Quail Chief Loop

 Back in April, Kara and I were up in Cottonwood to check on the progress of the new Copper Chief and Quail Springs trails. They were coming along, but both still had work to be done. Fast forward to now. I saw a ride posted on Strava recently and I could tell the rider did a little bit of bushwhacking, but was able to tie the top end of Quail Springs into Copper Chief. Also, Copper Chief's construction had officially linked to the Mingus Black Canyon trail. It was time I made another visit to complete the loop. I figured another week of trail building on Quail Springs would have it a bit closer to completion.

It was going to be warm, so I did my best to get there early after the two hour drive. It was in the mid-80's when I started. The higher you go, the cooler it gets.

Trailhead parking is available at the end of Ogden Ranch Rd.

First mile of so is wide open and gently uphill to get things warmed up.

Looking ahead, the upper switchbacks dance back and forth up this hillside to where it'll link into the Copper Chief trail, which you can see here about halfway up. Look real close and you can spot the dozer at the end of Quail Springs.

It wasn't blazing hot, but I still took advantage of some shade breaks.

It doesn't take long to be high above the lower portion of the trail.

Singlespeed friendly most of the way.

Now on the newer upper section.

Mingus Mtn. towers above all.

Getting into the meat of the upper switchbacks.

End-of-the-line...for now. I did go a bit beyond what had been published on Trailforks to reach this spot.

Blue circle is the current end-of-trail as of July 13. So, so close.

Wide open view of the Verde Valley, a bit hazy today. Possible smoke from the Grand Canyon fires.

Looks brutal, but it's only 100' or so of bushwhacking to tie into Copper Chief.

Good looking Bull snake.

The climbing eased a bit, but continued on Copper Chief.

This was the location of trail's end back in mid-April.

New tread for me.

It keeps going and going...

Down below, the Mingus Black Canyon trail can be seen.

The dirt serpent makes its way down the mountain.

The switchbacks had a nice arc and slight bank to them.

Nearing the end.

The official tie in to the Mingus Black Canyon trail!! This is looking uphill.

The downhill view. My direction.

The Mingus Black Canyon trail is raw, narrow and rad AF.

A few tech sections keep you on point.

It was getting warm now, but the riding was going downhill for 95% of the time. Seems this trail would be a tad steeper to climb than Quail Springs.

Nearing the bottom.

Couple of gates on the way out.

All done, right as it was tickling 100º.

Wow!! What a great loop. For more miles there are some options. Park at the Blowout Wash trails and make a lollipop loop of this. Add an out-n-back climb on Mingus Black Canyon. Some bigger loops can be made using the dirt roads in the areas as well.

Either way, put this one on your list. I'm guessing by the time you head up there to ride Quail Springs, it'll be completed to Copper Chief.

As you can see on this planning map of the area, a lot has been built. Pink trails are the new builds. If you like what you see here and on the ground, please consider making a trail donation to the Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition, VVCC.

Quail Springs and Copper Chief are left & below center. Mingus Black Canyon is the blue trail near the bottom.

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