Tucson, AZ: Mountain Biking in Saguaro National Park

Vegetation grows faster than you may expect in the desert. A cool Saturday morning in the National Park was a perfect setting for pruning cactus on the edge of the trail.
The Cactus Forest Trail is considered a wonderful family trail. Many parents take their children for their first off-road bicycling experience on this desert trail. It also brings a smile to the face of riders like Nancy looking for a short outdoor spin.
These volunteer are working on the Tucson portion of the Arizona Trail. They expect to complete their 25-mile section in 2007. With hundreds of volunteers on the roster, up to 80 volunteers show up for trailwork days. On this particular Sunday morning more than 200-hours of trailwork was contributed to build about 1/3-mile long section of trail.
Much of the Arizona Trail is opened to bikes. The newly built sections around Tucson offer a great ride. Mark Flint has a lot to do with it and he's enjoying every foot of the trail.
Watch a video of Saguaro National Park's riding opportunities. (4.8 MB mov file)

Throughout the country more than 40 National Parks offer mountain biking opportunities. Saguaro National Park is one of the few that offers the sinuous singletrack that mountain bikers seek to feel closer with nature. Twelve years ago the 2.5-mile long Cactus Forest Trail in Saguaro National Park was opened to mountain biking. Originally opened to test how mountain bikers would blend with other trail users in the National Park setting, the trail is now determined to be a complete success. Mountain bikers share the trail with hikers and equestrians, and together they enjoy a front country Sonoran Desert experience.

With Tucson's recent population surge, Saguaro National Park is now closer to the urban interface and is experiencing changes in visitation. To balance recreation and preservation the Park is writing a General Management Plan. This plan will guide how the Park manages its resources including the trail system. IMBA will be available to assist the Park in managing mountain biking should they decide to open additional trails to two-wheeled users.

To assist Tucson's present needs, the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew spent a weekend working with the Arizona Trail Association and the Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists on two volunteer trailwork events. Many trail projects are in development in the greater Tucson area. The Arizona Trail, an 800-mile long traverse up and down the state passes through Saguaro National Park and the edges of Tucson. IMBA's Nat and Rachael Lopes joined 45 volunteers in constructing a new section of this lengthy trail. The Crew also teamed with SDMB and the National Park Service in clearing the vegetation corridor along the beautiful Cactus Forest Trail.