The Loop - Tucson

In this episode, The Huckleberry Loop . . .

Last week we spoke about a BIG world just waiting to be explored. Well, Christmas week 2021, we extended our exploration while planning for 2022. We loaded up our truck for some vacation time and headed for Tucson, AZ.

"Why Tucson?" you ask?

The Huckleberry Loop, of course.

The Chuck Huckleberry Loop is a system of paved, shared-use paths and short segments of bicycle (bike) lanes connecting the Cañada del Oro, Rillito, Santa Cruz, and Pantano River Parks with Julian Wash and Harrison Road Greenway in Tucson. It totals about 137 miles of beautifully paved pathways. The Loop stretches more than 45 miles north to south and almost 30 miles east to west. Some 70% of the Loop directly follows the banks of five significant watersheds that dominate the Tucson Valley.

Since the late 1980s, Tucson has been building this series of bicycle trails in conjunction with flood control waterways that circumnavigate the city.

"The Loop" (as it's known) became a reality in January of 2018 when Pima County, AZ. completed a connection of five of the six Loop trail sections that form an elongated circle around the city of Tucson.

It's a 53.9-mile circuit, and completing it in one day is known to the locals as "Looping the Loop." According to local author and bicyclist of the book The Loop - Americas #1 Recreational Trail, "Doing so requires a little local knowledge since it requires crossing back and forth across riverbeds several times to avoid backtracking."

We stayed at the Hilton Homewood Suites off North Campbell. It has a large parking lot with a friendly local Pedego bicycle shop and direct access to the trail. The staff there will be happy to provide you with maps and advice on avoiding backtracking while completing the Loop.

The Loop extends through unincorporated Pima County, Marana, Oro Valley, Tucson, and South Tucson. The connections result from Pima County's cooperative partnerships with these jurisdictions.

This network of trails connects public parks, hiking trailheads, bus and bike routes, workplaces, restaurants, schools, hotels and motels, shopping areas, and entertainment venues. Visitors and Pima County residents can enjoy the Loop on foot, bikes, skates, and horses.

There is one section, as of 2021, not yet completed, a 1.3-mile segment of surface streets with a wide bike lane along Rita Road.

We completed the 54 miles "Loop the Loop" in about 5 hours. As you cruise the pristine pavement, you may come upon an electric golf cart; these are friendly maintenance crew members that keep debris off the trail, the restrooms clean, and are always willing to answer questions you may have along the way. We thoroughly recommend it to anyone. What a wonderful experience.

So, get out there and explore!

I'm Patrick Ball; thanks for listening; I'll see you in the next episode.

Comments

Don Hanley said…

Good essay and I wish I had known about these kind of trails years ago. Would you and Lori have invited a couple of teens you knew join you and do you think they would enjoy it? Thanks, Don Hanley

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