South Mountain: 'Round the Mountain

 I've done a lot of rides & routes at South Mountain over the years, but one popular route has evaded me. The classic Around the Mountain route. I guess I never really had much desire to do it as the north side of the route had a bunch of pavement and canal riding. I wasn't going to South Mountain to ride that kind of terrain, I wanted rocks/chunk/gnar!!

In recent years the park has built more singletrack on that side of the mountain, notably the northwest quadrant. My friend, Kara, reached out to see if I was interested in joining her and Karen on a loop. Sure, it was due time.

We met at Karen's house on the south side of the mountain and quickly joined the trail on the Bronco Flat section of Desert Classic. It had been a few years since I last rode the far west end of Desert Classic. We made good time getting through the trailhead, dodging hikers, as we made our way to the less crowded trails on the west end.

Kara drops into the final descent along Desert Classic.

Over on the west end trails, we can see our target, high up on the Gila Saddle.

The daunting Pyramid trail lurks over Kara's left shoulder.

The Gila trail was a stout climb, but the ladies are still smiling.

Here we go, long, sustained, rocky downhill. Yeehaw!!

We found ourselves on the recently re-routed Gila & National trails. Nice work to get the trail out of a crappy wash and added a couple of nice switchbacks on National.

The cavalry stampedes the hillside above the Maricopa trail. At least that's what it looked like.

Karen topping out on an early Ma Ha Tuak climb.

Kara joins the fun high above the urban speedway.

We had to keep moving as the cavalry wasn't too far behind.

South Mountain is such a gem. It's surrounded by 6+ million people and sometimes you see it: the freeway, skyscrapers of downtown and general urban sprawl, yet othertimes while on these trails you feel as though you're on a desert island hundreds of miles from anywhere. It's quite remarkable. This small, but vast network of trails in the largest city park in the good 'ol USA.

Fun trail here as downtown comes into view.

Hard to believe this mountain turns green in March.

Reminder of the urban playground you're enjoying.

Little pink houses for you and me...some hike-a-bike as well.

Kara in full HAB mode. Steep grades on this section.

And just like that, we've wrapped around the pink cube and gained a bunch of elevation.

The final miles of singletrack would come quick as we reached the 19th Ave. trailhead.

There was one more grunt climb, happy to say my legs/lungs held on for a clean ride. We popped out on the paved access road as we made our way out of the park.

Near the entrance station.

We were getting a bit pressed for time, so we opted to stay on the roads around the far east end of the mountain. A route purist would definitely be back on trails here. Next time. Karen had to leave us near 35th Ave. due to leg cramps, but in return, had taco bowls and cold Cokes waiting for us when we finished. Thanks!!

This route ended up being more fun that I thought it would be. I'll definitely be back for more and there's always options to add more trail.

Route:

AZT: Highline Trail (West Fire Recon)

 The West Fire started back in late August from a lightning strike, but was quickly contained. The forest service used the opportunity to use the fire as a prescribed, managed burn in the area. The backlit operations were held and ended in mid-September, then the fire was mostly left to smolder and be extinguished by the last remnants of the monsoon season. Well, the final piece to that puzzle never materialized and the Highline trail remained closed all the way through most of October. That closure affected the AZT800 for everyone but the final two riders.

Once the closure order was lifted, a professional trail crew, Proline Trails, went in and built a re-route west of Camp Geronimo to eliminate a steep unsustainable grade. That project wrapped up last week and I saw online that a friend of mine, Cathy, was intending to head up there for a ride.

I reached out to her and we set up a shuttle with her, myself and another friend, Paula. We'd be riding the trail westbound along the entire AZT portion from Washington Park to Pine. I've never ridden it in this direction, so I was curious to see how the effort compared to eastbound.

We met at the Pine trailhead and made our way over to Washington Park. It was a cool, not cold morning, but I decided a thin wool base layer would be wise and it was.

Pro-tip: Any time you plan to ride the Highline trail, make sure it is dry!! If wet, it is horrible. It may take an extra day or two to fully dry out after a good soaking. Plus, it damages the tread.

