Please click here to jump to Pricing within the Overview section that includes all tour details.

Patagonia Gravel Camp: Highlights

Our Patagonia Gravel Camp explores quiet dirt roads, rolling grasslands, and stunning views of the Southern Arizona desert that make this corner of the Southwest so unique. Along the way, riders can experience local favorites, from the vibrant birding culture and historic ranching heritage to the welcoming cafés and small-town charm of Patagonia. Riders can expect a mix of smooth county gravel roads, small teasers of rugged doubletrack, and remote routes that deliver both rewarding climbs and fast, flowing descents, all with minimal traffic and expansive views. Patagonia is an often talked about gravel riding mecca, and with Lizard Head Cycling Guides, you get to explore the best of what Patagonia has to offer!

Patagonia Gravel Camp: Dates

Potential tour dates are listed below and not all tour dates will run. Lock in your preferred tour date early as unopened tour dates will be closed. Please see the Winter/Spring/Autumn Tour Calendar and the Summer Tour Calendar for confirmed departures. Any unopened date can be a Custom Week (9 riders required). Please contact us via email or call 970.728.5891

2026 Tour Dates

• November 2 to 6, 2026 (Book Now!) – TOUR OPENED 3 riders needed to make GO
• November 8 to 12, 2026 (Book Now!)

Tour Status Notes: NO STATUS = Date Set, no riders have signed up. TOUR OPENED = Tour Opened, rider minimums not met. TOUR A GO! = Tour is Go, rider minimums met. SOLD OUT = Tour Full, rider maximums met.

Why Should You Sign Up Now And OPEN A Tour Date?
This is the proverbial chicken and the egg conundrum! We need our cyclists to first commit to the date that works for them so we can commit to that date.

When you OPEN a date, you get to pick your preferred departure and there is no penalty if the tour does not run. Once you pick your tour date, Lizard Head closes nearby dates and funnels all additional riders to your chosen date until the tour meets the rider minimum. Don't wait. Just do it!

BONUS: As an added bonus, we can also hold a spot for you on another tour date of your choosing. There is no fee to switch to another tour date.

NOTE: In anticipation and encouragement of future tour sign-ups prior to reaching the tour minimum, the Lizard Head Cycling website may be updated to show TOUR A GO prior to actual tour confirmation. Even if the website says that the tour is a GO, please wait for your official Email Confirmation before booking non-refundable travel reservations.

Patagonia Gravel Camp: Overview

Tour Length: 5-Days Cycling/4-Nights Lodging

Meeting/Ending Town: Tucson, AZ

Total Miles: 181 miles (additional mileage options available)

Mileage Range: 21 – 37 miles per day.

Ability Level: Upper Intermediate (3) , Advanced (3/4)

Tour Cost: $3,195 per person. Add $595 per person to this Tour Cost for a private room each night of the tour (includes 4-Nights). Please see our Reptile Rewards & Tour Discounts page for more information on Group Discounts. Please note that for discounts to apply the tour minimum must be met. Lodging availability may vary.

Tour Includes: 5-Days of guide service, all meals, park service fees, energy food, liquid refreshments, shuttles, and mechanical support. Alcoholic beverages, bike rental, and massage are additional.

Lodging for 4-Nights: (subject to change and availability)

• Stage Stop Inn, Patagonia, AZ (elevation 4,050′)

Meeting Hotel and Ending Hotel reservations and costs are NOT included unless specified otherwise. Guests are on their own to make reservations at the Meeting Hotel or Ending Hotel, or other nearby hotels.

Gravel Bike Rentals

NOTE: The make, model, and specifications of rental bikes may differ from what is described below. Please contact us if you have any specific needs for a rental bike or have any questions about rental bikes.

Lizard Head Cycling Guides is proud to rent the Scott 2023 Addict 30 which is light, can handle rough terrain, fits chunky tires and has enough mounts to carry all the liquids and freeze-dried chicken curry you want. What's really important, though is what this bike allows you to do. Now, perhaps more than ever, the Addict Gravel 30 is your ticket to adventure when you need it most.

The Addict 30 features: Addict Gravel Disc HMF Carbon Gravel geometry, Shimano GRX 22 speed drivetrain, Shimano BR-RX400 hydraulic disc brakes, Schwalbe G-ONE Bite Performance 700x45C tires. Approx. Weight: 20.3 / 9.2 kg (without pedals)

☛ Learn more about our Rental Bikes and Equipment

If you have any further questions, please read more on our Rental Bikes FAQ page. You can also email us at info@lizardheadcyclingguides.com or call us at 970.728.5891

Meals On Tour

Lizard Head Cycling Guides provides most meals on all tours (unless otherwise noted), including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Guides will prepare a daily lunch en route for nearly every tour, both road and off-road, as well as provide nutritious snacks at periodic aid stations during the day.

Most of our road tours utilize local restaurants for all meals and, occasionally, guides may prepare a dinner or two during a tour. Due to the nature of being "off the grid", most of our off-road tours feature guides preparing meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. FUN NOTE: When guides prepare a meal in camp and the guests sit around and watch, this is called "Guide TV".

We also pride ourselves on being able to cater to specific dietary requests and needs, so rest assured that you will be able to get the nutrition that works best for you during your tour. Gluten free, Dairy free, Vegan, or someone who loves it all – we will keep you well-fed during the tour!

Lunches: Lizard Head Cycling Guides prepare healthy lunches to keep you going. We will serve you fresh organic fruits and veggies, salads, hummus, sandwich fixings, nuts, gourmet cheeses and, of course, plenty of salty/sweet snacks such as chips and cookies.

Dinners: On our road tours, Lizard Head Cycling sources our favorite restaurants in each town that we visit. Our guides focus on establishments that offer fresh and local ingredients and guests choose whatever they desire to eat off the menu, including: appetizer, salad, entrée, and of course, dessert... yum! Also, while on tour, if a guest wants to dine early before the group and go to bed, this is fine. We understand that on some days, sleep is the most important post-ride element.

Ability Level: Can I Ride This Tour?

Definition of Ability Levels

= Intermediate (2/3) Rides and/or takes spin classes 1 to 3 times a week for a total of 50 or more miles.
= Upper Intermediate (3) Rides and/or takes spin classes 2 to 4 times a week for a total of 75 or more miles.
= Advanced (3/4) Rides and/or takes spin classes 3 to 5 times a week for a total of 100 or more miles. Has ridden multi-day tours and done a century ride.
= Expert (4) Rides 4 or more times per week totaling 150 or more miles. Rides E.F.I. with regularity. Has done numerous multi-day tours, century rides and races.

How Fit do I Have to Be? If one month prior to the tour, you can ride 2 to 3 times a week, equaling a total of 75 or more miles a week, you'll do just fine. We like to jokingly say that "one is ready for a Lizard Head Cycling Tour when they are finished with the tour" and this is true! The only way to simulate a week-long bike tour is to go on a week-long bike tour.

Our average rider age is 55 years. These are bike tours, not races, so we take our time to stop, take pictures and see the sights. We have all day to reach our destination and most riders take "bumps" at some point. We offer reduced mileage options for each day. Of course, if someone wants to ride E.F.I. (Every Freaking Inch), we love to show them all the extra climbs, loops and hidden canyons that can be included!

Do the Bump! Daily mileage options allow cyclists of varying abilities to enjoy this tour. One of our favorite options is to give cyclists a "bump" via the support vehicle, or a 10 to 20-mile lift down the road representing an hour of pedal time. After the bump, the rider is "off the front" and riding at his or her own pace without feeling they are being left behind the group. They'll then have time to linger and take in the spectacular scenery. All cyclists come together in time for lunch. Afterward, cyclists can take another bump and/or continue riding.

Seamless Mileage Options. Lizard Head Cycling Guides designs multiple mileage options for each tour – something we're well known for in our business. This technique is similar to heliskiing in that one does not ski everything, they ski the best. 🙂

Slow or Fast? Many cyclists who sign up for our tours have worried themselves silly about not being able to keep up, but then they're surprised to find that all the worrying was about nothing. They do just fine! Slow and Fast only exist relative to other cyclists. Speed does not matter as long as one is moving on the bike. As long as one is moving, they are truly going fast enough.

Questions? If you have questions about your ability to ride this tour, please contact our office via email or call us at 970.728.5891, we will be more than happy to guide you!

Please also see this blog post for more information.

Overall Route Map

Below is an example of the daily routes for this tour, which are subject to change based on season, available accommodations, road closures, and other factors. The actual routes will be made available to registered participants before their tour, so please view these routes as a general outline of what to expect.

Patagonia Gravel Camp: Itinerary*

*PLEASE NOTE: Tour itineraries are subject to change and modification based on the group, available accommodations, road construction, road closures, and other unforeseen circumstances including weather, wildfires, flooding, hurricanes, landslides and/or other acts of nature. Also, the distances and elevation profiles shown below may not reflect the actual distances and elevations while on tour as these are provided here to give an idea as to the anticipated mileage and terrain. Please view this itinerary, the distances, and elevation profiles as a general outline of what to expect while on this tour.

Day 0: Arrival in Tucson

If you are flying in for this tour, book flights to Tucson International Airport – TUS. Lizard Head provides a Day 1 morning shuttle from The meeting hotel to the start of the riding in Sonoita, AZ and then a post-tour shuttle on the last day of the tour back to Tucson International Airport or the meeting hotel.

If you are you driving to this tour, you can leave your car at long-term parking at the Tucson International Airport. At the end of the tour we will shuttle you back to Tucson International Airport.

Please refer to your tour confirmation documents for more detailed pre-tour and post-tour travel logistics.

Day 1: Sonoita Region
34 miles with up to 1,353′ feet of climbing

We start our Southern Arizona dirt adventure with a flat stage in the Sonoita Region. We get to stretch our legs on some smooth dirt and explore some desert grasslands. We end the ride at a relaxed winery with a chance to taste some local flavor before heading to Patagonia, our home for the rest of the week.

Day 2: Temporal View
21 miles with up to 2,394′ feet of climbing

This day marks our introduction into the Coronado National Forest, with the rest of the week to explore the hills and views of this beautiful area of public lands. Our goal for the day is to get to ‘Temporal View’, with a fun rolling downhill back to town. In the afternoon, there is some time to go explore the Paton Center for Hummingbirds, run by the Tucson Bird Alliance, that is open until dusk. Make sure to bring your binoculars!

Day 3: Harshaw Loop
29 miles with up to 1,790′ feet of climbing

Our Harshaw Loop picks up where the previous day left off, but further to the south. Our ride passes through old mining country, and through the town of Harshaw, which was incorporated into the National Forest in 1953. This town was known for silver mining with ebbs and flows in population until finally becoming a ghost town. Keep your eyes peeled for cattle, the only residents now of the Harshaw area.

Day 4: Alto Ghost Town
30 miles with up to 2,460′ feet of climbing

Another day of exploring the Old West! We return to the Santa Rita Mountains on the West side of Patagonia to explore another ghost town. Alto was a small mining town, founded by Spanish missionaries, and often raided by Apaches, with more silver deposits like the ghost town of Harshaw. After our ride, we will have our last dinner of the trip, and reflect on our time in the lovely town of Patagonia, AZ.

Day 5: Mt. Hopkins and Observatory
30 miles with up to 4,252′ feet of climbing

Our last ride of the trip takes us to the other side of the Santa Rita Mountains to explore some paved and gravel roads snaking up into the hills. We will get a chance to go to the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory Science Center and learn all about our night sky and beyond. We ride up as close as we can to the observatory itself before a fun downhill all the way back into the valley. This marks our last ride of the tour, and we then shuttle back to Tucson for drop-offs either at the Tucson International Airport or the meeting hotel.

Patagonia Gravel Camp: Logistics & FAQs

General Tour & Cancellation Policies

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with all of our tour and cancellation policies, which can be found by clicking here.

Travel Insurance

If you have not already, now would be a great time to consider adding travel insurance to your tour. You are welcome to use any travel insurance company you would like. We recommend Generali/Trip Mate.

American Guests - use this link: http://www.generalitravelinsurance.com/get-a-quote.html?partner=LIZA0855

• The Premium Plan is the only plan which offers Pre-Existing coverage so long as the plan is purchased prior to Final Payment.
• The Premium Plan is the only plan that offers an optional Cancel For Any Reason - the policy must be purchased within 24 hours of initial trip deposit, the full trip cost must be insured, and if they cancel for Any Reason, it must be 48 hours prior to departure, and the reimbursement for an Any Reason claim is 60% of pre-paid, insured, non-refundable trip cost.
• Customer Service can be reached at 1-800-874-2442 for coverage questions and policy modifications or to purchase by phone. Agency Code: LIZA0855

Canadian Guests - use this link: https://tripmate.catravelins.ca/?utm_source=lizardhead