We have been busy, busy, busy with family these last couple weeks. Derek and I went riding with my brother-in-law and nephew one day. My nephew, Cameron, rode two loops with us out at Fantasy Island which made it his longest ride to date. I was so proud of him! It’s hard to remember what it was like when you just got in to mountain biking. I remember my first “realish” mountain bike was a bright purple Haro Vector back when I was in college. Anyway, it was fun to see him out twisting and turning around the desert singletrack.
Bug Springs and Molina Basin/Prison Camp
Derek, my brother in law Dan, and I did a great mountain bike loop up on the lower slopes of Mt. Lemmon. We started at Molina Basin Campground and rode up the highway 7 miles or so to Bug Springs Trail. The trail starts with a pretty serious hike-a-bike for 15 minutes or so. You are pushing, sometimes carrying your bike up water bar steps. Once we got to the top of the ridge the trail got seriously fun…and sometimes scary. The highpoint of this ride is up on the ridge after our hike around 6300′ and then the trail drops to 4320′. There are a couple of very technical sections on this trail, but for the most part it’s aggressive cross country riding and very fun.
We crossed the highway and continued past Prison Camp back on Molina Basin Trail back to our car. This section wasn’t as difficult as Bug Springs and was a great finish to the loop. The area was the site of a World War II Japanese Internment Camp. The Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site is named after Gordon Hirabayashi, who defyed internment orders and was convicted in 1943 of violating one of the civilian exclusion orders against Japanese Americans when he refused to go along with the government “relocation”. He was sentenced to 90 days at the prison. In 1987, Hirabayashi’s case was overturned. A federal commission determined that the internment had been motivated by racial prejudice and wartime hysteria.
Starr/Yetman Pass
Starr Yetman is a giant riding area here in Tucson that we really like. The trails are a bit more technical and rocky, with lots of different loop opportunities. Derek and I rode out here a couple days, putting together different routes. One day was 18 miles with 1,787 of climbing, and the other was 17 miles with 1,363 of climbing. The trails are engaging because you’re constantly on the lookout for cactus and negotiating rocky sections. I really like Little Cat Trail, Rock Wren, Yetman Trail. We rode every single trail out there! We even gave it ago on Boulder Belt Trail and Flight Path but Flight Path was a little too much. I probably walked half and rode half of that trail.
Honeybee Ridgeline Loop
When we were in Tucson last spring we rode this loop and really liked it, so we rode it again! It’s one of the longer routes we’ve done here at 30 miles with 2,761′ of climbing. The loop starts with easy trail to warm up and then ratchets up to black diamond. The ridgeline loop at the top is beautifully built and there was nobody out there. You forget there is a giant city up and over the ridge until you get a good view of it. We’ll be back out here for sure.
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