La Posta Quemada ranch can be seen on a big switchback decent before the campground, where a short ¼ mile detour will take you to an outdoor snack bar for a burrito & drinks. The trail contours and throws some technical bits at you on its way towards Colossal Cave. Plenty of recent trailwork has made the creek crossing less of a hassle, I recommend checking it out.
This passage dips down to Cienega Creek at the start, but this is easily bypassed by staying up on the bridge. This would make an easy, fun OnB starting at GZ. This entire passage is a hoot as it rolls gently downhill most of the way crossing under SR83 & I-10 to the Gabe Zimmerman TH. The foothills of the Santa Ritas mellow out and the singletrack begs for speed. The annual AZT jamboree fundraiser begins here for the earlybird shuttle riders. Fun downhills, great views and grunt climbs are the norm throughout most of this passage. More grass lined singletrack waits, but this time the hills get a bit nastier. There are a few short HAB bits and some descent hills to climb, but the reward is always worth the effort.ĪES: Kentucky Camp ’12 (Passages 4*, 5, 6*) Mostly tall grass lined singletrack through rolling hills throughout, this passage should be on your ‘must ride’ list. When people talk about riding Kentucky Camp, this is the passage they are referring to. The AES Kentucky Camp long route utilizes this section of the AZT northbound including all of passage 5 and a few miles of passage 6. Even the short 1 ½ mile out-and-back (OnB) south to the Wilderness boundary is worth doing. The northern few miles are really good as you exit Gardner Canyon onto the Flume trail. The return ride down to Patagonia is rippin’ fast! I probably won’t ride this section again since it’s an out-n-back, but I wouldn’t tell others to avoid it either. I rode the southern leg of this recently and I’m glad I did as it was incredibly scenic, remote, but mostly on jeep road that became unrideably steep near the Wilderness boundary. Unfortunately there’s a sliver of Wilderness about 2/3 the way through this passage. Re-supply waits at the end of this passage in Patagonia. The west half of the Canelos rides much better than the east offering more stretches of singletrack through the rolling hills. Too often people expect dreamy singletrack down here, there’s some, but you definitely work for the miles on the east passage.ĪZT300 – 2013 (Passages 2, 3, 5-8, 10, 11*-17) *Denotes partial passageīeginning at Canelo Pass rd the change from east to west is almost immediately seen. It’s also a great ride if you’re prepared. This passage is tough expect to HAB a few of the hills. This passage begins at Parker Canyon Lake, which also happens to be the starting line for the AZT300. Huachuca Mtn Hike (Click these links to go to blog recaps) A short loop using forest roads can be made to access the AZT and the first miles of singletrack! It is mostly Wilderness, but there is a short section at the north end in Sunnyside Canyon that can be ridden. Passage 1: Huachuca Mountains (Click these titles to go to a brief passage description on the ATA webpage) This doesn’t mean it’s the only way to explore certain passages, as most, if not all, can be done as day rides in some fashion. I’ll add blog links for more detail & images of the described passages some are bikepacking rides where more than one passage was ridden. Hopefully this will give prospective riders an idea of what to expect out there. A few more are partially in Wilderness, but have some bike legal miles to ride, some are worth it, and some are not. There are a few passages exclusively in Wilderness, where bikes are not allowed, so I’ll be skipping those. If bikepacking is in your plans, this water table may come in handy too. Also, while out on the trail, the AZT app is a great resource as well. Please consider becoming a member of the ATA, make a donation and/or pick up a guidebook if you see more AZT miles in your future as it provides a more in depth look at each passage. This is by no means a substitute for the AZT guidebook, just my thoughts on the trail. I thought it would be cool to put together a comprehensive post on all the passages my tires have rolled on. Only a few stray rideable miles remain, about 11 or so scattered around, but those can wait until April. I recently completed a milestone on the Arizona Trail, essentially riding all the bike legal portions of the trail from Mexico to Utah. Arizona Trail, Desert Southwest (CO,AZ,UT,NM), Trip Reports » The Arizona Trail via MTB by freeskier46
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