Sahuarita to Mission San Xavier del Bac

February 7, 2023

After a few days on single-track trails and the Loop we're eager for some miles on the open road. We haven't ridden the Mission Road before, nor seen the historic Mission church. Based on accounts we read from Team Anderson and Kelly Iniguez, a ride around here is at the top of the list.

We have a dinner invitation from our friend Barb Jones who moved last year from Oro Valley down to Sahuarita, another place we haven't been on the bikes. Seems like a perfect opportunity to put a ride together. We'll start from Barb's house, ride north on the Mission Road to Mission San Xavier del Bac, loop back south on the Nogales Highway and see all new things.

The temperature is up to 50, cool but ideal for the start as we cruise through the pleasant La Canada Norte neighborhood. From there we turn west on to Twin Buttes Road, a beautiful, deserted and paved road. Yes! This is what we're here for.

Starting up the hill on West Twin Buttes Road.

After a mile or so the pavement ends and the ride becomes progressively less blissful. Once again, I've placed too much faith in RidewithGPS to spot the gravel roads. GravelMaps would have told me about this if I had looked before the ride. Really need to work on my routing routine.

Ok, it's gravel, but rideable and there's no traffic

To add to the fun, some kind of operation here is blowing sand all over the road. I'm glad I put the neck gaiter this morning on to keep the wind from whistling down my back; it also works to keep the dust out of my lungs.

The gravel goes on and on, deeper and skiddier. I don't know how Barry made it up the hill on his 28mm tires. I got this far on my 32s and had to walk for a bit.

After 3 miles of this we are thrilled to turn north on Mission Road and have Helmet Peak in our sights. The ride for the next 15 miles up to the San Xavier Road is fast and glorious. It's a popular place. Lots of cyclists pass us with big smiles and waves. There's some traffic but we get mostly full lane changes when they pass.

Apparently Helmet Peak Road - 2.5 miles north of West Twin Buttes, is the way to go. Good to know.

Looking back at the Sierrita Mountains as Barry powers up the hill

I'm snapping a lot of pictures while rolling today. Admittedly it's a risky move, squeezing my phone between the thumb and third finger while attempting to hit the shutter button with my index finger, all while wearing cycling gloves. I haven't dropped my phone in the road yet but do bobble it now and then. Something like that was probably happening here...

I'll spare you the dozens more that should be deleted. Sometimes an on-the-fly photo works and I get a keeper. Here's a couple that at least serve to remind us of the day...

I'm stalling on buying some kind of tether that would prevent dropping the phone because I have a point-and-shoot zoom camera on order that I'll use instead. Can't wait to see what the new camera can do. Of course I'll need to figure out how to not bobble it. I'm picturing some kind of pocket I could strap to my chest and drop the camera into, with a lanyard attached to the camera. Haven't landed on anything yet. Any ideas?

A little after 1 we arrive at Mission San Xavier del Bac and gawk at this gorgeous white landmark gleaming against the blue Arizona sky. According to the National Park Service site the Mission was founded in 1700 by Father Eusebio Kino, a Jesuit explorer, and completed by the Franciscans in 1797.

Known as the White Dove of the Desert, the Mission serves the Tohono O’odham people on the San Xavier Reservation.

There's a lot to admire between the ornate carvings on the entryway and the frescoes and folk art inside. At present the interior is full of scaffolding for restoration work. We will have to return here for a better look.

The gardens and grounds are lovely to stroll through, and the view of Tucson and surroundings from the hill just east of the Mission is worth some time.

Garden walk towards the hill that has awesome views of the area

Looking northeast from the hill east of the Mission, I believe towards the Santa Catalina mountains?

In the plaza across from the Mission there are some nice shops with local artists' work. We each get a good size taco on Indian fry bread at the Coyote Kitchen – delicious and plenty of fuel to take us through the rest of the ride this afternoon.

Spirited horse sculpture in the San Xavier plaza

From the Mission we ride east, crossing under I-19. This part isn't fun, there's a lot of noisy traffic and not much room for cars to pass. We turn south onto Nogales Highway to a four-lane road with a narrow shoulder. We have more room here but it's not pleasant. Three miles south, the Old Nogales Highway comes up on the left and we bail off the route.

A couple miles north of the turnoff on the Old Nogales Highway, it's quiet at the moment but I don't love it.

On the Old highway we're soon clear of traffic, alone again.

The old highway is a nice respite for three miles until it takes us back to the new one. Three more miles gets us to West Pima Mines Road in Sahuarita and we're done with the Nogales Highway for the day.

Sahuarita Lake Park is a nice spot for a little break. We were here last year for an outdoor concert. Nice wide bike paths appear soon and the landscaping investment in the town is evident. Most of this part is very pleasant other than the crossing back over I-19 on Sahuarita Road.

The guy casting off by the lake rolled in on his bike with two fishing rods fully extended.

Attempt at a arty postcard pic from the gazebo

Bike paths! What a nice change near the end of the ride.

Overall it's been a fabulous day. I don't even regret the gravel that much. It was part of the experience and got our mileage up to 40, our longest ride of the year so far.

While I'm glad we got to see the town of Sahuarita, next time we ride Mission Road I'd rather make it an out-and-back and skip the Nogales Highway altogether. It's just too beautiful on the Mission Road and the view is different in each direction.

It's wonderful to catch up with Barb and enjoy the delicious moussaka that she's made. Thanks to Barb for dinner, and to her friend Dan for the picture!

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Today's ride: 40 miles (64 km)
Total: 176 miles (283 km)

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Scott AndersonThanks for checking out Twin Buttes Road so we don’t have to! You’re right that Helmet Peak Road is much better, as is adding a few miles to the south and going up Duval Mine.

And I agree that this is much better as an out and back than as a loop. We’ve ridden the Nogales Highway before and didn’t care for it until we could pull off to the Old Highway. I doubt we’ll ride it again.
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