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1.START-END EAST:jct bike path along Santa Cruz River - Congress St 2.Tumamoc Rd trailhead on Anklam St 3.upper parking lot on Tumamoc St 4.TOP,3100ft

Approaches

From East. One of the more obvious places to leave the bike highways along both sides of the Santa Cruz River is the Congress Street exit. It's the shortest connection to Tuscon's small downtown, and signed as such on the bikepath. But actually - the other direction on Congress St (west) is far more interesting. It becomes North Silverbell Rd and immediately curves around to St Mary's Hospital on nicely separated bikepaths. Here is a trailhead that offers a place to park your bike, presumably so that you can walk up Tumomac Hill Rd. But I did not see any signs forbidding bicycling. At certain times of the week, the whole narrow road is actually also open to cars (according to the sign). But at best this is a multi use trail, so downhill speed might be an issue.

But actually there are way too many curves in this road, for it to become a major one. And the uphill grade is also an argument to even walk the bike at times, before it rolls backwards. The scenes with the Saguaro cacti in the foreground are stunning. The Santa Catalina Mountains behind the spread of square pattern streets are a welcome limit on the geometrical patterns below. The second part of the climb, past the parking lot (how did these cars get up here?) is especially steep and rewarding. Unfortunately the cacti make a very desiccated and ill appearance. How much longer will they be here?