We are planning a winter escape to Tucson for the month of February. Was wondering how other folks have have booked extended stays?  Anybody have a house for rent?

We’ve gone down almost annually for the last five years and have always gone with Airbnb.  It’s been a different place every time, and we’ve started booking long in advance because the inner city places seem to go fast.  Good luck!

and we’ll just miss you - we head north at the end of January.

Things are tight/expensive during the Rock and Gem Show,  Jan 16-Feb 11, 2024. You might play with your dates a little.

We stayed in 2020 at Homewood Suites on Campbell Ave, it is directly on The Loop (bike path circling the city, for those who do not know). We were priced out in 2021, and went with airbnb the next couple of years. 

If you are staying an entire month, it opens up more options, and is probably less expensive than three weeks. Another choice would be googling - extended stay, furnished, travel nurse lodging. Play with those words. One year I stayed in one unit of a triplex, and my neighbors were traveling nurses who were paying less than me. They suggested the above search terms. 

Tucson is a diverse town, with unique areas. The Andersons enjoy the downtown area, around the university. To be honest, their interests are more varied than mine. I am in town only to bicycle. I want to be right on the bike path. I settled on what *I* consider to be the most desirable section for cycling, on the Rillito path, close to Harrison Parkway.  The cross streets for me are Golf Links and Pantano. I have also stayed on the Rillito path at Dodge St., and also Campbell Ave. 

Airbnb's have gone up in price (as has everything else). A less expensive choice might be renting a park model (furnished, permanent modular)from an RV Park.  There are several right on The Loop. 

I enjoy spending a majority of the winter in Tucson, and hope that the above information is helpful for first time visitors.

Thanks … just spent quite a few hours searching the AirBnB approach and found a fairly new listing down in the southeast corner 2 blocks from the loop. Even scored the whole house with a garage for our trikes. 

Thanks for the response … just found a new AirBnB listing in the southwest corner of the loop with a garage so storing the trikes will be easy. Safeway within 2 miles and no snow and cold which is our winter. February can’t come soon enough 

This will be our first time going with a non-hotel form of lodging as we usually don’t stay anywhere longer than 2 days. Might just be a new way to continue on. 

Larry- How exciting , I will see you there! You will be amazed at the number of trikes. Ajo Bikes is the local trike store. There is an active recumbent group that rides together several times a week. Typically it’s very social riding and stops for lunch. I’ve met a number of friendly people riding the loop. 

A garage is indeed a real score. Good work! What are the cross streets for you, if you don’t mind sharing?

Kelly … we are staying in the Rita Ranch neighborhood and I’m still figuring out the best cross links. We cycled Tucson last winter for a few days so have ridden the southern, western and north section of the loop. We also crossed over from using the Aviation Bike path having gone to look at the Rattlesnake Bridge. 

Any and all suggestions as to best crossovers are appreciated. We, too, are there mainly to cycle as we are are quite willing to spend 5-6 hours riding around. 

Does the Ajo bike shop organize the rides or is there another source?  We haven’t done a lot of “group” rides as Alaska is not a hotspot for cycling despite some all inspiring places to ride. 

Larry,

The rides I have joined are through Tucson Recumbent Cyclists page on Facebook. It's also easy to meet people at the trailheads. My favorite one is close to you (good choice on Rita Ranch!). The Roy Schoonover Trailhead at Kolb Road is a popular spot.

It sounds like you already have a good idea of what Tucson has to offer, with your previous visits. A month of warm riding in February will be smile inducing. Don't forget the sunscreen!