Find the top rated running trails in Tucson, whether you're looking for an easy short running trail or a long running trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a running trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Tucson has many miles of beautiful paths and the Canada del Oro River Park section is one of the finest.
I parked my vehicle at the La Cholla Boulevard lot just north of McGee Road. It’s a gravel lot with plenty of spaces. From there, I chose to run northeast towards La Canada Drive. I was looking to run a total of 4-miles so I ran 2-miles out and back. I began by running under La Cholla Boulevard, through the Overton/Hardy Road pedestrian crossing, under La Canada Drive and then over a bridge that crosses a wash to complete my 2-miles. I then turned around to head back to my vehicle.
The path is an asphalt surface and is very wide in order to accommodate bicycles and pedestrians. It’s in wonderful condition too. I visited on a weekday morning around 9:30 AM. There were not a lot of people out that day, but enough to where I felt safe. It’s is also marked extremely well so no confusion at all.
A couple of things to be aware of. First, there is hardly any shade so get out early in the summer. You may want to consider sunscreen too. Secondly, while you are not far from roads, you will also be surrounded by desert. Don’t be surprised if you encounter amazing Arizona wildlife (snakes, coyotes, etc.). Always be alert and remember that if you respect them, they will very likely respect you. Finally, there are no restrooms in the La Cholla parking lot or along the way of this small section. So be prepared.
This section of the path is very peaceful, scenic and I enjoyed all the friendly people who were also enjoying it with me. Can’t wait to go back!!
Picked up the trail from the Julian Wash Greenway. It is an asphalt trail with beautiful landscaping along the way. There could have been better signage because there are several bike paths that intersect and it is easy to get turned around. No homeless people, no unsafe areas. We went on a Monday, late morning. There were some runners and cyclists. Very enjoyable.
Started downtown. Homeless encampments and rough surface first five miles. Chatters your teeth and bike. Maybe a bad batch of asphalt from the start. Would not ride this trail again until resurfaced unless I had to get to work and no other options.
This trail is really nice. It is well maintained, with the surface being smooth just about the whole way. I especially loved that it does not run along side a road for the most part. Even though there were a lot of cyclists using the trail, it did not feel crowded. Everyone was courteous about passing or being passed.
Sure, it’s not the most scenic, but it’s in good shape and separate from auto traffic for the most part. A few homeless encampments along the western half of the trail, but they left us alone. Plenty of friendly cyclists on the trail, but it never felt crowded. There’s an odd part at Ajo/6th where the trail runs along the major streets for a couple blocks. I took off one star for that segment.
We parked at the western trailhead on River Road. When we returned to our vehicle it had been broken into. Sad that we have to be victimized like this.
The Julian Wash Greenway is one of five sections of the 56-mile continuous multi-use path around Tucson. I have been walking the Loop in sections for almost two years. I should be done by year's end.
While the path itself is in good shape, the big flaw to this section is its many homeless people, especially on its western part nearing downtown. People live in the culverts, the overpasses, under thick shade trees in the washes. They don't bother me because I always walk with at least one dog by my side, but the trash they leave behind can get overwhelming.
This is also the industrialized part of Tucson. The eastern part goes south of the Davis-Monthan Air Force base, where new homes are being built along the interstate.
There is very little shade along this stretch. Water is available in the parks along the way, with flush toilets.
There are two blocks where the path is the actual street, east of the Los Ninos Park.
This is the least-used section of the Loop.
The Rattlesnake Bridge is really cool and neat for kids. This area is easy access to 4th Avenue which is a mauve, cool bar and grungy student section. BikeArizona.org of The Arizona Bicycle Association ranks the Tucson Loop as the number one biking trail in the state of Arizona. Great place to take kids.
The trail was very nice, but go with caution. Lots of homeless living along the trail.
Started from Tucson Mall (off of Oracle Road) and rode west on the southside of the river bed to the end of trail as shown in this trail description. However, the trail continues on many more miles as part of the Huckleberry loop. The trail is wide and smooth. With lots of trail users out and about. Good signage. We did the other end of the trail last time in Tucson and enjoyed that section also. Highly recommend this trail.
We started at National Park parking lot and rode down hill to just about the end of the trail. Trail surface is old and very rough with plenty of linear cracking. After mile 1.6 the surface improved for a distance. Several major street crossings are encounter with signals for when to cross. We turned around when the trail narrowed down to an elevated concrete path just a couple feet wide. The trail is adjacent to Old Spanish Trail road which is wide with bike lanes on both sides of it. The surface is smooth. We saw a number of road bike folks in the bike lanes, none on the trail. Think I would vote to remove this one from Trail Link’s list of trails. Plenty more in Tucson of much better quality.
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