Gold Canyon Tour with Mr. Topofusion

I figured if I kept putting a bug in Scott's ear, posting pics and proposing route changes to the AZTR750, I'd get him to come up to the Phoenix area to finally ride Gold Canyon. It worked!! We found a sweet spot in our schedules and met up for a tour of sorts through the Gold Canyon trails and beyond.

We were gathering our things together at the trailhead when a couple of older guys asked us if we were finishing up or heading out. We said we were on our way out and noticed one of the guys was on an eBike. Oh, the horror!! That seems to be the general consensus when the term eBike is brought up around mtb enthusiasts. I'll admit it, I was one of them. We listened to this fella say how it's allowed him to keep riding while his knees fade to Father time. He was on some German prototype full suspension rig, looked just like a mountain bike, except for the large casing on the downtube just above the bottom bracket. He then offered us a ride on it!! The 'throttle' was a small handlebar mounted control with +/- keys. He suggested to put it into 2nd gear when we started riding up the slope of the parking lot. We jumped at the chance to check it out. Scott went first.

I don't think either one of us snapped a picture, but this was similar to what he was riding.

He cruised down the lot, arced a big turn, made the two pushes and began to pedal. The look on Scott's face was priceless, staring down at the bike, then with a sly grin he looked my way and laughed. I told the guy that Scott was the last person to need a little boost while climbing!! I need it just to keep up with the mountain goat. My turn. Same as Scott, I began pedaling on the incline and it had the feeling of pedaling on a slight downhill...easy. Not necessarily faster on our short demo, but definitely easier.

This bike still weighed a ton, probably 45-50 lbs. and the assisted power isn't going to get you up a steep chunky climb. We saw the two guys later HAB'ing up some techy switchbacks. The eBike was just as quiet as any other bike. The rider still has to pedal, perhaps easier at times. One thing was clear, it was an eye opener. I have a feeling they are here to stay. Our new friend was thrilled to be out on the trails he loves. There will be undoubtedly be discussions on whether or not these machines belong on non-motorized trails. Stay tuned....

After our parking lot foray ended, we finally hit the trail. I opted for what I consider the standard Gold Canyon route. Start out on Lost Goldmine, then fly down the super fun Cougar trail. Then, head over to Holy Hill, slap the cowbell on the way down!! Exit to the Old Horse trail then cut in to the end of K-trail up to the Vortex. We then jumped onto Gila Monster where I was promptly thrown a curveball - a new connector trail had been added!! We opted to take it to see where it led, it took me a minute to realize we were headed backwards on K-trail. A quick reversal and we were back on Gila Monster grinding out the short climb up to the Whiskey Cactus.

The Whiskey Cactus giveth. Photo by Scott.

We had barely started on Diamondback when Scott's chain snapped!! Not a big deal, right? Well, not usually. He had a modified quick link from his CDT tour. But as luck would have it, he had another one pre-modified ready to go!! The tour rolls on! Saguaro Squeeze linked us back to Lost Goldmine, then onto the now famous K-trail.

I like to point at things. Photo by Scott.

Rolling a seldom used alt. line down Spider Rock.

Right as Scott was completing his drop down Spider Rock we heard a loud hissing sound. We immediately thought it was the back tire...until we recognized the sound. The first rattlesnake of the season. I poked around a bit, but couldn't find the fella, only a skin lying in the bush.

Scared him right out of his skin!!

I took the more traditional approach. Photo by Scott.

After Spider Rock the fun really begins as K-trail winds it's way around, dipping and diving in & out of washes. It's quite the hoot. We completed our loop and dropped back onto the Old Horse trail, but instead of making our way back to the trailhead we went left, then down by Quartz Ridge to the exit out to Peralta rd.

After futzing around on some dirt roads east of Peralta rd we made a quick stop by Walgreen's for a cold drink. Next were a series of dirt frontage roads along the US60 corridor into the heart of Gold Canyon. We were now on a proposed slight route change to the current AZTR750. Instead of following US60, we veered inland a tad to another dirt road turn singletrack up the flanks of Silly Mtn. It's not long, but a simple reminder that singletrack abounds in this area if you know where to look for it.

