Teen temps are probably expected on the North Rim in early Nov. Anywhere above the Mogollon Rim has the potential to be below freezing.

Grand Canyon water availability changes begin Oct. 11th

You are correct, I put the 1000 route together with the intention of it being ridden in the northbound direction. Currently, the only remaining fire closures are up on the North Rim between Stateline CG & US89A, but that is reflected in the current AZT800 track. Be sure you have the latest track dated 9.21.21.

Personally, the Coco250 route through Sedona is ok, that's why I added a bunch more trails to the 1000, but again, it was for a northbound ride. I'd make my own southbound preferred route through there adding more trails than the Coco uses. Since you're thinking about adding Hangover, maybe add in High on the Hog, Hog Heaven, then Mystic to rejoin the route via Chapel trail. Then after crossing under AZ179, go up Hermit to Hiline, right on Baldwin, cross Oak Creek then up Ridge, Sketch, Ridge, right on Carroll Canyon, left on Old Post to Skywalker rejoining the 1000 route at S Trail (It then ties into Lime Kiln & the Coco250). Gives a little better Sedona riding experience and you can easily resupply before jumping on S Trail.

Down at Dead Horse SP, If you've ridden Lime Kiln before, you could stick with the 1000 route here for something different.

The spaghetti stuff in N. Phoenix/Scottsdale was simply to add miles so the route would be over 1000 miles. However, those trails are fun and ride well in either direction, so you may want to do it anyway. As a general rule, at Brown's Ranch, everything slopes gently uphill going east until the Divide trail, then begins to slope down afterwards. Across Rio Verde Rd along the Gooseneck trail, if you drop into McDowell Mtn. Regional Park, the trails slope downhill as you go east. Again, those zigzags were added for mileage, but do ride fast and are fun. Water is available at the visitor center with very limited snacks & drinks.

Leaving McDowell Regional park and over to the 800 is probably the best, most fun way to go. The only thing I would definitely change is over at the Hawes trail system in NE Mesa, DO NOT go up Mine trail. It's primarily a DH trail, instead, take Granite - Ridge - Saguaro trails up to Twisted Sister.

On the 800, you may not want to go up Oracle Ridge. A good option would be to hop on the Mt. Lemmon Control Rd. at American Flag ranch. Take the road, mostly dirt all the way to the top of Lemmon, grab a burger & brew in Summerhaven. On your way down, maybe hop on the trail a bit early and ride Bug Springs before rejoining the AZT at Prison Camp??

Just some thoughts.

The time has come, after a 2 1/2 year hiatus an AZTR Grand Depart is upon us!! Hooray!!  

Register here: AZTR Fall 2021 Grand Depart

Please note the change to the 300 start, as I had to move it back to Parker Canyon Lake one last time. 7a departure, same as the 800 on Oct. 28th.

**Be sure you have the latest GPX track for each distance: AZTR GPX files here they were published: 9.21.21

Deadline for SPOT rentals from Trackleaders is Tuesday, October 19th. Don't delay!!

A lot of AZTR questions can be answered here: AZTR FAQ

I ask everyone who intends to toe the line to become a member of the ATA (Arizona Trail Association), The AZT is a special place, bikes are welcome and the trail needs our help after the recent wildfires. Besides, who doesn't want good trail karma??

As a follow-up to the last post, DO NOT miss these sections of trail. Missing these sections will result in an * or relegation. Shouldn't be any surprise to anyone, but pay attention out there. Again, these are posted in order from south to north. (Molino Basin, Sunset trail near Summerhaven, Freeman Rd. singletrack, Kelvin singletrack, new route by Tonto Natural Bridge and the Colonel Devin trail at Washington Park - end of the Highline trail) First 4 affect both the 300 & 800, last two are for the 800 only.
Follow the gpx and you'll be fine.

Cue sheet has been scoured, updated to reflect the track with more data points. Doesn't affect planning, but I did find a couple of erroneous entries.
I created some screenshots along the route that often cause a moment of pause. In years past, Scott has allowed a few areas to use either route without penalty, that will continue. See attached images for those areas along the route. They are posted in order going northbound. (3 Bridges area north of I-10, Cougar Hill at the Boulders/Ripsey transition, third image shows the Cougar Hill exit, Gold Canyon fenceline, Gaining the Mogollon Rim, Babbitt Ranch 3-track & Coconino Rim Bike Bypass) The images should have enough information to answer any questions. The first two affect the 300, the rest are for the 800.
I'll put up a second post showing a few other areas where riders have missed sections of the route, those are NOT allowed.
In the end, follow the gpx track.






This is the Cougar Hill exit.

