About / Mission
What is Ruta del Jefe?
Ruta del Jefe is a four-day advocacy-focused adventure festival in Patagonia, Arizona, that uses cycling, education, community, and fundraising to inspire stewardship of the borderlands.
Centered on community over competition, the event invites participants to explore the region through immersive rides, educational experiences, and meaningful engagement with the people and organizations working to protect its ecological and cultural future.
Our Mission
To inspire stewardship and advocacy for the borderlands through adventure, education, community, and direct support for organizations working throughout the region.
Why the Borderlands?
The borderlands are a region where ecology, culture, history, and community intersect in powerful ways. Home to the Sky Islands of the Sonoran Desert, the region supports extraordinary biodiversity, deep Indigenous histories, vibrant cross-border communities, and critical wildlife migration corridors.
The region is also shaped by important conversations surrounding conservation, humanitarian aid, migration, water resources, land use, and the impacts of border infrastructure—including recently constructed sections of border wall that affect both wildlife movement and local communities.
How We Create Impact
We believe people are more likely to protect places they understand and care about.
Ruta del Jefe creates that connection through:
➽ Adventure
Immersive rides through the Sky Islands.
➽ Education
Workshops, presentations, and conversations.
➽ Community
Shared meals, camping, music, and collective experiences.
➽ Fundraising
Direct support for beneficiary organizations.
Community Impact
Participant Fundraising
The Community Impact Commitment is a core part of the Ruta del Jefe experience. Together, participants and supporters are working toward a collective fundraising goal of $100,000 for organizations serving the borderlands.
Funds raised through Ruta del Jefe directly support work in conservation and restoration, Indigenous food sovereignty, humanitarian aid, environmental advocacy, wildlife protection, and community resilience.
More than a fundraising requirement, the Community Impact Commitment is designed to connect participants more deeply to the people, places, issues, and organizations shaping the future of the borderlands while generating meaningful financial support for their work.
Organizations Supported
Borderlands Restoration Network
Supporting ecological restoration, habitat resilience, native seed work, and community engagement throughout the borderlands.
Kino Border Initiative
Providing humanitarian aid, accompaniment, advocacy, and support for migrants and deported individuals in the border region.
La Tierra del Jaguar
Working with local communities to support jaguar habitat conservation and wildlife corridor protection throughout northern Mexico.
San Xavier Co-op Far
Preserving traditional O’odham agriculture, food systems, and Indigenous farming practices.
Sky Island Alliance
Protecting and restoring the lands, waters, wildlife, and habitat connectivity of the U.S.–Mexico Sky Island region through science, restoration, and community engagement.
Sierra Club Borderlands Program
Protecting the ecological and cultural integrity of the borderlands while advancing environmental justice, wildlife connectivity, and human rights.
The views and policies of Ruta del Jefe do not necessarily reflect those of our nonprofit partner organizations.
Community Guidelines
Ruta del Jefe is committed to fostering a welcoming, respectful, and inclusive environment centered on community over competition.
Participants are expected to contribute to a culture of curiosity, accountability, mutual respect, and care for both people and place.
Land Acknowledgment
Ruta del Jefe takes place in the borderlands of southern Arizona, within the Sky Islands region of the Sonoran Desert. We acknowledge that these lands have been home to Indigenous peoples since time immemorial, including the Tohono O’odham and other Native communities who have lived, traveled, traded, cultivated food, and maintained deep relationships with these landscapes long before the establishment of international borders.
We recognize that the lands, waters, plants, animals, and migration corridors that sustain life in this region are part of a living cultural and ecological landscape. We honor the enduring presence, knowledge, stewardship, and sovereignty of Indigenous peoples and acknowledge their ongoing contributions to the health and resilience of the borderlands.
As we gather, ride, learn, and share stories throughout the weekend, we encourage participants to approach these lands with humility, respect, curiosity, and gratitude.