climb. And a blast down the fun stuff. And great video as always 🤘

[@ginothecat]

Cool you all came to my hometown! I love the Pinkbike channel and can't wait for the next season of Pink Bike Academy!

[@fgauer1]

You guys ride well! Thanks for showing some Tucson trails. We like to get down there once in a while. Truly great riding.

[@DrShredder]

Y’all were vibin’ love it!

[@mtbrallday3209]

Gotta come to Phoenix. We have just as many great options for trails. Desert mtbing definitely makes you pay attention to the trail more so you don’t fall into stuff. Thanks for coming out to AZ tho

[@fredrickgeorga7262]

You guys need to come on up to flagstaff

[@pinkbike]

Agreed! We drove through on the way to the Grand Canyon haha but it was quite cold still! -Christina

[@fredrickgeorga7262]

Yeah that kinda how it works up here haha

[@onetimer100]

"Old, sandy dirt roads like this", lol. Glad you two had a good time. Lot's of diverse riding in AZ and that feeling of being alone in the wilderness is something to cherish.. It's a 'wash' btw. Floods heavily during storms, otherwise there are dry. Thanks for posting!

[@michaelcary7580]

Get to flagstaff Arizona!!! Trails are drying out

[@dustybricks113]

Welcome to my backyard. The trails around Tucson are fun to explore and enjoy on bike or by foot.

[@sixty2612]

Lmao was that Art driving you guys up in the RZR? Also can’t believe you skipped Milagrosa! Still cool to see all trails I’ve built/maintained/ridden on this channel.

[@nativealien1859]

I was there this morning! Nice

[@cedricclark1461]

That looks like some Awesome Gnarl.

[@FatalCrest6]

Wow I was just there yesterday! Flew in from Oregon.

[@terryfales3371]

Tucson is amazing. I live in the city, Eastside, and love being able to ride almost daily and year round. Also, at 3:50 , that's called a wash, it's for the rainwater when we actually get some..

[@michaelsteven1090]

Thinking of moving there from the east coast..is the hot weather unbearable? (I hate NY for the cold weather)

[@jhuizar70]

Checm out the Hawes trail system in Mesa, its famous around here 🤟

[@WeslarWaven]

Hawes is where it's at, family lives right at the top next to Lower Gidro, so I get to leave and ride right out of the house down there.

[@jhuizar70]

@@WeslarWaven I'm hoping to get a house around there for the sole reason to be near Hawes and Usery 😅

[@ftt9377]

Hit that Milagrosa Trail 🤙🏽🤙🏽

[@daltonzanetti]

You guys didn't get to try any of the really good trails around Tucson. If you kept on the Bellota trail you would have gotten onto La Milagrosa which is definitely one of the best trails on the whole Lemmon drop that would bring you all the way back to Tucson. Bellota and Starr Pass are definitely more cross country oriented compared to everything else on Mt. Lemmon. Next time you guys come down, pick any of the following trails and you'll have a way more fun time: Upper 50 Year and Middlegate, Aspen Draw, Incinerator Ridge, Green Mountain, Bug Springs, Prison Camp (aka Molino Basin), and La Miligrosa.

[@sgallo00]

Why didn't you show the La Milagrosa section of the first ride? That's where all the good DH is.

[@anthonyscuderi9931]

Gotta check out browns ranch in Scottsdale, place is awesome!! Oh and the cute fuzzy cacti are the worst lol

[@mtbrallday3209]

My trails too

[@desert-walker]

Well it’s 90° here in Tucson right now last thing I’m gonna do is mountain biking LOL

[@djbayr9516]

If you're ever in South Africa, you should check out Thaba Trails. The trail you just did reminded me so much of it!

[@JodyM2]

I believe you fond the best way to Mt. Bike in Tucson! With TORCA!

[@larsthorderson423]

Whitefish, MT next?

[@89yjrj]

Next time y'all head to Tucson you should check out my neck of the woods in Sierra Vista which is around 70 miles away. We have a couple of fun trails down here. Looks like y'all had fun. Great video!

[@NYskyHI]

Is there any downhill in SV like Mt lemon?

[@89yjrj]

@@NYskyHI The one place we do have here it's about 2 miles of downhill. It doesn't have the exposure of some of the trails in Tucson. I have a video of it on my KZbin channel if you want to see how it is.

[@NYskyHI]

@@89yjrj is that Brown Canyon road? Looks like fun

[@89yjrj]

@@NYskyHI The video was shot from the end of Brown Canyon Road and headed down Brown Canyon Trail. It's a local favorite down here and a lot of fun. The two way to do it are an up and back from the ranch house or to do the loop from the ranch house to Brown Canyon Road

[@blairburton1234]

There are better segments of AZT. Def go back and shuttle the Reavis DH East of Phoenix. The Picket Post segment just south of that is awesome cx riding too. Tucson: La Milagrosa/Lemon Drop any of that stuff. Catalina State Park is fun too.