ATTN: 300 Riders!! ALERT - Start location change!!! Just when I thought everything was dialed in...I've been interpreting the 74 rider limit all wrong, it's a gathering limit. So, the 300 is moving back to Parker Canyon Lake trailhead for 2021. GPX track has been updated and posted as AZT300_2021_FINALv2. 10k track is also posted. My sincere apologies for missing this. Gah. You'll notice the route doesn't immediately begin on the AZT, that's because I still want the 300 riders to experience Sunnyside Canyon. See the attached image for direction of flow, it's a figure 8 beginning with dirt road riding to Sunnyside Canyon Rd, then up to the AZT. You'll then ride the AZT back to Parker Canyon Lake where you'll continue on. I have some more announcements to make, but nothing drastic, more FYI stuff. Stayed tuned. AZT800 GPX track is also posted.

GPX Links

Lizzyrides,
Check out the historical time splits on this spreadsheet. Should give a rough idea of arrival time. *Maybe add 2 hours now that the 300 begins at the border.

AZTR Split times

There is an area, the final 2 miles before reaching SR82 when exiting the Canelo Hills that is only passable in daylight & no camping allowed. Shouldn't be an issue for you, but just a heads up in case things get sideways out there.

For anyone needing transportation to the start, HomegrownMTB is offering shuttle service to the border from both Picketpost trailhead and Tucson. They can transport up to 18 riders in one van, if demand is there a second van can be added.

Sign up here: HomegrownMTB AZTR Shuttle

Man, Jefe is really putting it down out there. I thought he may get caught on the long paved gradual downhill beyond Stagestop, BK came within 5 miles or so, but Jefe must've been spinning like a madman!! He's now up 9 miles or so near Goose Creek.

Great to see The Parent Trap make it through The Sargents Mesa Trap!!

And our loco Yoyo rider is steadily climbing the eastbound ranks, saying hi to everyone again....Go Andrew!!

Will Bodewes is really throwing down a heck of a ride.

Yeah, Kerkove has had his share of bad luck over the years, really hope he finally knocks this one out.

Quite a few folks spent the day milling around Silverton. Hmmmm. Drying out? Pushing out later this evening, we'll see.

Audrey Tangye is still moving, her Garmin tracker died. She was in Grants last night and making the push for Pie today!!

AZTR gang!! Housekeeping item, the website has migrated to its own url, bookmark it today!!

https://azt300-800.com/

If you are in need of webhosting services, reach out to David Herbold.

That's a wrap for the spring AZTR ITT season. Not bad, huh? 41 ITT attempts, 21 finishes, 20 DNFs. Right on par. 3 of 4 records in the 300 went down and we had our first AZT800 finishers. How cool is that?
It all starts up again on October 28th, 7a at border monument 103. I hope to see a bunch of you down there!! Hopefully some of you come back for redemption!! 🙂
The FAQ page has been added to the website. https://aztrail.home.blog/faq/
There's a map to the start location posted there.

I also added a blurb on the Rules page about record attempts. Part of the reason for the fall Grand Depart is to have the entire 800 route open and available to ride. The spring has always been difficult to have trail access on the North Rim in particular. With that said, record attempts must not have snow detours in effect. There is currently one long term closure/reroute on the North Rim, north of US89A due to the Mangum Fire from last year. That detour will not affect record attempts. Hopefully that bit of trail will be re-opened by 2022.
That's why you'll see Rob Pownall listed as the 800 record holder and not Jeremy Noble. Both Jeremy & Katie had to use 3 snow detours this year. Both are official finishes since that was the route, just not a record.

In year's past the 750 riders used the North Rim snow detour and set records. This was fine since all but two riders over the years used the detour, so it was essentially a level playing field.

Anyone know what?s up with Ben.  He?s been lingering around Oracle for a while now


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Sorry for the delay, did some SE AZ bikepacking this weekend!! Ben scratched due to knee issues. Said his newly installed post wasn't quite at the right height and by the time he realized it, it was too late.

Meanwhile, Rob continues to head north to Stateline after riding the complete trail across the Kaibab Plateau!! Go Rob!!

Ben Hanus is getting set for an 800 departure in the wee hours Thursday!! Should be a fun one to watch!!!

Rob is still heading north, intermittent pings due to severing his dynamo cable. He's hoping to get it fixed in Flagstaff.

Had a 300 rider, Jesse, take off this morning too.

The dots just keep coming!!

Southbound 300 rider getting set for a 2a departure...

A local artist reached out and wanted to offer some AZTR laser cut coasters. These look fantastic. $5 of each sale will be donated to the ATA for more singletrack & rollover gates. You can customize them with your name, date (year), and finish time. Be sure to scroll through the image set to see all options.

AZTR Coasters

Congratulations to Katie for wrapping up the 800 a bit ago!! Massive.