I was wondering if anybody has any experience with shuttling mountain bikes from the North to the South Rim? I just called a company (http://www.trans-canyonshuttle.com/) who claim on their website that they're the only regularly scheduled service on that route but unfortunately they tell me they're not equipped for carrying bikes.

Any ideas anyone?

I think they plan to have the new construction finished around February 2012. So I'll follow your advice and check back then to get an updated GPS track. In the meantime I'll take your description and what else I have in terms of maps etc. and work out a preliminary GPS track. That and organizing the transport to the stateline will keep me busy for some time to come. May come back with questions now and then if you don't mind.

Thanks for all your help so far,
Wolfgang

[not]

Tim,

I really appreciate your help. That's a lot of valuable information you've already given me!

Here's some information about me (us):

• I would consider us fairly fit and we'll make sure we'll get into even better shape before we start. I crossed the Alps twice but that's considerably shorter than the AZT (like a week or so) and very different. We typically carry only a 12 - 15 pound backpack, find plenty of water along the way, stay in shelters, and cover about 50 miles per day at a daily elevation gain of 5000 - 6000 feet. So the main challenge in the Alps is elevation gain.
• We would look to maximize single track because we think that's the major attraction in mountain biking, however, I do not consider ourselves advanced technical riders. So we'd rather have to avoid long stretches of rock gardens, drops etc. (also considering the weight we'll be carrying).
• We would hike the Grand Canyon. I understand that means carrying the bike but I believe we'll manage. I have hiked the Grand Canyon before (no bike) and know what it's like. I've also carried the bike up mountain passes (and then down the other side :-().
• In general, I would pick slower going and not making it all the way to the Mexican border over hurrying and missing good single tracks or nice scenery. We can always come back...
• I own "Biking the Arizona Trail" by Andrea Lankford and "Arizona Trail - The Officieal Guide". They're good for starters but leave a lot of questions unanswered, especially what to do about all the (many) prohibited and "not rideable" sections. We're not really eager to ride for days on end on paved roads or boring forest roads.
• I also have the GPS track and section descriptions by the AZT organization but they don't really seem to cater to bikers specifically.

OK, this is getting too long already but let me say that after getting your input I will try to arrange for transport via Page and 89 north to the state line and start from there.

I booked the flights yesterday, too :-)

I have emailed arizonshuttle.com in Flagstaff yesterday but haven't got a reply yet but it seems that getting to Flagstaff is painless and quite cheap even with a bike. I'll find out about the missing link sooner or later and will post it then so others can maybe save some time.

I have also been pondering over your last post and here is what I understand so far (using the maps and guides I have):

• ...it would be better to start up at Jacob Lake and mostly coast down on dirt roads.

  Coasting down from Jacob Lake means using BLM 1065 (House Rock Valley Road) to where it meets BLM 1025 (Winter Road) and then turn back up again in a kind of loop following the official AZT right? My question would be "is it worth it?" or would you think we might as well start going south from Jacob Lake right away?

• The other option of having them drop you at the bottom of House Rock Valley road means a long slog up a sandy road.
  

  By this you mean getting dropped off at the stateline trailhead (This would also be accessible from the north (dirt road about 10 miles from the 89)? If so, the "long slog" would be the switchbacks up Buckskin Mountain (the original AZT as I understand it) or backing up BLM 1065 through Coyote Wash?

I would tend to go all the way from the stateline but not if it means many hours of pushing bike.

Let me know if I'm asking too many questions but nothing beats getting one's hands on someone who's been there and done it ;-)

Hi ImaFred,

Thought about that but it would mean that we'd either have to fly back from Phoenix, which would be more expensive or else we'd have an even worse logistics problem at the end of the trip. That's why I believe it's a better idea to bike towards the airport we're going to fly back from rather than away from it. But thanks for the idea anyway!

Wolfgang

Hi AZTripper,

Thank you for your quick reply. I will check with the guys in Flagstaff. And of course, if we should be able to work sth. out with a private person, we would be more than happy to pay for that service too :-) The problem in that case will most likely be that we'd be pretty much dependent on that person's available time, most likely a weekend. And that, in turn, means we'd have to book the flights accordingly, with enough time to make the necessary purchases of food etc. before we leave Phoenix. Not a problem really, I'm only trying to find the right sequence of doing things... ;-)

Wolfgang

Hi,

We are planning on biking the AZT next fall (there's 4 of us) from the Utah border to the Mexican border. We have 4 weeks and from what I have read that should be enough. If not we can always just go to Phoenix. I have read the stuff on the azt-org web site and have become a member too but I do have a basic question as how to best get to the northern access point on the Utah border.

We will be flying in to Phoenix from Germany and I'm not clear on how best to proceed from there.

I realize there are shuttle services that will take you from Phoenix to the southern trailhead and there's also services that will shuttle you to the northern trailhead if you're already up north but how will 4 guys plus mountain bikes best get up north? A combination of public transport and shuttle service?

Any ideas or hints would be very welcome.

Thanks,
Wolfgang