Mt. Lemmon Hill Climb

Mt Lemmon Hill Climb

May 08 2026

Tucson AZ

Date Confirmed

Registration Opened: January 01 2026

Distances: 56 miles

Difficulty: Moderate terrain with rolling short steep hills or moderate, sustained climbs

According to John Summerson, "The Complete Guide to Climbing By Bike", Mt Lemmon is 33rd on the list of 100 toughest road bike climbs in the US, with a rating of either "hors category" or "category 1" on the scale used to rank the climbs in European stage racing.

Yes, Mt Lemmon is right up there with the famous passes in the European tours: hardly anywhere else in the US can you climb so high for so many miles in succession. That's why, every winter, Tucson sees packs of riders in matching jerseys, many of them speaking languages other than English, booking up the mountain.

But because the road is so long, it's also very forgiving: the grade averages only 4.5% for 6600 feet of elevation gain over the 56-mile round trip, and the almost continuous 21-mile descent at the end is exciting without ever being terrifying.

If you haven't ridden the Lemmon in a while (or ever), GABA can help make it easy. You can minimize the weight in your pockets because we provide four SAG stops, about six miles apart, with fluids, munchies, and healthy carbs. In honor of the pie shop that once operated in Summerhaven near the summit, the uppermost SAG will serve a variety of pies. In case something goes wrong, GABA provides vehicular sweep support to help with minor mechanical problems or provide a lift if a major problem arises.

If you're not interested in "easy", GABA can help with that, too. Round up a posse of your riding buddies, see how fast you can fly to the top, and enjoy a social stop to eat pie and swap lies before you charge back down and enjoy lunch at McDonald Park.

Location:

The ride begins at McDonald Park, 4100 North Harrison Rd, Tucson AZ 85749, Free Parking

Check In - Between 6:00 am to 8:30 am

Verify your emergency contact information and sign in to confirm attendance

You will receive some goodies and a wrist band for the 1-day event or a bicycle tag for the 3-day event. Since this is not a mass start you can begin the ride! In fact Pima County requires no more than 5 riders at a time leave together, no packs blocking the roadways. Please be patient with our volunteers implementing this request.

Recommended start times, based on your average climbing speed, and assuming you spend 15 minutes at each SAG stop:

6:00 am for 4 mph average

6:30 am for 5 mph average

7:00 am for 7 mph average

7:30 am for 9 mph average

Course Overview:

Here is your Mt Lemmon Hill Climb Map and Cue Sheet: MLHC 2025

Please print or load it into your navigation device

The temperature on the way up to Mt. Lemmon is 20 to 30 degrees colder than the Tucson area. Weather can also change quickly. Check the weather the day before to know the conditions and bring appropriate clothing to keep your self warm. If you would like an extra layer to wear on the descent you can leave a well labeled bag with gear at check-in at McDonald Park. It will be dropped off at the Loma Linda SAG stop for your retrieval.

If you haven’t ridden the Lemmon in a while (or ever), GABA can help make it easy. You can minimize the weight in your pockets because we provide four SAG stops, about six miles apart, with fluids, munchies, and healthy carbs. In honor of the pie shop that once operated in Summerhaven near the summit, our Loma Linda stop will serve a variety of pies. GABA also provides vehicular sweep support to help with mechanical problems or provide a lift if the bicycle can't finish the descent.

Support Stop Info:
Also take into account when each SAG stop will be open:

Molino Canyon Vista (breakfast stop) - 6:30 to 9:30 AM - approx. 8 miles from the start

Middle Bear (sweet and salty stop) - 7:00 to 11:00 AM - 15 miles from the start

San Pedro Vista (protein fuel stop) - 8:30 to 12 noon - 21 miles from the start

Loma Linda Overlook (pie and waffle stop) - 9:30 to 1:00 PM - 28 miles from the start

Ski Valley Iron Door Cafe and Lifts (water stop) - Official Turn-Around and Top of Climb Photo Op

McDonald Park Lunch - 10:00 am to 2:30 pm

Please take breaks along the way down the mountain, enjoy the spectacular scenery and take the pictures you thought about on the way up but didn’t want to break your rhythm.

Bathroom Facilities can be found at these locations:

Molino Basin Campground

Windy Point

Middle Bear

Palisades Station

Loma Linda

Mt. Lemmon Hill Climb