Adventure Cycling Association

• Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Bikecentennial ‘76 and the Adventure Cycling Association in sunny bike-friendly Tucson, Arizona in early 2026.
• Participate in fun bike rides, hikes and walks, opportunities to share small-group meals, BBQs, and social activities that you can help arrange, along with a grand Sunday Celebration Party & Early Dinner in the desert.
• Enjoy the activities while renewing old friendships and making new ones, at a location well known for over 130-miles of interconnected bike paths and fabulous riding.
• Inspire other people (like you!) to organize similar events in various parts of the country during the remainder of the 50th anniversary year, especially during the summer of 2026.

The event starts at noon on Friday, Jan 9, 2026, and ends at noon on Monday, Jan 12, 2026. The base of operations will be at several group camping areas that we have reserved in Catalina State Park in Oro Valley, Arizona, about 10-miles north of downtown Tucson. While many of the activities will take place within the park, an equal number of optional suggested activities will take place at other locations in the greater Tucson metro area. Follow the link for info about the Catalina State Park.

There will be bike rides, hikes and walks, and social activities offered each morning and afternoon starting the afternoon of Friday, Jan 9, and ending at noon on Monday, Jan 12. Each day there will be six Suggested-Organized Bike Rides to choose from and enjoy, ranging from 16 to 75 miles, with easy to moderate difficulty levels. The suggested rides will be organized into small groups of no more than 15 riders each (just like a Bikecentennial or Adventure Cycling tour group!), with staggered start times, and various starting locations. Except for the grand Sunday Celebration Party & Early Dinner, people will be empowered to organize their own meals, or arrange small group meals, either at the campsite, or at nearby restaurants and cafés.

While many of the bike rides and activities will take place within, or originate from, Catalina State Park, we would like people to discover and embrace the great bike-friendly infrastructure along with beautiful natural treasures of the greater Tucson metro area. Therefore, about half of the Suggested-Organized Bike Rides will have a remote-start outside of Catalina State Park, up to approximately 30 miles away, so a vehicle will be required to participate in those activities. We encourage people to make new friends and carpool to those remote-start locations, as Adventure Cycling will not be providing shuttling services. A vehicle can also come in handy to drive to restaurants or cafés that are too far away to reach by bike.

Yes, registration is required. We are expecting several hundred people to participate in this event. Registration is capped at 350 individuals, and is required to participate in any of the event activities and to request a camping spot in our group areas. The Registration Process and associated costs are explained in the following sections of this FAQ.

The cost to participate in the Jubilee in the Desert events is made up of a Registration Fee plus a Daily Park Entry Fee or a Daily Park Camping Fee, charged by Catalina State Park, where many of the events will take place, or originate from. If you pay the Daily Park Camping fee, then you do not have to pay the Daily Park Entry Fee. The amount charged for the Daily Park Camping Fee depends upon whether one is tent camping or RV/Trailer camping. Here’s a breakdown of the cost:

• Registration Fee = $65 for the entire event period. Payment is made online to Adventure Cycling, as described in the Registration Process section of this FAQ.
• Daily Park Entry Fee = $5/day (if entering by bike), $10/day (car with 1 person) or $20/day (car with 2-4 persons). Pay at the entrance gate to Catalina State Park each day. Daily Entry is not charged if you are paying for camping in the park.
• Daily Park Camping Fee – 3 Options
  • Tent Camping at our group site: Pay $25/night (car with 1-6 persons) or $5/night (self-contained bikers/bikepackers) at the entrance gate to Catalina State Park, when entering the park for the first time. However, you must request a camping spot online when you fill out our registration form, as described in the Registration Process section of this FAQ. If you request a camping spot, we will hold that spot for you.
  • RV/Trailer (26 ft total length or less) Camping at our group site: Pay $25/night (vehicle with 1-6 persons) at the entrance gate to Catalina State Park, when entering the park for the first time. No hookups (no electricity, no water, no sewer). You must request a camping spot online when you fill out our registration form, as described in the Registration Process section of this FAQ. If you request a camping spot, we will hold that spot for you.
  • RV/Trailer (More than 26 ft total length) Camping: Too large for our group site, so must go in nearby Ringtail Loop. No hookups (no electricity, no water, no sewer). Go online now to Catalina State Park website and make your own reservation in Ringtail Loop for your desired nights at $25/night (vehicle with 1-6 persons).

