The Sonoran Desert has been inhabited by humans for at least two thousand years.The Tohono O’odham have called this region home since time immemorial and have learned to live and thrive in the dry, harsh, and sparse environment that spans over 100,000 square miles of land between the United States and Mexico.

One unique quality of the Sonoran Desert, beside the fact that it’s the only place where the organ pipe cactus grows, is that by desert standards, the Sonoran is quite lush compared to most others, which means that it supports a surprisingly diverse ecosystem. The Tohono O’odham harvested nearly 20% of the plants in the Sonoran Desert and many of the medicinal remedies they discovered and religious practices they developed and used in their daily lives are continued by their descendants today.

Just 40 miles north of the Mexico border, located in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, is the forgotten hamlet of Ajo, AZ, once a booming copper mine town and now a haven for artists, retirees, and anyone looking to escape the rat race for a taste of the slow life. The name “Ajo” itself is said to come from the O’odham word for paint, “au’auho,” referring to the pigments found in the surrounding rocks. It’s the kind of place where you can wake up to the sound of coyotes howling in the distance, grab a cup of morning motivation at Curley Coffee, and spend your day frequenting mural sites, walking the art alleys, hiking in the nearby Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, pedaling the near 30 miles of mtb trails built on the mountain above town, and exploring the many gravel roads that spiral out into the desert.

That said, Ajo has always been an extraction town. High-grade native copper made Ajo the first copper mine in Arizona and it boomed, spurring huge growth and the creation of a company town that was quite segregated. The scars of Ajo’s mining history are on full display at the Cornelia Open Pit Mine, which spans one and a half miles across, and is a terrifying testament to the ecological effects of an extractive economy. Hulking oxidized tailings piles, more like massive earth ledges, fan out from the pit, a forever reminder of the earthly destruction that mining inflicts upon a landscape.

This region between the United States and Mexico has been a migratory corridor for thousands of years, the ebb and flow of life unfettered by any sort of physical impediments beyond the craggy mountain ranges, sandy washes, and flora that does everything in its power to rip, pierce, cut, and tear at you. The American desire for a physical border, as denoted by “monuments” placed by surveyors in the 1800s, was the beginnings of trying to “wall or fence” off this region to stem the flow of peoples coming across what was once just an imaginary, or more like, arbitrary line. For the last hundred years or so, that line is now a wall, unfortunately, that impedes the flow of life.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, which covers more than 330,000 acres of the Sonoran Desert between the United States and Mexico, received its special status on April 13, 1937, at the direction of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. With over 2,000 species of plants, 300 species of birds, and one hundred reptiles and amphibians, this other worldly cactus forest has been honored by UNESCO as an International Biosphere Reserve for its biodiversity.

With over 12 million acres of public and tribal lands surrounding it, Ajo is an outdoor enthusiast's paradise, especially if you like exploring by bike because there are hundreds of miles of roads spidering off into the distance. This gorgeous 145 mile, three day two night desert bike packing route takes you from a historic copper town, south through the Sonoran uplands to Organ Pipe National Park, around the Organ Pipe Scenic loop and then back again via Puerto Blanco Road. Along the way you will pedal through a sea of saguaro and organ pipe cactus across gravel roads that traverse extinct volcanoes and trace ancient sea beds.

The route leaves from Ajo’s central plaza and ducks out a quiet neighborhood street before it hits dirt within two miles. Once outside of town, civilization fades as the horizon becomes dominated with the saguaro, organ pipe, and ocotillo cactus that dot the ripples and folds of this stunning  landscape.This 145 mile bike packing adventure threads its way through the sonoran uplands, dipping behind Black Mountain on Bates Well Road, and eventually spits you out at Organ Pipe National Park where hot showers await, as well as other amenities like power, potable water, snack shop, and tent sites, all of which mean that it’s the perfect oasis to bunk down for the night to refuel, rest, and recharge for the next day’s adventure.

Got a hankering for a two wheeled desert adventure, but sleeping amongst the sage brush doesn't sound like fun? You are in luck!

Fill your saddlebags with the bare minimum, grab your credit card, and pack your spirit of adventure  as you hop on your gravel bike - that's all you need for this three day desert sojourn. Taking you to some far flung borderlands, through the magestic desert of the Old West, with a hotel and a hot meal at the end of each day.

by Yuri Hauswald