Definitely love it.. The only negative i see is that a soon gets dark under the bridge homeless sleeps there make it unsafe. Almost tripped with one. But the ride is awesome.

From La Cholla to the interstate you will find, nearly every day, people sleeping or evidence of them living on or nearby the path, specifically the bridges. I found and documented over 2 dozen tents in the river itself in this stretch. Mostly harmless people I'm sure but its enough to feel defensive and threatened.

Most of the path is beautiful! Riding alone is great except that almost every bridge and intersection you will not be alone. You will find people sleeping on or near the path, evidence of people living on or near the path, and gratuitous litter in these hot spots. Obviously it is mostly safe but for many miles it does not feel or look safe

This trail is part of The Loop, the multi-use trail that has been built around Tucson. We were vacationing in the area and, along with riding the trail as part of the larger loop, we also used it as a great ride into downtown Tucson for lunch. It was nicely paved, not hilly, and there was art staged at various places along the way. There isn't much shade, but that was not a concern in February/March. Some of the signage was difficult to decipher, but we had a printed trail map, and that helped us to navigate the way.

This trail brings us down from Phoenix for a ride! It is a great workout and so beautiful! Can’t help but be happy on this trail.

It is easy to access the Santa Cruz River Park Trail from the Rillito River Trail just west of the I-10. You can access this starting point by parking or riding to anywhere on the Loop Trail system in Pima County. I ride up north along the Santa Cruz scenic riparian habitat, and this is an enjoyable river grade ride returning the same route. Instead of returning as I came, I use the local roads to connect to some of the possible loops. Both Twin Peaks and Picture Rock are pretty going west (though the bike lanes are narrow) to access Saguaro National Park West; I then return via the McCain Loop and over Gates Pass which is a great hill climb with beautiful desert scenery, and gives access back to the Santa Cruz Trail, or downtown Tucson, as you desire. Instead of going west on Twin Peaks or Picture Rock, I can stay on a more level ride going east on Twin Peaks, and continue on Tangerine Rd or Moore Rd at Dove Mountain. There are good bike lanes on these roads, which take you over to the Canada Del Oro bike path near Catalina State Park. This gives a nice return ride to the Rillito River Trail. Depending on where you start on the extensive Loop Trails, and as long as you don't mind mixing in some riding on roads with decent bike lanes, you can do some beautiful loops of 40-70 miles with views of the Santa Cruz River, Catalina's Mountains, and Tucson Mountains.

area was clean, stayed on the north side and enjoyed our views of Tucson. would recommend to anyone!

This section of the Tucson loop has beautiful mountain views to the north and east. It cuts right through the desert with lots of large cactus and no cars or other roads around. It is like a bike freeway. It is part of the entire Tucson loop so you can keep going around Tucson for about 100 miles.

Back in February of 2014 we completed a weekday morning ride from the Rillito River Park Access parking lot to trails end at Craycroft Road and then back.
Great Arizona winter weather, beautiful mountain vistas, artful bridges, and a fairly flat, smooth trail made this ride a delight (although we did notice it seemed ever so slightly downhill which made for some easy pedaling on the way to Craycroft Road).
The trail was especially popular with walkers, joggers, and roadrunners, so be alert.
It didn't take us long to complete the loop, so for a couple of tourists from SoCal we used the afternoon to visit the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum!