Difficulty: Hard
Average time: 5 to 7 hours (depending on your fitness levels)
Ride Mileage: 100+ miles
Climbing Elevation: 4,965 ft
Type of ride: Climb
Road/Mountain: Road
What The Bike Bandit Says…
“Because it is quite a drive, Kit Peak does not get a lot of cyclists. It’s an intense, fun, great uphill ride that ranks as one of our best road biking rides in all of Tucson. If you are going to drive this far out, do the hill two or three times. I love road biking Kitt Peak!”
Jason, The Bike Bandit
Uphill climbing: Kitt Peak is a serious Tucson road bike ride.
Arizona’s Kitt Peak is one of the state’s best road bike rides and it packs a serious punch. Kitt Peak is a cycling route most apt for pros and advanced cycling for its strenuous uphill climbing, but we do invite all willing cyclists to give it a go! Just make sure you take loads of rest, come prepared, and are in good shape.
Get ready for a steep climb that will be forever memorable when road biking Kitt Peak!
Kitt Peak’s Allure: Greatest Road Cycling Climb in Tucson
You don’t have to necessarily believe us when we say Kitt Peak is one of the greatest road cycling climbs in Tucson, but we do have a few factoids that might help convince you. It has been claimed by locals as one of the prettiest Arizona sceneries around Tucson.
This road bike ride (most generally referred to as the Arizona Climb) is also home to one of the world’s largest observatories. We think this illustrates the point: gorgeous, open skies and rolling horizons all around you! But Kitt Peak also offers some very underrated cycling opportunities.
How to Cycle There and What to See While Biking – Kitt Peak in Arizona
If you start your cycling route from central Tucson, biking to Kitt Peak can become a very fun century ride. But if you’re into a shorter, sweeter, ride, the actual bike climb up to Kitt Peak is only 12 miles long. Many cyclists start at the bottom of Kitt Peak, head all the way up, and hit the road again to bike it twice.
The 360-degree views at the top of this sacred Native American mountain are well worth the climb. Kitt Peak’s road biking route is pristine and traffic is very minimal, so the climb is made a bit easier by good conditions. You need not worry about flats while at Kitt Peak! Bike this on a Sunday and you may not see a single car along the way.
For more information on Kitt Peak, click here.
If you’re looking for additional cycling adventures in Arizona, and want some great road bike climbing, we recommend Mount Graham, Mount Lemmon, Madera Canyon, and a second go at Kitt Peak!
If you’re a visual person, we’ve got a treat for you. This is what it’s like to bike up Kitt Peak.
Biking On Kitt Peak: BikeTucson.com Rents and Delivers Road Bikes!
In case you haven’t heard yet, we’re gonna go ahead and drop this tidbit of information here… Tucson Bike Rentals and Tours delivers and picks up carbon rental road, mountain, hybrid, kids bikes to the entire Tucson/Oro Valley/Green Valley metro area!
We’re also proud to say that we are the official Tucson, Arizona bicycle guiding and rental arm for the Arizona Bicycle Association. Which means, you guessed it, we’re the best to rent from!
Mountain Bike Arizona’s Kitt Peak and Tucson Area: Bike Delivery to Mountain Bike Trails
Get ready for a steep climb when road biking Kitt Peak!
Imagine this scenario: you bike for one, two, five hours, get off, and go home. Fitting a bike into the back of a rental car? That no longer troubles you! Our company takes care of delivering bikes to trailheads and then picking them up from a designated spot—your cycling adventure is made easier with us.
We only ask for a two-rider minimum for our bike deliveries (but biking with others is more fun anyways!). Prices stand at around $100 per bike, depending on what cycling route you chose to take on and where that biking trail’s trailhead is located.
Dying to get on a bike, but don’t know where to ride? BikeTucson.com offers beginner, intermediate, and advanced cycling rides! We deliver mountain bikes to Tucson, Oro Valley, Green Valley and the Southern, Arizona area. We only have top-of-the-line full suspension and hard-tailed mountain bikes. Click here to start your Arizona cycling adventure!
AT A GLANCE– Kitt Peak Cycling Resources
Bicycle rentals, daily group rides, and the best cycling routes in Tucson and the surrounding Arizona areas.
1. Rent a bike in Tucson
Tucson Bicycle Rentals
Oro Valley Bicycle Rentals
http://bikeaz.org/orovalley-bicycle-rentals/
Tucson Bike Rentals
(Offers carbon road bicycle rental pickup at 6AM or night before pickup.)
www.tucsonbikerentals.org/road-bike-rentals/
2. Group Mountain Bike Rides
Bike Tucson
www.biketucson.com/group-shop-club-bike-rides/
Tucson Bike Rentals Shop
www.tucsonbikerentals.org/group-rides/
Tucson Bicycle Association
www.biketucson.com/group-rides/
3. Information and Guides
Arizona Bicycle Association
Mountain Biking Mount Lemmon
http://tucsonbikerentals.org/mountain-bike-guide/best-mountlemmon-mountainbiking/