After triple-digit summer temperatures and 90-degree days that linger well into October, late fall and early winter restore an ultra-outdoorsy vibe to this mountain-ringed college town in the Sonoran Desert, an hour north of Mexico.

A sure sign of the sweet season in Arizona’s second-largest city: thousands of cyclists flocking to El Tour de Tucson (which took place in November), one of the nation’s biggest road races and a Technicolor Lycra-clad reminder of the joys of exploring on two wheels when the weather turns reliably, ridiculously pleasant.

Between your own adventures on the local trails, try a new spin on traditional Sonoran spirits, stargaze from a sky island, take in a juried exhibition of local artwork at the Arizona Biennial (through Feb. 9) and devour as many stuffed, steaming tortillas as possible.

ITINERARY

FRIDAY

3 p.m. | Meet four-legged locals

Get to know some of Tucson’s most fascinating creatures at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum — more of a zoo than the name would suggest — about a 30-minute drive west of town (general admission, $29.95). From a series of winding pathways (most of the exhibits are outdoors and designed to blend into the surrounding wilderness), look out for javelinas (picture shrunken wild boar impersonators), bighorn sheep, various wildcats and — yes, in the same area as the resident coyote — a roadrunner. Perhaps most surprising to visitors who’ve never contemplated desert waterways (Tucson has a few): the absurdly adorable otter and beaver. The museum’s mountain and valley views at golden hour also make the visit worthwhile.

5 p.m. | Chase the setting sun

Gates Pass, a main artery to the Desert Museum, is a renowned sunset lookout. Locals debate the best spots to pull over along the twists and turns, but one pairing that works especially well for its diversity of landscapes and views is, first, the parking area for the David Yetman West Trailhead, then the Gates Pass Overlook Trailhead. Wherever you stop, take the occasional break from the setting sun to turn and watch the mountains and valleys glow pink, orange and gold around you. Once the color fades, drive back to town flanked by an army of saguaros in dreamy silhouette.

6:30 p.m. | Savor a show

While the drama has died down a bit at Hotel Congress since a 1934 fire led the police to John Dillinger — the FBI’s first public enemy No. 1 — the downtown institution remains one of Tucson’s liveliest scenes. Three stages host performers of all kinds, from metal to mariachi — and sometimes, Metalachi (many shows are free; tickets rarely exceed $35). A typical Friday-night lineup includes multiple performances between 6:30 and 11:30 p.m., so you can easily grab dinner before or after at the on-site Cup Café, where wine bottle chandeliers light up the cozy jumble of tables, banquettes and bar stools. Start with the Barrio Heartbreaker: sliced baguette from the beloved Barrio Bread bakery with warm Brie, marmalade, roasted garlic and sliced apples, among other accompaniments ($19).

10:30 p.m. | Get Sonoran spirits

Hidden inside an old Veterans of Foreign Wars building, a quick walk from Hotel Congress, are two new sister bars: the street-level Sonora Moonshine Co. and the underground Prohibición. They are the brainchild of Es Teran, who also owns Borderlands Brewing Co., known for cactus-infused IPA, horchata cream ale and other local brews. Now he hopes to expand appreciation of agave. Both bars stock various bacanoras — a moonshine that went from prohibition in 1915 to denomination of origin in 2000 — and other agave spirits. Try the Oaxacan Old Fashioned: mezcal añejo with mesquite-smoked mole and piloncillo, a raw cane sugar ($14, or $12 once the 10 p.m. happy hour starts). Most of the exhibits at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum are outdoors and designed to blend into the surrounding wilderness.

SATURDAY

8 a.m. | Build burritos

Steaming, stretchy flour tortillas — another Sonoran staple — are used to particularly decadent effect in Tucson’s beloved breakfast burritos. Two favorite purveyors are a 30-second walk from each other on the east side of town: Paco’s Mexican Food and Amelia’s Mexican Kitchen. The conjoined parking lots will be jammed on a Saturday morning, as will the line at Paco’s drive-thru, where the most popular breakfast burritos with chorizo or bacon and cheese are $5.45. At Amelia’s, the bestseller is the machaca (beef) burrito with eggs, pico de gallo, potatoes and cheese ($11.99), but vegans and vegetarians do well here, too, given the build-your-own menu.

