Lemmon Drop route

Name: Lemmon Drop
Address: Tucson, AZ
Rating: 3.6

near Tucson, AZ

31.0 miles

Distance

3,652 ft

Climb

-9,953 ft

Descent

2 miles

High Point

-6,301 ft

Altitude change

2,790 ft

Altitude min

9,091 ft

Altitude start

2,789 ft

Altitude end

-3.9%

Grade

-59.8%

Grade max

71.2%

Grade min

9 miles

Distance climb

20 miles

Distance down

2 miles

Distance flat

This is a very hard route and a GPS is highly recommended. There are a few off shoot trails that could lead you to lost places in the woods and some trails are not well marked.

This is it, the real deal, the full Lemmon Drop. Its a 35mile punch in the face that will leave you smiling. It will require all the skills you have acquired on and off the bike to complete. Its one of the chunkiest hardest rides in the United States and your only relief from the chunk is a small climb up a linking jeep road at 7000ft after that its back on again. This trail starts at the very top of Mt Lemmon and finishes at the very bottom its roughly 10000ft of descending. You will ride thru multiple climate zones so choose the time of year you do it wisely. Temps in the summer at the bottom are 100+ degrees and the top is closed for a portion of winter. I would say Oct/Nov & March/April are ideal. Usually we do a supply drop somewhere around the Bug Spring/Prison Camp area. Generally a group ride takes 8+hrs but fast guys can wrap a run up in 4.5hrs.

Detailed Description

Lemmon Drop is a 31 mile popular expert route located near Tucson Arizona. This mountain bike only route and has a extreme overall physical rating. This route includes 13 trails. This route climbs 3,652 ft with a max elevation of 9,091 ft then descends -9,953 ft.

Trail Issues on Route

Minor Issue / Yellow: 5 trails (newest: Apr 20, 2026)

Route Supporters

Tucson Off-road Cyclists and Activists

Local Trail Association

Tucson Off-road Cyclists and Activists (torca.org)

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Stats

Distance

31 miles
Avg time

9 hr 12 min
Altitude change

-6,301 ft
Altitude min

2,790 ft
Altitude start

9,091 ft
Altitude end

2,789 ft
Climb

3,652 ft
Descent

-9,953 ft
Grade

-3.9%
Grade max

-59.8%
Grade min

71.2%
Distance climb

9 miles
Distance down

20 miles
Distance flat

2 miles

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Trails in Route

	Aspen Meadow				509 ft
	Aspen Draw				1,207 ft
	Aspen Draw				2 miles
	AZT/BP - Sunset Trail				3 miles
	Bigelow				1,358 ft
	AZT/BP - Incinerator Ridge #18A				2 miles
	AZT/BP - Green Mountain #21				4 miles
	AZT/BP - Bug Springs #10				5 miles
	AZT - Molino Basin				2 miles
	AZT - Bellota				3 miles
	La Milagrosa				4 miles

Details

Riding area

Pusch Ridge Wilderness
Primary Activity

Mountain Bike
Difficulty rating

Black Diamond
Route Type

Shuttled
Bike type

AM, XC
Physical rating

Extreme
Ridelogs

2

Distance (Trails & Routes)

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ATV/ORV/OHV Filter

ATV - 50 inches
OHV, SxS - 60 inches
Jeep - 72 inches

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Winter Trails

Warning A routing network for winter maps does not exist. Selecting trails using the winter trails layer has been disabled.

trail	date	description
AZT - Molino Basin	Jun 10, 2026 @ 5:12pm (America/Phoenix) Jun 10, 2026	Dry and loose
AZT/BP - Bug Springs #10	Apr 20, 2026 @ 9:32am (America/Phoenix) Apr 20, 2026	first water bar from the very top of the h-a-b is in really sketchy shape. some folks are choosing to walk it since it looks like it might roll underneath you. Rest of the trail is super dry, sandy, loose, and feels more chewed up than usual.
Aspen Meadow	Apr 8, 2026 @ 6:27am (America/Phoenix) Apr 8, 2026	Large tree removed. All clear of down trees now
Aspen Draw	Mar 14, 2026 @ 7:54am (America/Phoenix) Mar 14, 2026	4 down trees as of mid march
AZT/BP - Green Mountain #21	Jan 29, 2026 @ 10:44pm (America/Phoenix) Jan 29, 2026	Snow patches at start and a few trees down.