We cruised up the neighborhood on pavement looking for the side-door entry to the Jacob Crosscut trail. I've only gone up this trail once before, it's rideable, but chunky nonetheless. Scott wasn't too enthused by the 'No Trespassing' signs posted on the telephone poles. While not private property, some of folks in this area relish the solitude.

Up on the Jacob Crosscut the tech riding begins. It starts out a bit rough for the first quarter mile or so, then gets really good. The trail follows the contours of the land all while the Superstition Mountains tower above. It's the closest you can legally ride to the dominating west buttress of the range as the Wilderness boundary is only a few hundred feet higher on the slope.

Getting my HAB on below Flat Iron. Photo by Scott.

Our plan was to ride north on the JC trail until it reached First Water rd., flip it around and take the trail all the way back to Cloudview TH where we parked. I made sure to mention my disclaimer re: rough trail conditions near the end of the ride, but I had a feeling Scott would enjoy that section unlike most riders.

In giant letters, the postcard should read: Greetings from Arizona!! On the Jacob Crosscut trail. Photo by Scott.

Beautiful backdrop for a ride!! Photo by Scott.

Notice the lack of Saguaros through here.

IMO, the JC trail flows better in the southern direction. We made good time getting to the gnarly stuff. Time to practice your rock surfing skillz...

I heard some laughter on this one.

The sun was dropping quick and I knew the West Lost Goldmine would be slow going. I was curious to see if more trail work had been performed since my last ride. There was!! I made note of the monstrous cairns next the trail. See, those cairns were recently made from all the rock that had littered the trail - and it was still rough, but much more manageable. Soon the trail regressed back into the type of trail the Tucson guys dub for their weekly Techy Taco Tuesday rides. The flagging is everywhere and the trail is getting a much needed facelift.

Golden hour bliss. Photo by Scott.

Contrast in styles, barren cliffs tower over a lush desert floor. Photo by Scott.

Of course this ride wouldn't be complete if we didn't need lights. So, the lumens were cranked up for the final roll down a connecting jeep road over to Cloudview. Ride complete, tour complete. Perhaps a bit more singletrack added to the AZTR750?? Not this year, but maybe in the near future.

It was a fun time showing Mr. Topofusion some trails he hadn't ridden before - that alone is tough to do!!

Another ho-hum sunset in the desert. Photo by Scott.

Estrellas in the Mist

Superbowl Sunday arrived and while I enjoy the NFL, my team had been perfecting their golf swing for the better part of a month. I wasn't too enthused to say the least about the matchup, but figured it would be a decent game anyway. I was more looking forward to kicking back with some friends over a couple of brews than actually watching the game. The nice thing about the 'Big Game' is it doesn't get going until late afternoon. What to do, what to do....

My street. Where are the mountains?

We had a rare treat on this particular Sunday, it was foggy!! Real foggy. Why all the fuss? Fog isn't exactly prevalent in the Sonoran Desert, we may get a few patches of fog maybe once or twice a year, but this morning the fog was legit. It blanketed the entire metro area reducing the visibility down to only a couple dashed white lines on the freeway.

I opted for a solo spin out on the west side of town hitting up the incredibly fun trails inside the F.I.N.S. network (Fantasy Island North Singletrack - semi-modeled after a popular riding area in Tucson called Fantasy Island). I was then going to connect over to the Estrella East trails, aka Pirate Trails, to do some 'splorin'. I've been on some of those trails a couple of times and they have great flow. I heard some rumblings of a new trail higher up the mountain that sounded interesting. I would then complete a loop of sorts via the community greenbelt/trail system.

It's a solid hour's drive for me to get out there, part of the reason I don't ride there more often. I finally had my crap together and started following my rough route idea around 9:30a. I wanted to be home before 3p, so I better get moving!!

My route consisted of a few nested loops, so I also came armed with a printed map all color-coded out so I could quickly keep my bearings on the new-to-me terrain. I simply created a map in Topofusion from the GPX tracks I had. That sure paid dividends!!

F.I.N.S. entrance.

Since I was a bit limited on time I opted for a quick outer-ish loop of F.I.N.S. and made sure I hit the Hurl - a short downhill run with banked wooden berms & features!!

One of the many sweet trailmaps mounted throughout the network.

