I'll talk to a couple friends and see if I can set you up with a secure place in Mt. Ida. I also have some gated property near HWY 88 on the Womble if that helps.

That loop looks good and is essentially my backyard.  The ONRT is pretty slow going fully loaded but great trail esp. after frost etc. so your Nov. date will be good!  Possum Kindom is not worth it even if it still exists. LB is awesome but my back way in is kind of hard to find/follow. I use more to the west of Mt. Ida so for you your route from Vista to Mt. Ida will work. I can help you with camp/water/time etc info for ONRT just let me know. Cheers

So early October bikepacking trip for ONRT is a bad idea? I'm trying to avoid rifle and muzzle loader seasons and had sort of settled in on Oct 10 weekend.

     

Not necessarily a bad idea but just be aware conditions won't be optimal as most trail work around here begins about then as temps break.  Opening weekend of modern gun is really the only crazy couple days. I've seen some good sections and some jungles out there as it's been a really wet summer. 

I'm local and use LB seasonally. It's a great trail to add to the loop and I have a cool "back way" in from Jessieville. The problem with it and most of the OT is there is so little use the during spring/summer overgrowth/P ivy/ticks/chiggars take the fun out of it.  It really takes a couple good frosts and cooler weather for volunteers to be able to get a handle on it.  We ride everything from Hwy 71 to Hwy 7 but do it primarily from Nov. thru May. I've bikepacked the loop you guys are looking at and also include the Little Mo/ Albert Pike area. Cheers Todd

I'll be doing some once temps drop and some of the volunteer work starts getting things in order.  It'll be a jungle out there after all the rain this spring!

I'm up in Arkansas and have plenty of route options from overnights to a week out.  Let me know if I can help!

We include Lovit also for some easy miles and recommend spring in AR as it takes most of the fall for trail adopters along with a few serious frosts to tame the vegetation on the OT. 

Looks good!

Now I think you guys are on to something with this discussion and options.  I frequently refer to this from Scott "I quickly realized that, if anything, I was setting a very good example. More people should get out and tour the Arizona Trail, and do whatever they want! The race is just an arbitrary route that some nutcase dreamed up. It’s awesome that the race gets so many people out on the trail, and out pushing limits. But more people should tour than do now. More people should eat pizza at Velvet Elvis, and stop to dip their feet in the creeks, stop to chat with thru-hikers."  And that is exactly how I an going to enjoy the game. Thanks Scott M.!

For me the Fargo, in ti of course .

I have done something a little different though, I've slammed the bike with a custom ti fork and 17 degree stem, so it is no longer 'suspension corrected', geo is now closer to my road bikes for ultra-distance, plus the BB is a bit lower too for handling. Don't notice any negative effects with chainring clearance (39T) but of course pedals are a touch closer to trail obstacles, but your skills negate this anyway. I really didn't like the height of the original fork, felt goofy and too high.

Climbs like a mountain goat with the dumped position. Running 46cm chippers. Comfort wise with chippers versus flatbars, I love the chippers, so many hand positions, no hand soreness. I've spent many, many multiday trips on this machine in this configuration, over a lot of washboard gravel roads, it's just beautiful to ride.

The geos of the el mar and the fargo are designed to work with their respective bars - el mar with flat/riser, fargo with drop. You'll be in experiment land if you wanted to run flat with fargo or drop with el mar. Not saying it won't work, but the fargo is more of a road bike (if that makes sense) than the el mar, as it has a shorter top tube to deal with the added reach of drop bar. El mar is longer TT like regular mtb, for just stem and flat/riser bar with setback.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Who did you have build the custom TI fork?  Very interested.  Thanks!

I have raced and bikepacked a carbon Epic for the last few years and it's been great.  The suspension really makes the gear load ride well on S/T.  I also have a H/T setup for gravel type routes.

Lake Ouachita Vista Trail.  30-40 miles of trail connecting the resorts on south side of the lake.  Beginner/Int. friendly and all fairly new (machine).  They are still working on the last section on the east end.

Follow link to help a friend of the community and great guy Ray Porter if you can.  http://www.gofundme.com/5ga67s

Give me a shout if you are coming up this way and we can put in a couple days.  Few know how good this area is and it can all be looped so no shuttling really necessary.  four79four95zero77one  Todd

Our best season for much of the ST is winter/spring because of all the growth.  Trail work really only gets done in the fall because of the summer heat and fall frosts/freezes helping the cause.  We are just now riding some trail sections up here because the snakes,ticks,chiggars and poison ivy are going to sleep!  I  do a parallel all gravel loop summer/fall  but not as cool as connecting all the trail around here.

Roughly looping thru all the ONF and including sections of 6 legal trails so lots of ST.  Just working on GPS data etc via section runs as trails open up. 

A friend and I are working up a 300-400 mile Loop as we speak that will include all the sweetness we have in our backyard.  More coming as we ride and document thru the season!

I am looking at an ITT or mass start type route layout here in the Arkansas Ouachita mountains.  We have plenty of terrain and miles available ranging from multi day singletrack loops to huge miles of gravel.  What percent trail/gravel and how many days/miles would serve the BP community desires for potential event etc?  Mainly looking to get a track out there so you guys can come play in our neighborhood.  Prime singletrack season here is Fall thru Spring btw before the heat is too ridiculous.  Thanks in advance for your input! 

Well done!

Hey Driftwood.....Do you have a route in mind or on paper connecting BE to say Old Fort?  I am going to be poking around in that area for several days in late September.  Looking to add a northern half to Sjanes traverse.