"The views around this loop are endless, and massive saguaro cacti line the way," writes adventure travel writer Brendon Voelker. "Smaller teddy bear cholla (named for their fuzzy appearance), and prickly pear cactus are also abundant. A wide array of desert wildlife also resides here, including countless snakes, lizards, tortoises, and even roadrunners."

The route mapped here follows the Rock Wren trail from the trailhead to the eponymous Starr Pass Trail. Some of the most challenging rock sections on the route are encountered here on Starr Pass, early on in the ride. The technicality eases up as the ride progresses, so even if a few of the rocks are a bit over your head, take heart: it should get easier.

The trail eventually gains the top of the low pass between two steep mountains. From the top of the pass, the route drops gradually down the backside on the Sarasota Trail, wraps around the western side of the mountains to the Yetman Trail, and climbs back up a mild pass and the top of the primary descent.

The main descent on Yetman is fast, flowy, and non-technical. The biggest challenges are not impaling yourself on a cactus and watching out for oncoming traffic, as this is a popular two-way trail. If you're willing to lean in close to the cacti, you can rail through the mildly-bermed corners at top speed!

Once at the bottom of this descent, you'll find yourself at a four-way junction, with at least two viable options to return to the trailhead. The route mapped here takes the narrower and slightly more challenging singletrack alternative, but in this direction, you get to ride down a few rocky switchbacks instead of arduously pushing your bike up them.

While the route as mapped here—the most popular loop option in this region—is only a mere 8.5 miles long, it can easily be extended with the Explorer Trail leading to another series of loops to the south, or the Yetman trail continuing to either the northwest or the northeast. The Tucson Mountain Park trail system is extremely well-signed, making it easy for even a new visitor to Tucson to navigate through the network.