ARIZONA

DESERT CAMP

HISTORIC WEEK - CENTURY WEEK - MOUNTAIN TOUR

Since 1996, PAC Tour has been offering different tour weeks out of Tucson, Arizona. Each year the weeks differ to provide a variety of roads and cycling challenges. Details here about road conditions at Desert Camp!

three weeks of camp

Historical Week - Century Week - Mountain Tour

  • Deposit of $500 is required at registration of which $300 is not refundable or transferable.

  • $200 portion of your deposit is refundable before January 1st.

  • After Jan 1st - no deposit fees are refundable.

  • Final payments are due before January 15th and are not refundable or transferable.

  • Rider count is determined on December 15th. You will be notified!

  • Please consider travel insurance!

  • Tucson's Winter Temperatures

  • Worried about training? Bring an e-bike!

The Desert Camp Rider Information PDF is emailed to registered riders after December 1st. If you require any information before then - call 262-215-3773.

Register by December 15th and receive our custom Voler PAC Tour Desert Camp Jersey. 2025 attendees will receive a copy of Lon Haldeman’s new book, Cycling Pioneer. Bring a gently used book to swap at camp registration!

SAVE $$$ Ride, Sleep & Eat Option - Opt out of commemoratives and save $100 on your first week of camp.

Save an additional $100 when you register for two weeks of PAC Tour Arizona Desert Camp, as each additional week does not receive commemorative items such as a jersey and clothing.

We will begin each tour from the Country Inn and Suites, located 1/2 mile from the Tucson Airport. Your arrival hotel room on Saturday night is included in Tucson. Your departure hotel room is included the last night of the tour. A hotel shuttle bus is available to bring you and your bike to the hotel. You will be able to ship and store your bike case or box at the Country Inn and Suites, Tucson.

Country Inn and Suites, 6681 S. Tucson Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85756

You can book early!

Reservations call: (520) 741-9000

HISTORIC WEEK

Arrive: Tucson, AZ, Saturday, March 8th - Depart: Tucson, AZ Saturday March 15th

- 35 to 70 miles per day -

Arrive in Tucson and saddle up for a tour filled with sizzlin' southwest history every day! The first day we ride 54 miles to the artist community of Tubac and sleep at the Tubac Golf Resort. Next day onto Patagonia with our stop at the Stage Stop Inn! The following morning we'll head out on an easy 56 miles through the wine country of Elgin before spending the evening walking the wooden sidewalks of historic Tombstone. Onto Bisbee with its historical district shops and great restaurants. NEW in Bisbee - lunch and breakfast meals will be on your own. Benson is the last night on the road after we have lunch in Kartchner State Park. If you would like to visit the caverns you should buy your ticket in advance.

This tour is for riders who are looking for a fun cycling holiday. It's the easiest Desert Camp Week. You'll enjoy this tour more if you can average 10 mph to have more time to explore the old southwest along the way. If you want to train for racing and average faster than 15 mph, please consider joining a longer mileage week of Arizona Desert Camp.

2025 Historic Week Tour Fees

$1,900 + $650 Single Supplement

Tour Full

century week

Arrive: Tucson, AZ, Saturday March 15th - Depart: Tucson, AZ Saturday March 22nd

- 70 to a 100 miles per day -

This week is for riders who want to ride long miles everyday but stay in one location for four nights. The first day's ride to Nogales offers a change in scenery then we head to Sierra Vista (Holiday Inn Express) for four nights. On the last day we ride back to Tucson. Daily rides can be customized for riders with specific intensity. Evening cycling programs will be provided on a variety of topics. Each day will offer routes with 60-100 mile options.

The riders at this camp will range from intermediate to experienced. All riders should be able to ride 50 miles in 4 hours with stops.

  • 2025 Century Week Tour Fees:

  • $1,900 + $700 Single Supplement

Mountain Tour

Arrive: Tucson, AZ, Saturday, March 22nd - Depart: Tucson, AZ, Wednesday, April 2nd

74-110 miles per day, Loop tour to New Mexico

This week combines our favorite route sections from previous Mountain and Chiricahua Weeks. On our way to Douglas, the route descends off Mule Pass into the funky town of Bisbee where riders can stop and have coffee or wander around the town. The tour includes two nights in Safford which will allow riders to ride 30 miles to the summit of Mt. Graham and back to Safford in one day (60 miles total). Then we will stay two nights in Willcox giving everyone the chance to ride to the top of Chiricahua Mountain and back in one day (88 miles total). A winding 35-mile-long road that climbs steeply up the southern flank of 10,717-foot-high Mount Graham is the highlight and challenge of this week. We ride past the Chiricahua Mountains on our way back to historic Tombstone!