8:30 a.m. | Hit the trails

Tucked into the Santa Catalina Mountains on Tucson’s northeast side, Sabino Canyon dazzles even the annual-pass holders who hike or run here regularly (daily fee, $8 per car). Stop into the visitors’ center for information on the short nature loops and half-day hikes, or if you find yourself so overcome by the saguaro-studded canyon walls and cottonwood-lined creek that you’re tempted to scrap the rest of today’s docket, consider a full-day hike, such as the aptly named Seven Falls (about 8 miles round trip). The easiest way to explore the canyon, however, is to stick to the paved road — an approximately two-hour walk round trip, or a 60-minute narrated ride on an electric shuttle that departs hourly from 9 a.m. ($15 for adults). Back near the visitors’ center, refresh with an iced latte from Old Pueblo Coffee’s tiny pink trailer.

Noon | Shop and nosh

The downtown-adjacent Fourth Avenue is indie shop central. Visit the Tucson Herb Store for creosote branch bundles to make your shower smell like a desert rain, Antigone Books for an intro to the Southwestern literary scene, 440 & Co. for saguaro-bloom-scented candles in minimalist ceramics, and Pop Cycle for maximalist Western wear and art. To refuel, hit Boca for tacos and as many of the chef Maria Mazon’s ever-evolving array of housemade salsas as you can manage. And if you stay on Fourth Avenue into the night, head to Sky Bar Tucson for bubbling slices from the Brooklyn Pizza Co.’s solar-powered oven next door (from $3.45).

3 p.m. | Enjoy astronomy

Famed for its night skies, Tucson is surrounded by mountaintop observatories, where the Smithsonian, the Vatican and the National Science Foundation, among others, operate telescopes. Watch the 45-minute “Touring the Solar System” or “Tucson Sky & Beyond” at the University of Arizona’s Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium’s theater ($14 for show-only ticket; $26.95 includes entry to exhibits). More dedicated stargazers, including kids, will enjoy the afternoon-into-evening, dinner-included programming at nearby observatories on sky islands (isolated high-elevation peaks; you’ll want to wear your winter layers): Mount Lemmon SkyCenter from ($60), a little more than an hour’s drive northeast of town, and Kitt Peak National Observatory (from $71) farther to the southwest. At both sites, scientists lead staggering viewings through telescopes.

10:30 p.m. | Get a good nightcap

One of the coziest spots for a late-night drink occupies — of all places — a former funeral home in the Armory Park neighborhood. Sure, the Owls Club is said to house a few lingering spirits, but there are so many live souls milling about the dimly lit succession of nooks and crannies that you’d never know. Order a Besito Rojo (chamomile-infused mezcal, charred-mesquite-flavored Angostura bitters, lemon-lime juice and honey; $16) from the bar, then pick your favorite perch — perhaps on an old chapel pew or by a firepit out back.

SUNDAY

8 a.m. | Fuel up and ride

Stop by Barista del Barrio for a breakfast burrito — another contender for Tucson’s best — then time-travel on Tucson Bike Tours’ 9 a.m. historic city tour — an approximately two-hour, 9-mile route through landmarks ($55). See the Barrio Viejo, with its Sonoran rowhouses and candle-filled El Tiradito (a two-timing folk hero’s shrine that kept a highway from being built through the neighborhood); the old Southern Pacific train depot, where the gunfighters Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday still stand (in bronze) at the scene of a shootout; and Armory Park, where a former gentlemen’s club that hosted John Wayne and Buffalo Bill sits down the street from Tucson’s main cathedral. If you prefer exploring on foot, consider the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson Museum’s 10 a.m., 90-minute Barrio Viejo walking tour ($30).

Noon | Commune with art

At the Tucson Museum of Art’s Arizona Biennial galleries, 42 jury-selected works are captivating viewers (through Feb. 9; general admission, $15). The museum, which is celebrating its 100th birthday, has gone especially big on the biennial with the exhibition’s first expansion into the 19th-century Edward Nye Fish House, one of a few surrounding adobes. La Casa Cordova — another museum-owned adobe and one of the oldest houses in town — has just reopened after a renovation in time to display a local festive-season favorite: “El Nacimiento,” a Nativity scene that fills an entire room (until March). Head to the neighboring Old Town Artisans, a series of shops and restaurants in Sonoran rowhouses. JoJo’s leafy courtyard is Sunday-brunch perfection.