Intermediate Overnighter to Ironwood with Campfire Cycling in Tuscon, AZ

We’re headed to Ironwood national forest to do the Ironwood loop. Route is 48 miles with 1600 feet of climbing, but don’t let those numbers fool you, there is some sand and chonk that make for some nice longish days of riding.

This trip does have some challenges to it. We’ll call it intermediate level and not advisable as a first time bikepacking trip due to some of the rocky and sandy sections that add a challenge as well as the need to carry most of your water and all your food.

The terrain is mostly gravel roads with some rough and sandy sections. We recommend a minimum of 50mm tires but bigger tires will get you though the sand easier and add plush to the chunk

We’ll be riding to about mile 22 to camp the first night just before the gate. We will be right next Cocoraque Butte (the O’odham name is Shontok) Petroglyph site (1 mile out and bike hike). Plan on carrying about 4-6 litres of water per day, there are few cow tanks that can be filtered from as well as a potential cache spot a mile 30.

Read about what to expect here: https://bikepacking.com/routes/ironwood-overnighter/

We will be self-supported and do not have plans for a sag wagon to join us. There is a good place to cache water at the Ironwood National Monument Trailhead (Mile 30). There will not be water at camp however there is water available about mile 6, 9, 10, 12 and 40 in cow troughs you can filter from. We recommend carrying 4 to 6 liters of water per day if you don’t plan on filtering or want to do a cache for the 2nd day.

We will be contacting everyone who signs up for the ride to make sure they are prepared for the ride.

We will be parking our cars and meeting at the start of the route at the Titan II Missile interpretive site (The beginning and end of the route). We will be rolling at 9am.

Here’s a suggested pack list 🙂

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