It was plenty dry today, but there were a few sections that were chewed up, mostly by free ranging cattle.

Paula is all smiles, who wouldn't be, just look around.

One of the fancier trail blazes, usually, it's just the diamond.

Cathy topping out on an early climb.

The terrain along the Highline trail switches rapidly reminding riders of Sedona, Prescott & Flagstaff.

Every creek crossing we encountered  was flowing. Nice to see since it's been a while since the last rain.

Classic view along one of the re-routed sections.

Huge views up here in rim country.

It took almost 5 miles before we saw the first burn scar of the West Fire. It didn't last long though.

Last time I rode through here the hose was spewing water, an attempt to fix it was made, but some water still trickled out.

Looks like we're back in Sedona...

Or are we in Prescott??

The partly cloudy forecast never materialized, it was perfect.

Soon after passing through Camp Geronimo, we found the new section of trail.

It was dry, powdery and a bit loose since it was only a week or so old. Needs a good rain soaking and use.

We were now back in the burn area for a bit.

The new trail was near the edge of the fire perimeter.

Paula navigates the skeleton of trees.

Hoping the tread can withstand the rains when they come.

Really nice climbing grade through here.

Interesting patchwork of burned trees and untouched trees. All depends on how the wind blows.

Cathy climbing a long steady section where the old tread can be seen turning up away from her.

Spectacular views around almost every turn up here.

Really nice camp location slightly off trail by Red Rock Spring.

Speaking of, Red Rock Spring was overflowing!!

Vintage AZT trail marker.

In the heart of the burn area, lots of unscathed miles.

Town of Pine comes into view. Cue the long final downhill!!

Spotted a few remnants of fall.

The blue track is the new tread by Camp Geronimo, red was the old tread.

This final re-route essentially completes the full re-alignment of the entire AZT portion of the Highline trail. Here is an overlay comparing what the trail was in 2010 (blue) vs. 2024 (red). With all the re-routes the trail has been extended from 17.1 miles to 21.4 miles between Pine and Washington Park.

This is such a fantastic trail and area to experience. No matter how you ride it, shuttle - like today, or making it a loop using the dirt Control Rd. you'll be rewarded. The effort seemed about the same going westbound as it is eastbound. Either way you're in for a treat. 

As for the West Fire, it seemed only about 3 or so miles were completely scorched, which was far less than expected. I don't recall seeing any tall pines obliterated, only smaller trees/shrubs which hopefully will return relatively quickly. Overall, the tread was in great condition. Some rocky sections, but plenty of flowy smooth sections too. In short, GO.

Thanks to Cathy & Paula for allowing me to tag along on their shuttle ride. We'll have to do it again sometime soon.

CA: Ranchita Rambler '24

 The Ranchita Rambler was now in its third year. I had ridden it during the inaugural running and had a blast. Figured I was do for a repeat and to kick start my riding season. My friend, Emily, hosts the event and it's typically the weekend the US turns clocks back - which throws us Arizonans for a loop. The total route is just under 60 miles, with over 40 of those coming on the first day. It's self-paced, self-navigated, but we all re-group at camp. For this ride that means the Anza-Borrego State Park.

As mentioned in my previous post, I had stopped in Yuma for a quick spin on the Sugarloaf Mtn. trails before meeting Emily in Borrego Springs for pizza. We had planned to camp at the group site that night, then leave her van there with goodies for when the others arrived the next night. She had some friends coming out to help too. They'd load up on snacks, ice and plenty of beverages.

The next morning we made the short drive up the hill to Ranchita where a bunch of riders were already getting their bikes loaded. As start time neared, Emily grabbed everyone's photo by the famed Yeti of Ranchita and made some final words about what was to come. We had a nice sized group around 20 riders for the fast paved rollout.

Almost go time.

As soon as we reached dirt, it almost felt like civilization was left behind sans a few ranch properties. The group began to spread out over a series of three climbs. I rode ahead to grab some photos.

