Gem and 50-Year have some of the wildest mountain bike slabs in Arizona! Join us as we follow one of the locals through some of the gnarliest tech Tucson has to offer.
Tucson is home to the 50 Year trail network and sports some of the most exciting fun lines I have ever ridden. In this video we focus on the double black Gem and 50-Year slabs, but there are plenty of other trails to check out. Whatever your MTB skill level there is something here for everyone including flowly singletrack with optional trail side alt lines/features. I would highly recommend putting this place on your MTB hit list!
Trail Details:
The Gem Slabs are located half way down the Gem trail. The entrance is not labeled so have your Trailforks ready. I would also highly recommend walking some of the lines so you know what to expect. We were fortunate to run into a local who guided us through the slabs. Linking them all together was thrilling and challenging and I doubt we would have found have of them on our own.
The 50-Year Slabs can be accessed off the Upper Fifty Year trail. Much like the Gem Slabs these lines are not all obvious and having a local to follow was clutch. Most of these slabs are manageable the challenge is stringing it all together as they come up on your one after another. So keep your head on a swivel if you are coming out for the first time so you don’t miss anything.
The Golder Ranch Lot is not well marked on Trailforks or Google so dropped a pin to the approximate location below. There are no bathrooms and the lot was pretty full when we got there. If you are planning on going on a nice weekend I would get there early. I also left my Strava activity down below in case you want to follow our route.
Additional Info:
Parking Lot:
Golder Ranch Parking Lot (50 Year Trailhead)
Intersection of East Golder Ranch Dr. and E Equestrian Trail
Catalina, AZ 85739
https://maps.app.goo.gl/FyLng9F2weNtdiXH8
Our 50 Year Route
https://www.strava.com/activities/14228590327
Mt Lemmon Trail Network
https://www.trailforks.com/region/coronado-national-forest-mt-lemmon-51368
Dusty Trails MTB’s video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1bmHNe5wPo
Featured riders:
Justin (Our Guide) @justindietrich50
Dan @the_ride_abides
Jeff @jeffjacksonmtb
Mike @iits_miikey
Vaughn @v.spencer_mtb
Footage notes: All footage was taken at Coronado National Forest in Tucson, Arizona
Featured Bike: Specialized Stumpjumper 15 Pro
specialized.com/us/en/stumpjumper-15-pro
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