Douglas, AZ: Your Basecamp for Borderland Adventure
When people talk about gravel races, they usually focus on the course. The climbs, the mileage, the gear. But what makes BorderLands Gravel special isn’t just the race. It’s where it happens.
Douglas, Arizona, isn’t just a place you pass through. It’s a place you launch from. It’s the beginning of something ... remote rides, historic landmarks, and desert wildness in every direction.
So, if you’re making the trip to Douglas this fall, don’t just come for race day. Stick around. Explore. Let this little border town be your jumping-off point.
Here are 7 unforgettable adventures within an hour of Douglas that will change how you see the Arizona borderlands.
1. Geronimo Trail
If you’ve raced BorderLands before, you know this stretch. It’s the backbone of our long course and the kind of road that sticks with you. Starting right on the edge of town, the Geronimo Trail rolls east toward Animas, New Mexico, through windswept ranchlands, past the border wall, and into the heart of nowhere.
You can ride as much or as little as you want. Even a few miles out will give you a sense of the vastness that defines this region.
2. John Slaughter Ranch
Ten miles east of Douglas sits a piece of history and one of the race’s key landmarks. The Slaughter Ranch tells the story of borderland cattle culture, frontier lawmen, and the rugged legacy of Cochise County.
Stroll the grounds, tour the old ranch house, and soak in the spring-fed pond that kept this outpost alive in the desert.
3. San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge
Just past the Slaughter Ranch, you’ll hit the gates of this quiet, windswept refuge. Think cottonwoods, desert grasslands, and a sky that never ends. Bring your binoculars. This is a birding hotspot, and you can pedal the gravel roads that wind through open country.
Quiet. Stark. Beautiful. It’s exactly the kind of place that re-centers you.
4. The Perilla Mountains
Northeast of Douglas, the Perilla Mountains feel like a secret even locals forget to mention. They are rugged, steep, and wild. This is prime territory for hikers and bold gravel riders looking for unmaintained forest roads and punchy climbs.
There’s no visitor center. No paved pullouts. Just raw terrain and the sense that you’ve found something most people never will. And that’s the point.
5. Chiricahua Mountains / Portal, AZ
An hour to the northeast sits Portal, tucked into Cave Creek Canyon in the Chiricahuas. It’s a naturalist’s paradise with towering rock walls, leafy trails, and cool creekside campsites. Come for the hiking. Stay for the birding. This spot is legendary in the ornithology world.
Ride your bike there. Set up camp. Let the mountains do their thing.
6. Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area
About 40 minutes north of Douglas near McNeal, Whitewater Draw is a flat, shallow wetland that, depending on the season, fills with thousands of sandhill cranes. Even if you’re not a birder, it’s hard not to be moved by the sheer scale and sound of it.
Gravel roads lead in from every angle. Bring your camera and take it slow.
7. Bisbee, AZ
Sure, it’s the most well-known spot on this list, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth the detour. Bisbee is just 30 minutes from Douglas and packed with personality. Coffee shops. Vintage stores. Steep streets and copper-mining history around every corner.
If Douglas is where the wild starts, Bisbee is where it blends with art and grit.
Make Douglas Your Starting Line
Adventure doesn’t start at the finish line. It starts when you say yes to showing up. Douglas, AZ is ready to surprise you. Whether you’re racing the 82-mile long course or easing into gravel life on the 39-mile short course, don’t treat the race as the only destination.
Make it a weekend. Make it a basecamp. Make it your gateway to the borderlands.