Your registration fee goes toward the actual expenses for the event. Your registration fee is not a donation. If you value the organization’s nonprofit impact, please make a generous donation here.

The following are included in your registration fee:

• Participation for all activities.
• Digital maps for day-rides.
• Sunday Celebration Party & Early Dinner in Catalina State Park.
• Each person’s share of the reservation fee for our group areas and other actual costs incurred for the long weekend event and its planning.

• The cost of camping, hotel, or any other overnight accommodation.
• The Daily Park Entry Fee to Catalina State Park. (Note: If you camp in the park, then you do not have to pay the daily entry fee.)
• The cost of your individual food expenses, except for the grand Sunday Celebration Party & Early Dinner, which are included in everyone’s registration.

No. We have certain actual per-person costs. The registration fee pays for these actual costs and the planning of the event.

Registration Fee ($65 per person) + Daily Park Tent Camping Fee ($25 per night x 3 nights) = $140. You will be paying $65 to Adventure Cycling now, using the Registration Process described elsewhere in this FAQ. The camping fee of $75 will be paid to Arizona Parks when you arrive at the entrance gate to Catalina State Park.

Just $65 more for the second registration fee.

• If you leave your car at the hotel and bike to the park: Registration Fee ($65) + Daily Park Entry Fee ($5 x 4 days) = $85.
• If you drive your car from the hotel to the park: Registration Fee ($65) + Daily Park Entry Fee ($10 x 4 days) = $105.
• Above shows that you would save $20 by biking to the park, plus you also wouldn’t have to worry about finding a place to park your car in Catalina State Park, which may be challenging with hundreds of people converging on the park at certain times.

Please read this entire FAQ as a first step in the Registration Process. We’ve tried to anticipate most questions you may have in this FAQ. Pay particular attention to the Cost section, above, as it will help you make the correct selections in the following steps.

1. *Please note that you will need to complete this process for each individual in your party.* Go to the bikereg.com/jubilee-in-the-desert website using either a laptop or a smartphone.
2. Scroll and click on the STANDARD REGISTRATION.
3. Scroll down to the EVENT ITEMS section and select your party’s desired accommodations.
4. Click on the + button in the QUANTITY BOX of your party’s desired accommodations, and then press CLICK TO ADD.
5. Scroll down to YOUR SELECTION(S) and verify that the listed items are what you really want to select. Otherwise, you can click the REMOVE for an item, and then scroll back up and make new selections.
6. Continue scrolling down and read the EVENT NOTES section.
7. Scroll back up and enter your email address in the box just above the large orange REGISTER button.
8. Click the large orange REGISTER button.
9. Enter your personal information into the PARTICIPANT CONTACT INFORMATION form. Be sure to enter information into every box that has a * indicating that it is required.
10. Scroll down past the TEAM INFORMATION section. You don’t have to enter anything in the TEAM/CLUB/COMPANY or TEAM WEBSITE boxes.
11. Scroll down to the ADVENTURE CYCLING ASSOCIATION – PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT section. You should see a question in bold asking: ARE YOU YOUR NAME? If you don’t see that question, then you must scroll and back up and enter missing information into one of the boxes with the * indicating required information.
12. Check the YES button just below the ARE YOU YOUR NAME? question.
13. Scroll and read the waiver.
14. Click the SHOW FULL WAIVER button.
15. Check the YES box after the AGREE TO ALL TERMS.
16. Place your initials in the INITIAL WAIVER box.
17. Scroll down to the ADDITIONAL INFORMATION section and read and answer the questions. The questions with the red * are required.
18. Scroll down and select or deselect the optional items listed under EMAIL UPDATES and SPECIAL OFFERS.
19. Scroll down and choose one of the two buttons at the bottom, REGISTER ANOTHER PARTICIPANT or PROCEED TO CHECKOUT. If you would like to REGISTER ANOTHER PARTICIPANT, then click that button. That will return you to Step 2, and you will make selections, and enter participant information, for that second participant. Please choose “Additional Person — I’m coming with someone else” in the EVENT ITEMS section.
20. When you are done with that participant, you will arrive back at this step. You can then REGISTER ANOTHER PARTICIPANT (for a third participant) or click the PROCEED TO CHECKOUT when you are done entering participant information for all the participants in your family or group.
21. You should see the word PROCESSING APPEAR briefly at the bottom of your screen. If you don’t, then it is likely that you missed answering one of the required questions. Wait a few seconds and then simply scroll up to the missed question, which is now highlighted in red or orange. Answer the required question(s) and then scroll down and push the PROCEED TO CHECKOUT button. Note: If you find that you can’t advance past this step, then you may have to go back to Step 14 and check the YES box in the WAIVER section, and then continue until you get back to this step and push the PROCEED TO CHECKOUT button.
22. You should now see the word PROCESSING APPEAR briefly at the bottom of your screen. If an optional offer from Outside appears, you can decline by clicking on NO THANKS.
23. You should see a REVIEW ORDER & CHECKOUT screen appear. If everything looks correct, then click the CONTINUE button. You can ignore any optional ADD-ONS that may appear. Make sure the boxes next to the ADD-ONS are not selected, unless you actually want them.
24. You should now see an OUTSIDE ACCOUNT section appear, and if desired, you can set up an account to make it easier to manage your registration. But this is optional. If you wish to skip this, then click on the small blue letters “Skip for now”. (Those letters are very small and easy to miss). Otherwise, if you want to set up an Outside account, click the CREATE ACCOUNT & CONTINUE TO PAYMENT button.
25. You should see a PAYMENT section appear with two buttons: CHECKOUT WITH PAYPAL or CHECKOUT WITH CREDIT CARD. Either way you must first check the box next to the “By selecting Checkout I authorize….” and then make your choice and press CHECKOUT WITH PAYPAL or CHECKOUT WITH CREDIT CARD.
26. You should now see a screen appear requesting your credit card number or your PayPal information. Enter the required information and then press the REGISTER & PAY button.
27. You should see a message indicating that your payment was successful.
28. Check your email for a message from BikeReg.com confirming your registration and a list of the items you selected during the Reservation Process. This email message should come in a minute or two. It should list one of the paid registration options for each person you registered, plus a camping reservation, if you made a camping reservation request during the Reservation Process, along with other optional items you selected, if any. If you don’t receive this confirmation email message, or if the items listed in the message are incorrect, then please reach out to us at 50thKickoffEvent@adventurecycling.org