Chris leading the charge.

Jason & Julian, who I met on the past Queen's Ransom.

That's a good framebag for hunting season.

Re-grouping as we closed the the first loop of the route and made our way towards the big desert descent.

Bombs away!!

Of course there was this one punchy climb tossed in.

A few more riders grinding their way up.

Now we go down for good.

Alyssa keeping her distance from the Cholla. Good call.

It was a very fast descent, sandy, but not bad with the right tires. My 2.6" Teravail Honchos were up to the task, railing the soft corners. This is NOT a gravel route, leave your skinny tires at home.

The surface became a bit more hardpacked in this area.

I picked up a thorn in my front tire, needed to top off sealant as more riders came through.

A quick re-group to discuss our options here.

The route gpx had us going up to the busy, paved Hwy78. We had an option to stay off the route and make our way down a wide wash area that would eventually funnel us back to the route without fear of getting run over. It seemed a bunch of us opted for the wash.

Emily and Scooter!!

This is why wider tires are a must for this route.

Riding through the wash was fun, pick a line and go!!

We rejoined the route here, on Old Borrego Valley Rd in Cactus Valley.

The dirt road dumped us out on pavement where we'd turn left, straight into a 30+mph headwind. Oof. Nothing like putting out max effort to ride 5mph on flat pavement. I tried to keep a steady pace and not work too hard. Burritos weren't too far away now.

Nearing town the wind persisted.

Emily added a detour this year, taking us by a few of the Galleta Meadows sculptures. These things are so impressive and scattered all throughout the Borrego Valley.

This was the coolest of the horse sculptures.

Bald Eagle taking flight. You could make a nice day ride trying to see all the sculptures.

Thankfully, the route made a 90º turn north and the headwind became a crosswind. Mild relief.

When I rolled up to Los Jilberto's Taco Shop, it had already been taken over by our group. Having this stop near mile 40 meant I hardly had to carry any food, only some snacks. I didn't need much water either. Logistically, this is an easy ride to plan for. Most of us grabbed something to eat and something to go. It was mid-afternoon and camp was only a few miles away.

Entering our home for the night.

Our group site was nestled up near San Ysidro Mtn. by the mouth of the Middle Fork Borrego Palm Canyon. Our proximity to the mountains helped to cut down on the wind. 

Our group getting settled in the fading light.

0% chance of rain in the desert = cowboy camping for me.

Emily bought some wood to keep the campfire going for hours.

I had a second really good night of sleep here, felt rested as daylight crept over the mountains. I wanted to get an early start, mostly because I had a long drive home and would be now losing an hour with the daylight savings time change. But I also knew I'd be slow on the climb. I was hoping my legs would cooperate this time around and not cramp like last time. Today's ride was only 15 miles or so, but we'd gain over 3,000'. It's not a steep climb, just a steady grind with about 2/3 of it on pavement.

Not a bad view to wake up to.

The mountain were ablaze at sunrise.

Making my way out of town. I still had half of a burrito, so no need to go back into town.

Up, up, up. It doesn't take long for the vista to spread out.

Down below was the headwind area from the previous day.

The highway snaking up the canyons and contours. These mountainous roads are such an engineering marvel.

Roadside mini-pumpkins??

Kimmi & Jesse caught me as we made our way up Culp Valley Road., the final 1/3 of the climb. I had met Kimmi almost 10 years ago on a ride in Sedona, small world.

More sandy hardpack riding.

My legs were playing nice and the sand wasn't bad at all.

We'd get an occasional view back to the desert.

Topping out near 4200', the end is almost in sight.

A fast cruise on pavement to wrap things up.

It's always nice to be greeted at the finish.

Once again this ride delivered. Fun route and great people to hang out with. I may have convinced a few of them to head over for the Queen's Ransom this coming spring. We'll see. This ride gets capped at 30 riders, so if you want to be a part of it next year, follow @ranchitarambler on Instagram. Registration is announced there and done via a mailed postcard. 

Full photo album here:

Route: