Sonoran Desert Scouting

Spring 2021 rolled around and I found myself itching to get back on my bike for a little tour. The ongoing pandemic had all but smashed my plans (like everyone else’s) for long tours outside of my home state. The lockdown and stay at home orders prompted Spencer, my partner, to see what he could link up around Tucson. We scouted the first edition of this route together in March 2020 and I found out that scouting can be extremely frustrating. Let’s just say it involved some very steep climbs out of dead ends in the hot desert sun. No thanks. Eventually, the route’s kinks were worked out and the Babad Do’ag Backroads was born.

My friends and I volunteered to be the guinea pigs of this route. It was late March and the temperatures were already climbing to the mid/high 80s during the day. We all packed at least 6 to 8 liters of water per person and most of us decided to cowboy camp (no tent, just a pad and sleeping bag). The route was originally running counterclockwise which would mean a big climb up Reddington pass. None of us wanted to do this climb. It’s steep, there are lots of 4x4s and jeeps that dust you out, and it just wasn’t the way we wanted to start this route. My friend Brittne and I both had to work on the Friday we wanted to start the route, so we decided to meet Monique, Dani and Abbie at the first camp spot along a powerline road. Long story short, darkness descended on us a lot faster than we anticipated and we camped about 2 miles away from our friends. The night was filled with coyote howls, owls hooting their hearts out and a big full moon that gave the saguaros an eerie glow.

In the morning, we watched and waited underneath the sparse and prickly palo verde trees for our friends. Brittne and I wandered a bit and stumbled upon a cattle trough filled with clean water. This is like finding a treasure chest in the desert! We filled our bottles and returned to our posts. We then heard a rumbling in the distance followed by a parade of side by sides cruising down the road. Their Trump and “Biden Sucks” flags whipped in the wind as they sped by us. My eyes rolled out of my head and across the desert. Brittne and I exchanged laughs over the ridiculousness and crossed our fingers our friends would be able to navigate around the caravan of idiots safely.

At around 10am, tiny dots descending the chunky gravel road told me it was time to start hooting and hollering. Our friends had made it! We greeted each other with hugs and high fives. Monique, Dani and Abbie were all in consensus that the control road they had ridden that morning needed to be taken out of the route, because why do unnecessary hard shit if there’s an easier-ish way that’s only adding a couple miles? We all hopped back on our bikes and prepared for the long climb up the backside of Mt. Lemmon to Peppersauce Campground and then Oracle. The climb was grueling as we pedaled past scorched cactus from the fires the previous summer. Green plants were sprinkled in here and there, reminding me that the desert is truly resilient despite the harsh conditions. Some of the valleys were completely untouched by the fire and boasted tall yuccas reaching towards the sky with extended shoots. We stopped every now and then to sit in the shade, sip water and recharge.

We finally reached Peppersauce Campground and raced towards the water spouts on a well earned descent. Peppersauce Campground looks like something out of a fairytale. Trees as tall as houses produce shade for grass and flowers to bloom underneath them. It looks very much out of place in the Sonoran desert, but it is gladly welcomed. The water spigot was not producing water the weekend we decided to go (an investigation by Spencer found that they had not paid their water bill so they had been cut off), so we had to ask some folks for water. After we filled up, we basically flew down the mountain. The sun was setting and turned the mountains surrounding us deep shades of pink and purple just as we reached the AZT. We camped along a sandy wash that night, drinking tea and finding animal bones.

The next morning, we rolled into Oracle and stopped at the Oracle Patio Cafe for food and coffee. I highly recommend any pastries and goodies from this heaven on earth. After eating my weight in pastry and questioning if I would be able to ride the remaining 55 miles, we set off down the highway to get to the Honeybee Loop and then the bike trail leading into town. I don’t think I pedaled a single time on that road. It was 15 miles of the wind in my hair as I sped past wildflowers blooming from the pavement. Honeybee Loop is some of the best singletrack in Tucson that is fully loaded bike friendly. We all had a blast ripping down the little hills and passing some surprised mountain bikers. Once we entered the city limits, we all started breaking off in our own ways to head home. In-n-Out was the only thing keeping my legs moving in circles as I pedaled into my driveway.

If you find yourself down South and anywhere near Tucson with a bicycle, this route is a great way to see the landscape without having to travel too far away from an airport. It has Saguaros, desert critters, chunky gravel and long descents into the sunset. Definitely check out Spencer’s write up on the Radavist for more details and recommendations. Safe riding!