If you prefer to stay at a hotel, please make your hotel reservations as soon as possible because there are other events taking place in January in Tucson, along with many visiting “snowbirds” from the north, so many people will be vying for the same hotel rooms soon.

Registration is open now, and will close when our event capacity limit of 350 people is reached. Camping reservations at our reserved group sites are limited to 100 tents and 20 RVs/Trailers as noted in the Camping section of this FAQ. We will accept camping reservations on a first-come-first-served basis, so we suggest that you register as soon as possible, especially if you desire a camping spot.

Sorry tickets are non-refundable. If you need to change your accomodation request, please contact us via email and we will work with you: 50thKickoffEvent@adventurecycling.org

Nearly everything in this event is flexible, with the exception of the grand Sunday Celebration Party & Early Dinner – see separate section for details about that event. We will provide an online schedule of the suggested events on this website in the months before the event. We will provide an updated version of the suggested schedule of events when people arrive in Catalina State Park at the start of the long weekend event.

There will be no mass start, and the listed times are just suggestions. We will have volunteers to help organize people into small groups of no more than 15 people and stagger their departure times between groups to avoid overcrowding and to enhance safety, especially on the paved bike paths of the Chuck Huckelberry Loop.

Included in everyone’s Registration Fee is entry to a grand Sunday Celebration Party & Early Dinner, from 4:00-6:00 pm at our group campsites at Catalina State Park. (We are starting early because it gets dark around 5:30 PM – please bring personal flashlights and camp chairs, as noted toward the end of this FAQ). This will be taking place in a desert setting, so be prepared for adventure and cool temperatures as the sun sets! As on our current Adventure Cycling tours, we will do our best to accommodate special diets (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free), but if you have a highly restrictive diet, you may want to bring along some special food for yourself. Non-alcoholic beverages will be available. You are welcome to bring alcoholic beverages for your own consumption to the event. Please behave responsibly with the alcoholic beverages you bring for your consumption.

