Ironwood Forest National Monument Gravel-Silverbell Start

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Pima County, AZ, US

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Route Overview

We Ride 4

Nonprofit addressing child obesity and healthy lifestyles by getting more kids riding bikes

34 mi.

1,125 ft.

This ride is pure desert gravel. You won't believe how beautiful this ride is!

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Route Details

This ride is a favorite among our club members. The start of this ride isn't that far from the Marana Town Center. But trust me, you will feel like you are way out in the remote areas of the desert and have the entire area to yourself. This ride is great any time of year, but the colors in the Spring when everythings starts to wake up and bloom are pretty spectacular.

This ride not only showcases the beauty of Ironwood Forest National Monument, but it is also a ride through history as you pass through the area of the old Sasco Mine.

Begin this ride by heading NW on Silverbell Rd. This is a wide, hard packed gravel road. After @point[1.7 miles](d,2754.8) turn right onto a double-track primitive road. Follow this road for 1.5 miles where you will encounter a gate that you have to go through and an open range cow pasture. You will also be at a t-intersection of another primitive road. Turn left here at @point[mile 3.2](d,5159.4). Follow this road for 1.7 miles where you will turn left onto a double-track Jeep road at @point[mile 4.9](d,7842.8). As you wind your way down this road you will catch regular glimpses of @photo[Ragged Top Mountain](16966168) straight ahead.

At @point[mile 5.9](d,9455.18) you will have reached the pipeline road. Turn right and follow this road as it winds up and down for @point[Approx 3 miles](d,14054.91) finally coming to an intersection with Sasco Rd.

Turn right onto Sasco Rd which is a wide maintained gravel road. At approximately the 13 mile point, you will come to the driveway for the old @point[Sasco Mine](d,21306.94). Turn left here and ride approximately 1/10 of a mile to see the remains of the old mine site. When you're done exploring the mine area, go back out to Sasco Rd, turn left and continue on the route. When you get to mile 13.5, look to the left and you will see the remains of the old @point[Sasco Jailhouse](d,21795.84) (See @photo[Sasco Jailhouse Photo](16943434)). Ride a little further to mile 13.7 to the turn off for the remains of @point[The Rockland Hotel](d,22118.24) (See @photo[Rockland Hotel Photo](16943433)). After taking a few photos, go back out to Sasco Rd, turn left, and continue on the route.

At @point[mile 14.7](d,23701.1), the route turns right to exit Sasco Rd and venture onto nice gravel backroads that wind through the desert landscape.

At @point[mile 18.4](d,29611.36) you will come to a gate. Go through the gate and take the gravel road to the left that continues south. Stay on this road for approximately 3 miles. You will come to an intersecton with a road coming in from the right. @point[Turn right here](d,34429.56) to continue on the route.

Stay on this road for a little over 3 miles to the next  @point[T-Intersection.](d,39465.57) at mile 24.5. Turn left here to stay on the route. Turn left again at @point[mile 25.8](d,41495.8) and again at @point[mile 26](d,41870.7) to stay on the route.

This is where the fun begins. For the next @slice[3.5 miles](d,41870.7,47549.5), the route gets pretty chunky as it winds its way through the canyon. This section is not for the feint of heart. It winds steadily uphill and the surface is relatively rough. If you want a less technical route in this area, check out this variation of the route [https://ridewithgps.com/routes/50868484](http://ridewithgps.com/routes/50868484).

At the end of the technical section you will come to a @point[T-intersection](d,47601.47). Turn left here then a right at  @point[Mile 30.9](d,49685.56) where you will follow the gravel road you came in on back to Silverbell Rd. When you get to @point[Silverbell](d,52108.93) turn left and follow the road back to your car.

**Ironwood Forest National Monument:** Ironwood Forest National Monument, located just northwest of Tucson, is a rugged and untamed expanse of Sonoran Desert wilderness. Named after the ancient ironwood trees that thrive in its rocky terrain, the monument spans nearly 130,000 acres, sheltering a rich diversity of plant and animal life. Towering saguaro cacti stand like sentinels amid craggy mountain ranges, including the striking Silverbell, Waterman, and Sawtooth Mountains.

The landscape is a tapestry of desert hues—rust-colored cliffs, golden grasslands, and deep green palo verde trees. Bighorn sheep navigate the steep slopes, while desert tortoises and Gila monsters move quietly beneath the shade of mesquite and creosote. Despite its harsh conditions, the monument is teeming with life, echoing with the calls of cactus wrens and the distant howl of coyotes at dusk.

Steeped in history, the land holds remnants of ancient Hohokam settlements and petroglyphs etched into stone, whispering stories of those who once walked these trails. Today, hikers, nature enthusiasts, and solitude seekers explore its vast, unspoiled beauty, finding themselves immersed in one of the last great desert sanctuaries of the American Southwest.

**Sasco Mine:** The Sasco Mine, located northwest of Tucson near the Silver Bell Mountains, is a relic of Arizona’s early 20th-century mining boom. Originally established as part of the Southern Arizona Smelting Company (SASCO) in 1907, the site was designed to process ore from the nearby Silver Bell Mine. A bustling company town quickly formed around the smelter and soon grew to over 600 residents, complete with homes, a hotel, saloons and restaurants, a post office, and even a jail.

At its peak, Sasco was a vital link in the region’s copper production, but its prosperity was short-lived. The smelter struggled with inefficiencies and financial troubles which led to its closure in 1911. Although operations briefly resumed under new ownership in 1917, the end of World War I and declining copper prices led to the smelter’s final shutdown in 1921. An influenza outbreak in 1919 further reduced the town’s population. Over time, the town was abandoned, leaving behind the skeletal remains of concrete foundations, smelter ruins, and silent, crumbling walls.

Today, Sasco is a ghost town, its ruins standing as a testament to Arizona’s mining heritage. Graffiti now decorates the weathered structures, and visitors exploring the site can still feel echoes of the past—an era of industry, ambition, and eventual decline beneath the vast desert sky.

**The Rockland Hotel:** The Rockland Hotel was a prominent establishment in the early 20th-century smelter town of Sasco, Arizona. Constructed from basalt rock, its sturdy stone structure made it a notable landmark in Sasco. However, with the town’s prosperity short-lived it too shut down as travel to the area diminished.

Today, the remnants of the Rockland Hotel stand as a testament to Sasco’s fleeting prominence. Visitors can explore the basalt ruins, which, despite the passage of time and instances of vandalism, continue to evoke the spirit of the once-thriving community.

**Ragged Top Mountain:** Ragged Top Mountain is a striking volcanic peak in Ironwood Forest National Monument. It stands at approximately 4,057 feet, rising approximately 1,500 feet above the surrounding desert floor. Renowned for its rugged cliffs and jagged summit, the mountain rises dramatically from the surrounding Sonoran Desert, making it a focal point of the landscape. It is composed primarily of volcanic rock, shaped by millions of years of erosion, giving it its distinctive, craggy appearance.

The area surrounding Ragged Top is rich in biodiversity, featuring dense stands of ironwood trees, saguaro cacti, and a variety of desert wildlife, including bighorn sheep. The mountain is a popular destination for hikers and climbers seeking a challenging ascent, with steep slopes and loose rock requiring careful navigation.

As part of Ironwood Forest National Monument, Ragged Top is protected for its ecological and geological significance. It remains a symbol of Arizona’s wild and remote beauty.

Ironwood Forest National Monument Gravel-Silverbell Start

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