Bush Fire Burn Scar

June 2020. A car fire on the side of AZ87 ignited the 5th largest wildfire in Arizona's history at over 193,000 acres. It essentially shutdown the area of land bound by AZ87 on the west, AZ188 on the north and AZ88 on the east with a short stretch of Bush Hwy to the south. The area included all of the Four Peaks Wilderness and surrounding peaks, the Mazatzal Divide, Mt. Ord and the beloved Arizona Trail. It was massive. I drove by it shortly after AZ87 reopened last year and was heartbroken at the destruction.

The Tonto National Forest had closed off the entire area to assess the damage and prepare the area to be reopened to the public. The area had been set to remain closed through March, but in early February the order was lifted.

Mike and I set a Friday date to go ride the portion of the AZT800 bike route through the burn area. We'd drop a car in Sunflower where the AZT crosses under AZ87, then drive south to begin our ride at the Pobrecito OHV area. This bit links some dirt roads over to Four Peaks Rd. and transitions into the burn area.

We completed our shuttling duties and were pedaling on schedule around 8a with one caveat: I left my GPS in the wrong car. Gah!! Good thing I didn't need it to navigate as this route is fairly straightforward.

Leaving Pobrecito staging area on FS13, aka the Land of 1000 False Summits.

A little hard to see, but someone dumped what looks to be a perfectly good wheelchair...

...and some nice looking drawers. WTH.

FS13 served as a fire break as long as it could.

Nice to see some green Saguaros in the burn area.

Four Peaks Rd. The climb is no joke, it's not all steep and there are some downhills to enjoy, but get ready.

One of the extended steep grades comes into view.

What is this? A flowing water crossing?? Sure is.

This valley didn't fare so well.

Mike grinding out the friendlier climbing miles.

Four Peaks money shot.

Amethyst Peak didn't make the cut here, bad angle. PeakFinder app.

Much to our surprise, a second water crossing.

This pullout always makes a good spot for a snack break as it neared noon.

Looking up the final relentless pitch.

For the most part, the road surface is really nice to ride on. Be sure to bring your legs/lungs.

Saddle attained!! Lots of snow on the north facing slopes and all the signage had been burned clean, didn't do much for the bullet holes though.

I was pretty stoked that I was able to ride the entire climb without any hike-a-bike, sure we took a few stops, but whatevs. I'll take it. I think that's the first time I've done that.

Mike grinding up the final steep pitch to the saddle. Get it!!

Lots of familiar peak names down in the Valley of the Sun.

Snow! We were now on the AZT portion of the ride along the Mazatzal Divide.

Looking west, our destination is next to Mt. Ord. There may be a dot on the horizon for Humphrey's Peak, the highest point in Arizona next to Flagstaff!! What a view!!

Electronic Site near the top of the El Oso climb was charred.

Four Peaks snow through the moonscape.

Good glimpse of Roosevelt Lake to the northeast.

The Mazatzal Divide is mostly rideable, with a few notable hike-a-bike bits, but nothing terribly long. This particular section was spared from the Bush Fire.

Other areas were burnt to a crisp.

We were relieved to see many of the large pine trees had survived. It's one of the area highlights.

Looking north to the Mogollon Rim.

Look at that, we actually got to ride in snow/ice!! No crashes either.

More ups/downs/boulders and no burnt vegetation.

Mike puts the finishing touches on one last good push before we reach the singletrack split.

Great view of Roosevelt Lake from the west.

Bombs away, but mind the ruts in a few areas.

Stay alert when looking for the singletrack split, this tree post is on the right side of the road, opposite the trail on a downhill. It's easy to miss if you're zoned out.

The trail is less obvious!!

Most of the trail up here is burned, but the tread is decent. Note the green hillside in the back.

This section of trail demands your full attention. Perhaps a better benchcut is needed here??

It's a rapid decent if you can ride it, the lower trail is visible in the bottom left.

Mike heating up his rotors.

I really enjoy this bit of trail.

Mike making the final approach on the steep descent.

At first, we thought we were in luck. It appears here, that all the scratchy vegetation had burned away. Yay!!

Not so fast.

Now, add in a bunch of low hanging burnt branches.

We did our best to duck, bob & weave, but the branches and catclaw - even the burnt stuff - was relentless.

Did I mention all the large loose rock? No? Welcome to the Boulder Creek drainage.

Let's just say it was slow going and getting more painful by the minute.

If you find yourself in the area for a hike/ride or whatever, please, please, bring some loppers, pruners, handsaw, whatever you feel like carrying and do some trimming here and there. It all adds up and is very appreciated by all user groups. The ATA has it's hands full after all the major fires in 2020, not to mention all the routine maintenance that goes into keeping an 800 mile trail up to snuff. If you can't physically get out to the trail to lend a hand, consider a donation. The ATA and I thank you!!

Cool spot along Boulder Creek, which now had some water in it.

The 'water' was a bit thick in spots.

Gradually the trail began to open up and we could pedal a bit more consistently.

Even here on the flat open areas you had to watch for the stray thorny branch.

Smallest crested Saguaro?? or a mutant? You decide.

More trail overgrowth, but look at all the green on the hillside.

A mostly scratch-free section of trail!!

Mike had the right setup: covered arms & legs.

Pile of vintage cars stacked in the desert. Has to be a good story here.

This part of the AZT has seen some welcomed reroutes in recent years.

Some cool rock hopping riding along here.

Sycamore Creek, a reliable water source as you near Sunflower.

Fun bit of trail, but watch those wheel grabbers!!

The end is near, AZ87 comes into view.

The last bit of trail has an overload of lava rock.

The AZT delivers a punch once again.

We peeled off the AZT at the sign above, dropping back down to Sycamore Creek. Then it was a short connection to a dirt road and back to the car right at 5:30p. It took us 2 1/2 hours to ride the 8 miles of singletrack into Sunflower. Expect some slow going, but there is plenty of good trail in there.

Really glad we were able to do this ride and see first hand what did and did not survive the Bush fire. Most of the burned terrain already was showing since of regrowth, with plants over a foot high.

Great riding with you as always, Mike. Let's keep it going.

Route flyover via Ayvri

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