We want you to bring your ideas, enthusiasm, and skills organizing small group activities to this special weekend of events. We will have clipboards or whiteboards located in the covered shelters at our group campsites to sign up for various suggested activities, and for you to suggest an activity or coordinate a meetup. Knowing who will be participating in a particular activity, such as a friend or rider from a past trip, is part of the fun of this event, so signups for various activities are encouraged, but not required. There will also be an online method to sign up and suggest these activities, too, during the event weekend, for those who are staying away from Catalina State Park in hotels or other establishments. We will provide details for the online method to sign up and suggest these activities, shortly before the event weekend. Another way to handle this is by trying to coordinate in advance with others with similar interests via the Facebook group called Bikecentennial 76 & Adventure Cycling’s 50th Anniversary Celebrations that is noted toward the end of this FAQ.

While Tucson usually has some of the best weather in the nation in January, you should be prepared for both warm and cold temperatures. Tucson’s reputation for sunny weather is well-deserved, but it is also possible to receive a dusting of snow in January! Expect typical daily temperatures to range from 41-64°F, with a chance of the temperatures dipping down into the low 30s or up into the mid 70s, especially in Catalina State Park which can experience more extreme temperature swings than the Tucson metro area. Evenings and mornings can be surprisingly cold (and overnight too, if you are camping). Statistics reveal that there is a 12% chance of rain each day, with 10 hours of daylight (sunrise 7:30 AM, sunset 5:30 PM) in early January.

Consider staying indoors at one of the nearby hotels. See additional questions in this FAQ for detailed hotel information. Many of the hotels are a short bike ride or car ride from Catalina State Park, or from meeting locations for other suggested activities.

We have three large group campsites reserved within Catalina State Park, called Gila Monster, Flycatcher, and Granite. The sites are all relatively flat, with the surface of the tent areas consisting of packed dirt/desert sand with some scrubby trees. Not all of the tent areas are shaded. Each of the three group campsites have a large covered shelter, called a ramada (20 ft x 40 ft), with a dozen or more picnic tables. The RV/Trailer campsites are in a large flat gravel packed area. These are basic gravel sites with no hookups (no electricity, no water, no sewer) for the RVs/Trailers. The only picnic tables are in the ramadas, not at the RV/Trailer sites. There is potable water available from two outdoor spigots, located near the restroom building that contains several flush toilets and showers, within walking distance of all campsites. There is an RV dump station located near the exit to the park.

There are a few 110 VAC electric outlets located outside of the restroom building and inside the Men’s and Ladie’s restrooms that can be used mainly for cell phone charging.

No, because we can only accommodate a limited number of tents (approximately 100 tents) and RVs/Trailers 26 ft or less (approximately 20) at our group campsites. Please complete the Registration Process soon, and specify your desired camping preference. If our spots fill up, you will have to camp at another location, outside the state park. Some options are listed below in the FAQ.

After completing the Registration Process, watch for a confirmation email from BikeReg.com that lists the items you selected during the Reservation Process. It should list one of the paid registration options plus a camping reservation, if you made a camping reservation request during the Reservation Process. If you don’t receive the confirming receipt email message or are unsure if you have a confirmed camping spot, then please reach out to us at 50thKickoffEvent@adventurecycling.org. We are making every effort to include as many campers as possible, but space in our group areas is limited. If the group camping areas fill and we are unable to accomodate you, we will contact you directly. There are suggestions for other campgrounds/RV parks in the Tucson area, along with hotels, provided below in this FAQ.

You should reserve your own individual campsite in the nearby Ringtail Loop at Catalina State Park ASAP. You must do this on the Catalina State Park website and pay them directly online. Individual sites in the Ringtail Loop are likely to sell out in the next month or so, therefore we recommend you make your reservation ASAP. The individually reserved campsites in the Ringtail Loop have no hookups (no electricity, no water, no sewer) but are within walking distance of the water spigots and the restroom building with flush toilets and showers. As mentioned earlier, there is an RV dump station located near the exit to the park. See the following link to reserve a Ringtail Loop campsite for your RV/Trailer longer than 26 ft: azstateparks.com/catalina/camping-and-rvs/rv-and-tent-camping. Alternatively you may secure your own campsite at one of the locations below.