10 Day Mountain Tour stays two nights in Safford which will allow everyone to make the 30-mile climb to the summit of Mt. Graham and then return to Safford.

Riding to the top of Mt. Graham is one of the longest sustained climbs in the United States gaining 7,000 feet in 20 miles. The average grade is 6% - 10%. For most riders, it is a 4-hour climb to the gate and a two-hour descent. The gate’s elevation is over 9,000 feet! The weather should be good in late March, but riders need to be prepared with an assortment of warm clothing, gloves, and shoe covers. We will have a support van to help with extra snacks and clothing supplies along the way.

  • 2025 Mountain Tour Fees:

  • $2,450 + $900 Single Supplement

Concerning the Chiricahua Climb

by: Charles Breer

There's no question that Chiricahua is a tough climb, but I would say that it has some steeper parts and some less steep parts, so it's not just a continuous slog (like Mt. Ventoux in southern France). The first few miles are relatively gentle as the scenery starts to change from desert to more forest and you get your first view of the unusual rock formations. To break it up, riders can stop at the Park Service visitor center, which has bathrooms and interesting displays.

The middle part of the climb is deep in a forested canyon, which can be cooler than on the desert floor. Sometimes, water is flowing in a small creek bed and you get more close-up views of the bizarre formations.

The last few miles are a bit steeper, but still not as steep as parts of the Mt Graham climb. This stretch is also very rewarding because of the expansive views and switchback road that clings to the hillside. Riders are back into the open at this point and you can see the twisting road up ahead. There is a nice parking lot at the top, surrounded by miles of rock formations, with interpretive displays and short hikes to overlook vista points.

In sum, while this is clearly a good climb, I've rarely been on a climb that is as rewarding as Chiricahua, and best of all, there is very little traffic. The descent is thrilling, but with excellent smooth pavement, so it takes only a fraction of time to get down.

What's Included for Desert Camp?

  • PAC Tour Custom Jersey if registered by December 15th

  • Commemorative Desert Camp Tee Shirt

  • Double occupancy lodging

  • GPS Files and laminated route sheets and maps

  • Breakfast each morning - usually a continental hotel breakfast, supplemented with PAC Tour oatmeal & all the fixins

  • Snack stops at 25-mile intervals

  • Hot and/or cold lunch served on the road

  • Full Technical Support: Mechanics, Tools, Parts, Wheels, Bikes

  • Baggage shuttle for duration of tour

  • Personalized helmet, luggage, and bicycle tags

  • SAG support for riders who need It

  • Bicycle case storage

  • Shuttle pick-up from airport

  • Ride with Lon Haldeman and Susan Notorangelo

  • Book Exchange-Bring a gently used sport or travel book to exchange at the PAC Tour book shelf

If you would rather not travel with your bike to camp - Rent a bike. Contact Tucson Bike Rentals - They offer several levels of road bikes. They can put together a bike that fits you with delivery and pick up at the Country Inn and Suites for $350 per week. Look at American made Bike Friday - the bike that folds and packs so your bike travels with you easily on the airlines or in your car!

Do not rent beach cruiser E Bikes!

-Training Tips for Desert Camp-

The training base for riders attending Desert Camp is different than for riders joining our other cross country tours. Most riders are coming from winter climates. They are unable to ride outside during the three months before Camp. These riders can still arrive at Camp ready to ride. Here are some fitness goals:

  • Include 10 hours of physical activity in your weekly routine. Walking to work, shoveling snow, chopping wood, skiing and snowshoeing all help maintain winter fitness.

  • Participate in Spinning Classes. Three sessions weekly helps your cycling. Training with other people will helps motivation. At the gym, include stair climbing, weight lifting, and stretching in your routine

  • Don't forget intensity. Remember Lon's 90% guideline of max heart rate — try to accumulate one hour per week in this intensity zone. Use a heart monitor watch with upper limit memory. When you ride your indoor bike trainer; include sprints and hill climbs.

  • Eat Right. It is difficult to diet and ride long miles. If you need to lose weight...start now. Lose those pounds before camp.

  • Desert Camp is planned at a 3-4 hour per 50 mile pace with rest stops. You should ride down the road at 14-18 MPH. Use this as a guide for planning your training pace

  • Overhaul and test ride your bicycle before coming to camp. PAC Tour does not perform winter overhauls.