[@mogulmayhem]

What kind of sunscreen do you recommend for Tucson?

[@travisstumpf6387]

come to Phoenix to ride south mountain and hawes!

[@Nullking_]

You got to come rip some of SoCals trails. Santa Barbara, Ventura county, Orange County, Temecula. A bunch of trail areas

[@pinkbike]

Agreed! We saw a ton of folks from that region while in Tucson surprisingly -Christina

[@Nullking_]

@@pinkbike if you ever hit Santa Barbara, hit up David from sage trail alliance. He is one of the trail builders for the area and is a dope rider. Just get ready for a 3000ft climb and descent.

[@dannyleonidas4328]

What kind of bike is best for these kind of trails, xc?

[@GreatCreative]

My kind of riding! I've always wondered why, since Pinkbike owns TrailForks, you don't post the map of the ride, or have it in the corner of the screen showing progress. Would be a great bit of info for viewers who want to check out the rides/routes.

[@KevinMcAfee]

Believe it or not, it's not a road! It's an arroyo - a wash basically

[@mellissanash7517]

Pink Bike should bikepack/mtb ride Catalina Island, which is legal with the right permits.

[@lennythecat2790]

Gotta ride South Mountain in Phoenix

[@krachlavitch]

Fr, I ride SOMO at least 2 times a week. They should have shuttled Mt Lemmon or done 50 year in Tucson

[@pinkbike]

OOOOO only so much time!! We'll be back for those gems for sure -Christina

[@bracket0398]

FINS on the West side of Phoenix, in Goodyear, is a nice little strap for a half day of fun. Estrella Mtn Regional Park has a nice layout as well. Beautiful park out yonder bout 15 minutes from where FINS is. Then try the Cat Hill Trail climb to Top of Scar!

[@kornofilo]

Looks like the land of permanent anti grip, kinda reminds me my local trails in the mountains with lots of volcanic rock here in Panama.

[@pinkbike]

It did have a "volcanic" vibe at time. Good practice for me, who loves wet roots and rocks -Christina

[@sixty2612]

Very true we have less grip here than anywhere else I’ve been

[@Couldever]

SoCal needs to be on the list, ya’ll! Reaaaaaally fun stuff over here.

[@pinkbike]

I agree! Maybe a fall trip...not the biggest fan of the heat -Christina

[@Eltoca21]

Wait what... and you did not see a rattlesnake lol! Yeah AZ riding can be a pedal fest. Sure you can get unmatched little dh sections (see South Mountain in Phoenix for trails like Geronimo, Devastator, Corona de Loma, West Side etc... oh and of course Sedona), but you're always left wondering if the juice is worth the squeeze for these short dh bit size beauties.

[@pinkbike]

It was all fun for us. We love mixing up the riding and seeing something different. No snakes, surprisingly, but we'll be back for Phoenix for sure. -Christina

[@dolphin-studio]

When are you going to come to Sonora? It's only 4 hours away from tucson by car just head to Hermosillo the capital, I can give you the tour for free.

[@JodyM2]

400 Miles of unpaved trails you can ride a bike on around Tucson. Next time check out Honey Bee & The Tortolita Mountains

[@ChrisSlash]

Hit national trail in Phoenix

[@jonbrown853]

Would you rather collide with a cactus or a tree ?

[@pinkbike]

Having tagged a tree on my ride today, I'd rather collide with it...the cactus are gnarley!!! -Christina

[@dummkompf]

"have a good trot" lmao are you calling her a horse?

[@tweaker_on_a_bike9809]

Did any trailside shits go down? LNT

[@sneakyray9160]

Can I ride with you?

[@jontrammell7377]

I'm certainly grateful to be here in Tucson, as a life-long mountain biker, I find the regional trail offerings to be just spectacular. Just watch out for the road bikers in the region, they are an absolute embarrassment and make all cyclists look bad.

[@alanwrobleski]

I gotta say Arizona forest riding is way better

[@pinkbike]

Where would you recommend for that?! We were technically in a national forest there, which I find fascinating -Christina

[@alanwrobleski]

@@pinkbike i really recommend the fort valley trail system on the san francisco peaks just outside of Flagstaff. Lots of shady pines and tall aspen trees up here, even some ferns too. A bit further south is the highline trail (not the sedona one) under the mogollon rim that is also excellent and has many picturesque flowing streams

[@gundamnit3594]

Lol one of the things I miss most after moving to Tucson - trees.

[@davidgordon9048]

@@pinkbike - hit Sedona on the way up to Flagstaff! Two great days of riding await.

[@davidgordon9048]

In Flagstaff make sure to hit Schultz Creek, Sunset, and maybe Fisher Point.

[@E.T_rode_bikes_As_well]

I miss mike & mike combo…