Start: April 3, 2026 at 4:01am / End: April 6, 2026 at 9:20pm
Version: Multi-sport (hike/bike), self-supported. Per FKT guidelines, the running/hiking portion of the route was more than 50% of total moving time compared to the bike.
Using Himmel Park as my starting point, I rode to Catalina State Park and arrived exactly 2 hours later at 6:01am. After transitioning to the hike and eating some breakfast, I got started up Romero Canyon Trail at 6:43am. I considered the Mount Lemmon Observatory gate the "top" of Mount Lemmon, given the gate is closed to the summit. Entire roundtrip of Mount Lemmon was 13 hours and 6 minutes. I filtered water once on the way up (Romero Pools) and once on the way back (stream just below Romero Pass). After transitioning back to the bike at Catalina, I made a stop at Taco Bell in Oro Valley and then a hotel room at Fairfield Inn.
The next morning, I left the hotel at 5:49am and headed toward Saguaro West via the Loop and Picture Rock Road. I arrived at King Canyon TH at 8:30am. I started the hike up King Canyon Trail at 8:50am and returned at 11:50am for a 3 hour roundtrip on Wasson Peak (King Canyon Trail - Wasson Peak Trail). I quickly got back on my bike and rode to Gilbert Ray Campground where I refilled a water bottle (since I was entirely out) and transitioned back to bike clothes. From there I rode to the Circle K at McKinney Road/Ajo Highway. I resupplied some food, ate lunch, and refilled all my water knowing that refill opportunities were limited between there and McGee Ranch Road. I arrived at the Keystone TH (gate) at 5:40pm. Roundtrip on Keystone Peak (main road) was 2 hours and 40 minutes. I got back on the bike and enjoyed a mostly downhill ride to Green Valley where I grabbed another hotel room at the Best Western, arriving at 9:31pm.
The next day, I took off at 6:07am, making a quick stop at McDonalds in Green Valley for breakfast. I stopped at the Proctor TH on my way up Madera Canyon Road to refill water. I arrived at the Madera Canyon Rec area/Old Baldy TH at 9:58am. It's quite a slog up Madera Canyon Road on a loaded bike! Roundtrip on Mount Wrightson (Old Baldy - Crest Trail) was 6 hours and 17 minutes. I was pretty cooked after that so the transition back to the bike took longer than expected. After hanging out at the TH for about 30 minutes, I started the descent back down Madera Canyon Road, stopping to refill water again at Proctor. From there, I took Helvetia Road to South Wilmot Road, and back to pavement towards Sahuarita. I got another hotel room, at the Hampton Inn near the UA Tech Park, arriving at 9:16pm. Before checking in, I got dinner and food resupply from the gas station next door.
The next, and final day, I left the hotel at 4:03am towards Douglas Spring TH. I made a quick stop at the Circle K at Speedway/Houghton to fill up water and have a couple breakfast items. I got started on the Mica Mountain hike via Douglas Spring Trail around 6:15am. Mica Mountain roundtrip (Douglas Spring Trail - Cow Saddle - Fire Loop) took 13 hours and 37 minutes. I made much quicker time going up than down as my legs were pretty tired at this point. I transitioned back to the bike, taking off at 8:11pm and arriving back at Himmel Park at 9:30pm.
Total Elapsed Time: 3 days, 17 hours, 20 minutes, 24 seconds
Total Hike: 79 miles
Total Bike: 191 miles
I am more of a cyclist than a long-distance runner so while I did some running on Lemmon, Wasson, and Keystone, I generally relied on an efficient hiking pace. This is a great route for exploring Tucson. Wildlife highlights were a coatimundi, a Gila monster, and a mountain lion.
Note: The Garmin InReach did not log a final ping before the tracker was turned off at Himmel Park. I have supplemented this with the Garmin Edge file showing the final timestamp.