La Milagrosa Trail Coronado National Forest Santa Catalina Mountains Tucson, Arizona Distance: 9+ miles Type: out and back Time: depends on distance Season: not summer Elevation Range: depends on distance Permit Required: Catalina Mountains or Madera Canyon pass if you park at Molino Basin Quick Rating: grin and bear it Revised 2/22/08

Description

La Milagrosa Trail has lived in obscurity for many years, probably due to the difficulty in finding it and getting access to it. Depending on who you talk to at the Santa Catalina Ranger Station, it isn't even recognized as a trail by the Forest Service. Fortunately, access to the trail has been assured by prudent Pima County land purchases.

Trail Access

Pima County NRPR has the official word on area access.

Mountain Biking

The out-and-back ride is by far the most technically challenging. If you don't like to push yourself with long hard climbs, stay away. Steep, loose, and almost continuous climbing require a high level of physical conditioning and riding skill. Toss in the desert heat, exposed ridges, and rough trail and you've got a potentially miserable ride if you're not prepared. The good news is you can turn around at any time for a downhill ride back. But don't let that fool you into thinking it will be an easy ride down.

Most riders bypass the challenging climb and take the mostly downhill route. If you leave one car at La Milagrosa trail access and take another up to Molino Basin, the Arizona Trail east will take you past the upper end of the La Milagrosa trail. Note that if you park at Molino Basin you will need a Catalina Mountains or Madera Canyon pass. The shuttle ride is not recommended unless you're familiar with the trail. It's easy to make wrong turns when you leave National Forest and end up lost on private land.

A variation on the shuttle ride turns it into a loop. Park at La Milagrosa or a turnoff on the Catalina Highway, bike up the highway to Molino Basin, and take the Arizona Trail east to La Milagrosa Trail. As with the shuttle ride, the loop is not recommended unless you're familiar with the trail.

Notes

Start early to avoid traffic and heat on the trail. The ridge offers very little shade.

Practice trail courtesy and yield the trail. Trails are shared by many users so be courteous and yield the trail. Everyone yields to horses, including hikers. Mountain bikers yield the trail to everyone. Descending riders yield the trail to ascending riders. One argument for closing trails to mountain biking has been the 'get outta my way' attitude of a very small minority of riders. Don't be one of them.

Riders watch your speed on descents. There are many blind curves, often without any safe bail-out. You don't want to fly off a cliff, hit someone, startle a horse, or cause unnecessary trail damage by skidding. Ride under control.