These trails are so well constructed and thought out you kinda forget how short each trail is. It doesn't really matter which trail you pick or the direction, no need for a route, just ride!!

It was that kind of morning.

I curved around the east end and picked up a neighborhood connector I recalled from the Thursday Night Ride series I attended a few months back. That linked me up with the Estrella Mountain Ranch trail system. A series of what I thought were only wide gravel pathways & paved multi-use corridors. Wrong!! I found out later in my ride the north end of the community trails are really nice singletrack connectors. Seriously.

'Wicked' trails to the north = sweet singletrack!!

I ended up riding north on Sunrise, which is mostly a gravel/sandy connector road to the goods. Hang a right onto Park Ave and the exploration begins.

A Stonehenge-esque arrangement of Saguaros randomly plopped in the open desert.

Cruising up Park Ave you soon enter the area known as the Pirate trails, aka Estrella East. I haven't seen a map of the area, but the trails are easily seen on satellite imagery and some quick Strava sleuthing, it's not too hard to figure things out. I've heard the trail names: Bootlegger, Buccaneer, Rum Runner, Pirate's Cove, etc. But I don't know exactly where each one starts or ends. Perhaps one of the locals will upload the system to Trailforks. (hint, hint)

Armed with my highlighted paper map I completed a few foggy loops before the clouds finally began to dissipate sometime after 11.

4-way trail intersection, complete with seating, bike rack (not pictured) and a hidden cooler!!

 While navigating these trails, one thing became evident. The folks out in Estrella Mountain Ranch (EMR) have a good thing going when it comes to quality singletrack. They take the time to create an interesting route, then put in the effort to maintain the trails after the storms wreak havoc on the Valley. The passion of the trail builders/users is everywhere, from the quirky stuffed animals, abundant signage, wood features, odd trailside attractions and weekly night rides hosted round-robin style.

Theme of the day. Arghhh!!

I was starting to run out of time and had to cut out one of the loops on my proposed route. I still hadn't reached the new trail, which I believe is being called 'Up There'. I zipped down a fun section on Bootlegger for a second time before reaching a split in the trail.

Gotta have fun with all those extra trail rocks.

Looks like new dirt to me peeling off to the right.

This area had a distinct BCT vibe going on.

I started in on Up There and immediately could tell it was fresh dirt. There's something about riding a new trail that hasn't been stamped out by a dozer. You can feel the creativity in the design flow and appreciate the vision it took to route a masterpiece high on the slopes. This is true singletrack, yet plenty of rocks for your riding pleasure, not buffed out dirt. I caught myself almost laughing out loud at how much radness this trail had.

Built by hand.

There was actually a full picnic table & benches at an overlook on this trail!! I didn't see an obvious way up there either. Did I mention the table was made of stone?? Sheesh. I finally came to another fork in the trail, left kept going up some switchbacks, right went down and crossed a wash. The right trail was undoubtedly my exit, but I couldn't resist a bit more climbing. There had to be a good view around the corner!!

There was a view indeed, and more trail!! Estrella Regional Park is over that ridge somewhere.

Fog gone, showing an expansive view to the west.

I was now really getting pressed for time so I had to find my way out of the Pirate trails. I made a beeline to the north end and quickly hooked up with the EMR Loop trail. It was a bit hidden entering from the sidewalk, but 50 feet later I was on prime singletrack - WICKED indeed!

The Tunnel trail connected me to Market trail. This was cool since it contoured the mountainside directly behind the local Safeway before dropping down to cross a road. That's where I picked up D-Votion trail. This was yet another fine example of well laid out, easy grade climbing trail. It wasn't long before I linked into the wide multi-use corridor of Corgett Wash which led me back to my car at Westar Elementary.

I was about 30 minutes over my time and needed to hustle home. I just needed a quick bite to eat and some gas....where's my wallet? Aww shit, sitting at home on my kitchen island!! D'oh! Hmmm, food can wait since I had a few snacks in my Osprey pack, but gas was an issue since my gas light had just come on!! I was able to scrape $4 worth of change out of my console and had just enough juice to make it across town. Whew.

We even made it to the Superbowl party just before kickoff!! Cheers to a great day of riding. I'll be making more frequent trips to the west side for sure. Kudos to all involved in the trail efforts out there, you all rock!!