• South Forty RV Ranch/Park (RVs/Trailers only), 12 mi from CSP.
• Palo Verde Estates & RV Park (RVs/Trailers only), 23 mi from CSP.
• El Pais Motel & Campgrounds (RVs/Trailers & tents), 24 mi from CSP.
• Tucson / Lazydays KOA Resort (RVs/Trailers & tents), 25 mi from CSP.
• Cactus Country RV Resort (RVs/Trailers & tents), 35 mi from CSP.

• Holiday Inn Express & Suites – Oro Valley – Tucson North, 2.7 mi from CSP.
• El Conquistador Tucson, 5.9 mi from CSP.
• Omni Tucson National Resort & Spa, 8.6 mi from CSP.
• Motel 6 Tucson – North, 11.9 mi from CSP.
• Candlewood Suites Tucson,14.5 mi from CSP.
• Hampton Inn & Suites – Tucson Marana,15.4 mi from CSP.
• Homewood Suites Tucson – St. Philip’s Plaza, 20.2 mi from CSP.
• Holiday Inn Express & Suites – Tucson, 21.8 mi from CSP.
• Hilton Tucson East, 30.1 mi from CSP.

• Fairfield Inn & Suites Tucson North/Oro Valley, 2.9 mi from CSP.
• WorldMark Rancho Vistoso, 4.8 mi from CSP.
• The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain, 14.0 mi from CSP.
• Many other hotels can be found online at tucsonloop.org/places-to-stay-Tucson-Loop and by doing a Google.com/map search.

If you’ve chosen to stay at a hotel, please make your own hotel reservations as soon as possible to ensure that you have lodging before it becomes unavailable.

The parking area for our group site is limited to a maximum of 150 vehicles. While that sounds like a lot, we are expecting several hundred people at peak times. Therefore, it’s best to park outside the state park and bike into Catalina State Park. The park is conveniently located on a bike path that connects directly to the Canada del Oro bike path and over 130 miles of the metro Tucson bike trail network called The Chuck Huckelberry Loop.

Only those who can’t bike into the park should drive into the park. Those who have a confirmed reserved camping spot may also drive into the park.

Yes, there are several parking lots where it is fine to park a car up until 10 PM within Catalina State Park. They are noted with a P on the map that can be download here: azstateparks.com/catalina/explore/maps

With the exceptions of the grand Sunday Celebration Party & Early Dinner, and water being available each day at the camping areas, the food purchase and preparation is the responsibility of each person attending the Jubilee in the Desert. Each of the three group camping areas have a covered shelter (ramada), picnic tables, and two BBQ grills. Attendees wishing to use grills will need to supply their own charcoal and lighter fluid. There is a slop sink with running water outside of the restroom building close to our group campsites for cleanup purposes. We hope that people will make new friends and form small groups to share in the food shopping and preparation duties (just like being on a Bikecentennial or Adventure Cycling self-contained bike tour!), or to bike (or drive) to a nearby restaurant, sandwich shop, or café for a meal. Within easy biking distance along paved bike paths there are many options to get food including: A supermarket (WalMart Supercenter) is only about 1 mile from the campground, and many restaurants, sandwich shops, and cafés within a few miles.

We will have clipboards or whiteboards located in the covered shelters (called ramadas) at our group campsites to signup to help organize a small group meal, picnic, or BBQ at the campground or to rendezvous at a restaurant or cafe for a meal. There will also be a method to signup online for these meals or to meetup at a restaurant or cafe. We will provide details for how to signup online for these activities, shortly before the event weekend. Also, you can float some food preparation and restaurant meetup ideas on the Facebook group that has been set up for discussion about this and other 50th anniversary events and activities. See the Facebook group here: Bikecentennial 76 & Adventure Cycling’s 50th Anniversary Celebrations.

Yes, as per Arizona and Tucson regulations, Ebikes are allowed, see: tucsonloop.org/are-e-bikes-electric-bikes-legal-Tucson-Loop. Within Catalina State Park, Ebikes may be used on the paved roads, and are allowed on the unpaved mountain bike trails, but the motor must be switched off on the mountain bike trails.

There are many options for bike and Ebike rentals in Oro Valley and Tucson. The three rental companies closest to Catalina State Park are: orovalleybikerentals.com and tucsonbikerentals.org and scottybike.com/collections/oro-valley-rentals.

