words and photos @DLAMBBIKEPACKING
It’s the first week of February 2025, and I just woke up in a dingy hotel room in Tucson, Arizona. I stare at the dusty ceiling fan above me, feeling electric with anticipation and excitement. I never feel this way. So often, it seems like one week melts into the next, but now, on the cusp of a big adventure, there’s no chance of me falling back asleep.
Do you remember the feeling of being a kid and trying to fall asleep the night before Christmas? You close your eyes and try to quiet your mind, but the anticipation overwhelms you, making it impossible to sleep. It’s one of those nostalgic childhood moments I thought was lost forever in adulthood, but I’ve finally found something that recaptures that excitement for me: bikepacking.
The route spends roughly half its time on the rugged Arizona Trail, a long-distance hiking trail that spans the entire length of the state. The trail was designed to showcase Arizona’s raw beauty, but it wasn’t designed for bicycles—meaning much of that time is spent pushing your bike rather than riding it. But if there’s anything bikepacking has taught me, it’s that the deeper the challenge, the greater the reward. I can’t wait to spend all day dodging prickly saguaro cacti and eating until I’m on the verge of organ failure
The Arizona Trail is the most physically demanding portion of this route. It begins around mile 20 and doesn’t end until mile 135. Be prepared for slow going. In the Canelo Hills, it took me six hours to cover just 13 miles. The rest of the route rewards riders with beautiful, fast-moving dirt roads near the US-Mexico border.
Another challenge is carrying enough water, but it’s very doable with proper preparation. Be ready to go 40 miles and 10+ hours without a water resupply on day two. The route is really only feasible in the winter, given the extreme summer heat. If you chose to do this in the summer, you’d have to pull a trailer full of water.
The Madrean Rugged Ramble has a little bit of everything that makes bikepacking great: big views, punishing-yet-rewarding hike-a-bike sections, scenic camp spots, and endless Mexican food when you finally roll back into Tucson. It was rated by BIKEPACKING.com as the best week-long route of 2024, and having completed it, I can confidently say it’s one of the best winter bikepacking routes in the United States.
ABOUT THE ROUTE
Designed by Joe Cruz, the Madrean Rugged Ramble is a challenging but delightfully scenic week-long bikepacking route in southeastern Arizona. The 260-mile loop showcases some of the best the region has to offer, including Arizona Trail singletrack, historical adobe homesites, iconic gravel roads, towering canyons, and a well-deserved resupply in Patagonia. Find the full route guide
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