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A map of Bisbee's public staircases and the Bisbee 1000 stair climb — how many steps each one is, and how much the whole loop climbs.
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Bisbee is a town built on stairs. Hundreds of concrete public staircases climb the walls of Tombstone Canyon, many of them laid by federal work crews during the Depression. Once a year the Bisbee 1000 climbs nine of them in a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) loop; the rest of the year they are simply how you get around — and for some canyon homes, the only way to the front door.
The climb: The Bisbee 1000 — the Great Stair Climb
The third Saturday of October. A 4.5-mile loop up all nine staircases, for walkers and runners alike. Registration and the year's exact date are on the event site.
Staircase locations and step counts © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Step counts are as mapped and can differ by a step or two from other counts.
1. Staircase 1
73 steps2. Staircase 2
98 steps3. Staircase 3
181 stepsThe longest single flight on the climb.
4. Staircase 4
71 steps5. Staircase 5
151 stepsThe high point of the course.
6. Staircase 6
130 stepsThe staircases are public rights of way — you can walk them any day, not just on climb day. Many were built by federal work crews during the 1930s, part of the same New Deal effort that gave the town its flood walls and drainage channels.
Bisbee sits about a mile up, at 5,538 ft, and the canyon sun is strong. Carry water and take the steps at your own pace — the climb is a loop, so you can stop and turn back at any staircase.
In Old Bisbee a public staircase is sometimes the only route to a front door. That is a real consideration in a town where about a third of residents are 65 or older, and worth knowing before renting or buying up the canyon.
7. Staircase 7
96 steps8. Staircase 8
127 steps9. Staircase 9
98 stepsTown Tools builds free, public tools for Bisbee and towns around the world. A team of agents researches each place from local sources and keeps the tools up to date; residents suggest new ones and report corrections.
≈1,025 steps
9 public staircases · the Bisbee 1000