We most highly recommend shipping your bike both ways with the awesome folks at Campfire Cycling – a shop dedicated to bikepacking and touring. Two other shops close to Catalina State Park are: briansbikeshop.net and orovalleybicycle.com with several locations. Any of these shops can receive your shipped bike and assemble it, as per your instructions. Be sure to contact them well ahead of shipping your bike to confirm pricing for their services. Also, if you are comfortable doing your own bike assembly and are staying at a hotel prior to the event start, it may be possible to ship your bike to a hotel. See the Hotels section of this FAQ for suggested hotels.

The Suggested-Organized bike rides will primarily be along portions of the car-free Chuck Huckelberry Loop trail system, with distances ranging from 16 to 75 miles, and difficulty levels from easy to moderate. A detailed map and cue sheet (both online and printed), along with suggested businesses located along or very close to the routes for services of interest to cyclists (coffee shops, sandwich shops, ice cream places, burger/pizza places, bike shops, etc.) will be included in the documentation for the rides. The rides start in either Catalina State Park or in a parking lot located along the loop trail in another section of the Tucson metro area. We encourage people to carpool to any of the remote-start locations. The terrain is generally flat along over 130 miles of the Chuck Huckelberry Loop.

No, these are self-guided routes. We are providing Suggested-Organized bike routes via electronic Ride With GPS (RWGPS) routes and encouraging people to form up into small groups of no more than 15 people, much like what has been done on Bikecentennial and Adventure Cycling bike tours for nearly 50 years! Tour Leaders and other volunteers will be around to help facilitate the forming of these small groups, and in some cases they may act as a leader or sweep. Experienced riders should use their resourcefulness to help make their small group ride progress as smoothly as possible, and to help fellow riders with mechanical assistance. The RWGPS routes include suggested businesses located along or very close to the routes for services of interest to cyclists and for food and drinks (coffee shops, sandwich shops, ice cream places, burger/pizza places, bike shops, etc). Please make sure to keep well hydrated and nourished during your rides.

We expect to post links to the Ride With GPS routes online on this webpage in the months ahead. A personal account with Ride With GPS will be required to download the routes, but there are free account options. We recommend setting up your Ride With GPS account now, to make the downloading process seamless later.

Knowing who will be going on a particular ride, such as a friend or rider from a past trip, is part of the fun of this event, so signups are encouraged but not required. We will have clipboards or whiteboards located in the covered shelters (called ramadas) at our group campsites to signup for a ride, along with a suggested departure time. There will also be a method to sign up online for these rides, too, during the event weekend, for those who are staying away from Catalina State Park in hotels or other establishments. We will provide details for how to sign up online for these rides, shortly before the event weekend.

TucsonLoop.org is the official website of Friends of the Tucson Loop, also known as The Huckelberry Loop. Riding along portions of the 130-mile loop will form the core of the Suggested-Organized bike routes for the Jubilee in the Desert event. The TucsonLoop.org website features interactive maps and much more information and is an excellent resource.

In a manner similar to the bike ride sign-ups, knowing who will be going on a particular off-bike activity, such as a friend or rider from a past trip, is part of the fun of this event, so signups are encouraged but not required. We will have clipboards or whiteboards located in the covered shelters (called ramadas) at our group campsites to sign up for a hike/walk or other social activity, along with a suggested meeting time. There will also be a method to signup online for these activities, too, during the event weekend, for those who are staying away from Catalina State Park in hotels or other establishments. Carpooling to a meeting site away from Catalina State Park is encouraged and will be facilitated with the clipboard signup system. We will provide details for how to signup online for these activities, shortly before the event weekend.

Yes, absolutely! Bring your bike from that era, in working or non-working condition to display and if possible to ride too! One of the suggested activities is a Vintage Bike Parade and bike ride, along with displaying this kind of memorabilia in one of our group areas. Bring maps and cycling clothing from Bikecentennial ‘76 or from the 70s or 80s to display or wear. Many people, including the younger bike riders, or those new to bike travel, would love to see all of these items, and hear your personal stories of adventure!

