Box Canyon and Madera Canyon was a superb mostly gravel ride out by Sonoita, AZ outside Tucson. This out and back ride was 33 miles with 3842′ of climbing.
Our ride began on dirt as we descended into Box Canyon. The recent rains brought water to the canyon and we could hear and see flow the whole way down. It’s a rocky scenic canyon with very little car traffic. After about 11 miles we turned onto Madera Canyon paved road and climbed up to the end. This too is a beautiful ride, though there is no bike lane and very little shoulder on the climb up. Car traffic is light and everyone was very respectful of cyclists. The climb is no joke! It was around 6 miles with 1700′ of climbing with some grades over 10%. We stopped to take some pictures and enjoy the beauty and then bombed back down the hill.
Being an out and back, we knew what we were in for. The climb back up Box Canyon to our car wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be and went fast. There is just so much to see on the climb. I will say that there are a couple short pretty rough sections of washboard gravel along the way, but nothing my skinny cyclocross tires couldn’t handle.
Hudbay Minerals, Inc. wants to dig an open-pit Rosemont Mine, a process plant, and dump waste rock and tailings in the area. Lawsuits, court orders, work stoppage… I hope it doesn’t ultimately happen because this area is special. The Santa Rita Mountains are one of Arizona’s most biodiverse regions, with flora and fauna endemic to the Southwest. Undulating mountain ranges frame a desert floor spotted with cactus.
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