• Above all else, a friendly, flexible, and adventurous spirit is most important to bring to this event. Embracing challenging conditions was the hallmark of Bikecentennial ‘76 and Adventure Cycling trips over the past 50 years, and we expect that to be the case again for this event.
• Please try to bring a camp chair or folding chair (even if not camping), for your comfort, during the larger gatherings in Catalina State Park, especially the Sunday Celebration Party & Early Dinner. There will be seating for 100-200 at picnic tables, but it’s best to bring your own camp chair or folding chair to ensure that you have a place to sit and relax. Note: Some camp chairs weigh as little as one pound and pack into a pannier, so they can come in handy during bike trips in addition to this special event.
• Bring a personal flashlight to the Sunday Celebration Party & Early Dinner, as lighting is limited in the group campsites at Catalina State Park, and it will be much easier to see where to walk with your personal light.
• Bring lights for your bike in case you get caught out in the late evening, returning from an event in Catalina State Park, or heading out early in the morning. Note: sunset in January is at approximately 5:30 PM in the Tucson area, and sunrise is approximately 7:30 AM.
• Bring along a USB battery pack to recharge your cell phone, since electricity at our group camp will be limited, as explained in the next section.
• Finally, don’t forget to bring your personal stories of bike travel adventures and your dreams for your next adventures!

There is excellent cell phone coverage within the commercial areas of Oro Valley and Tucson, including almost all of the 130-miles of the Chuck Huckelberry Loop bike path. However, within Catalina State Park there can be some dead spots due to the hills, so try moving a few hundred feet if you are having communication difficulties. You may find texting to be the most reliable method of communication within the park if you detect a weak cell phone network signal. Also, when many people gather in one place, such as will be the case at our reserved group areas in the park, it may become difficult, or even impossible to get a reliable Internet connection, so please consider switching to texting for communication, and avoid streaming videos and other bandwidth-hungry modes.

• visittucson.org/things-to-do
• tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60950-Activities-Tucson_Arizona.html
• campfiresandconcierges.com/things-to-do-in-tucson

While a number of past and current tour leaders from Bikecentennial ‘76 and Adventure Cycling will be volunteering to help, many additional volunteers are required to ensure a smooth and successful event. In return for about an hour of volunteer work each day, we are pleased to offer a reduction on the registration fee.

Volunteer roles include helping out at the group tent camping areas by directing the placement of 100 tents, filling and refilling water dispensers with water, picking up trash, directing car/vehicle traffic to parking spots into and out of our group areas, assisting with some of the bike rides by organizing large groups into smaller groups of 15 or less and staggering their departure times, assisting with walks, hikes, or social activities or food-related events including the grand Sunday Celebration Party & Early Dinner, and helping with the final cleanup on Monday, in the early afternoon. Most of these volunteer positions will be needed within Catalina State Park, but some may be at other locations within the Tucson area. We anticipate needing about an hour of work from each volunteer each day during the long weekend of events, from Jan 9-12.

During the registration process, you will be asked to indicate which volunteer roles might interest you. You will then be asked to check off the volunteer roles that most interest you. We will do our best to match your interests with the needs of the event, and then around Oct 1, we will follow up with an email message with preliminary volunteer assignments based upon your preferences, and give you a chance to confirm your desired time to serve in that role or to move to another role. Your name will then be added to a master volunteer spreadsheet, and you will be able to see your assigned role and time slots, along with other volunteers. If you have any issues with your assigned role, you can email the event organizers at: 50thKickoffEvent@adventurecycling.org

A Facebook group has been set up for discussion about this and other 50th anniversary events and activities. See: Bikecentennial 76 & Adventure Cycling’s 50th Anniversary Celebrations. The Facebook group will not be monitored by the organizers of this event, so we recommend using the 50thKickoffEvent@adventurecycling.org email address if you have questions that require an official or personal response.

• Your registration fee for the Jubilee in the Desert goes toward the planning and actual expenses for this event, and is not a donation. If you value the organization’s nonprofit impact, please consider making a tax-deductible donation here.
• Renew, rejoin, or become a first-time member of Adventure Cycling see: adventurecycling.org/join

Yes, that is true. If you are a past or current tour leader of Bikecentennial or Adventure Cycling, then you should have heard via an email message about the Tour Leader Gathering that will take place starting Jan 7. Please go ahead and register for this event using the Registration Process described earlier in this FAQ.

Please email 50thKickoffEvent@adventurecycling.org. Your message will go directly to the organizers of the Jubilee in the Desert, consisting of several volunteer tour leaders and headquarters staff members of Adventure Cycling. Thank you for reading through this FAQ and see you in Tucson!