Arizona Border to Border Route.

[the tortoise]

I was thinking it would be nice to put together an Arizona South to North Border to Border ride that would be easier than the AZT 750 course but take in it's best elements. Not a race but a bikepacking touring route.
So far this is what I have come up with:

Nogales to Patagonia via Highway 82. Photo links here: https://www.google.com/search?q=rainbow+rim+trail&client=firefox-a&hs=IyB&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=d9WFUayVC5GOigLb2IC4Dw&ved=0CEQQsAQ&biw=1600&bih=655

Then follow the AZT course to Slumberhaven. Now is there a nicer more rideable way from Slumberhaven (errr Summerhaven!) to Oracle?

Then from Oracle follow the AZT course to Superior. I would just make sure I spend the night in Gila and then get an early start on the trail to Superior. It is an awesome trail but you need plenty of water, an early start and a good amount of food in order to not turn it into a death march!

Superior to Payson the same as the AZT course, but then find a workaround or hitchike up to Clints Well, for a nice restocking point and restaurant. Avoid the highline trail.

Once up on the Mongillon rim use Forest Service roads including a stop at the Morman Lake Lodge  and then either the paved Lake Mary Road into Flag or a combo of Forest Service Road and the AZT to get to Flag. I know the section from Marshall Lake to Flag on the AZT is pretty nice riding and scenic.

From Flag the Single Track is real nice and if (a big if!) the place is open at the Snowbowl ski area for food then it is only a short off route for that.

Then use a combination of the AZT course and Forest Service Roads to get to Tusayan. Camp at Mather camground at the South Rim where there are showers and flush toilets. You could tour the South Rim for a day and either end your trip there, or carry your bike through the
Grand Canyon to the North rim. You could even take in the Rainbow Rim Trail and then a combo of dirt roads or paved roads to get to the border. Where you end up at the border would be your preference. It would be nice to end in a town.

[cheeseunit]

^I think I would love to see my state at a touring pace.Would have pictures to put with the memories.SO when are we riding?
 Ben

[AZTtripper]

Basically this http://www.amazon.com/Biking-Arizona-Trail-Day-Riding-Thru-Biking/dp/1565794370/ref=la_B001JP21PM_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1367853830&sr=1-3

I call it the Complete Guide to Skipping the AZT.

Not that I don't give Andrea and Beth credit for being the first to bike across the state using the AZT. It's only that after she rode a bunch of the trail, lots of incomplete passages back then, that she decided that the trails, mostly those in the south, weren't worth riding. Being a desert rider I wanted trails not roads on the desert end.

Most all of the tracks to do her route are on the AZT Network that Scott has posted here. If anybody wanted to put that route together it shouldn't be that hard to do. Her crossing of the Gila is off limits now tho.

I had first envisioned riding the AZT back in 94, it wasn't anywhere near done then, and had been waiting 10 for more trail by 2004. That winter of 03-04 I found the AZT MTB route guide book. There was no way I was going to skip over the first legal passage, at least not on the word of someone who admitted to having limited MTB experience.

The AZTR and the earlier AZT300 are expert level single track events. If someone wants to do a gravel grinder version AZMBR that would be great. It would likely appeal to a lot of people. I can see where anyone who is walking much in the downs would not get the same level of satisfaction or reword for walking the ups. However riders who can and do enjoy the steep downs might not enjoy the long ginders.

Just my .02
Tim

[the tortoise]

Basically this http://www.amazon.com/Biking-Arizona-Trail-Day-Riding-Thru-Biking/dp/1565794370/ref=la_B001JP21PM_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1367853830&sr=1-3

I call it the Complete Guide to Skipping the AZT.

Not that I don't give Andrea and Beth credit for being the first to bike across the state using the AZT. It's only that after she rode a bunch of the trail, lots of incomplete passages back then, that she decided that the trails, mostly those in the south, weren't worth riding. Being a desert rider I wanted trails not roads on the desert end.

Most all of the tracks to do her route are on the AZT Network that Scott has posted here. If anybody wanted to put that route together it shouldn't be that hard to do. Her crossing of the Gila is off limits now tho.

I had first envisioned riding the AZT back in 94, it wasn't anywhere near done then, and had been waiting 10 for more trail by 2004. That winter of 03-04 I found the AZT MTB route guide book. There was no way I was going to skip over the first legal passage, at least not on the word of someone who admitted to having limited MTB experience.

The AZTR and the earlier AZT300 are expert level single track events. If someone wants to do a gravel grinder version AZMBR that would be great. It would likely appeal to a lot of people. I can see where anyone who is walking much in the downs would not get the same level of satisfaction or reword for walking the ups. However riders who can and do enjoy the steep downs might not enjoy the long ginders.

Just my .02
Tim

Tim,

Thanks much. I don't want to turn it into a total gravel and paved grinder, just sanitize it a bit to take out the real gnarly sections. Race route from Patagonia to Summerhaven it fine. Trying to skip Oracle ridge. From Oracle to Superior is fine as long as I can do the Gila to Superior section fresh, with plenty of daylight food and water.
Want to skip the highline trail and the bumpy sections of the AZT trail once you are on top of the Mongillon Rim. Still would like to hike through the Canyon but would like to do some dirt roads and Rainbow Rim trail once I am at the north rim.
To me the biggest workaround is Oracle Ridge and Highline Trail. Is the Control Road from Slumberhaven to Oracle nasty??

Rich

[AZTtripper]

Rich

The control road off of Lemmon is as good as any dirt rocky road you could hope for. Also the road Andrea used out of Payson is fine. You'll still have to climb up to the rim but after an easy ride rather then a long walk. After the rim I would stay on the first few miles of the trail, then turn right on the Fred Haught trail (look for the Cabin Loop on line). Then the same road as the easy route on the network. I have some tracks from this area that could give you a little bit of sweet ST bailing out before the first big HAB. There are some nice creek crossings in the first few miles of Blue Ridge.

After the Canyon there is also some nice trail north of the Park. Not as sweet as Rainbow but more in line with the route. Check out the Kaibab route page here to see how far out of the way Rainbow is.

[AZTtripper]

Rich shoot me a PM with an email and I'll send you a track of the Fred Haught trail.

[schillingsworth]

A bunch of us just spent the weekend up on the Kaibab, personally I'd skip the Rainbow Rim trail in favor of the AZT. It is quite a bit of work getting over to the RR trail & you'd miss the incredible open meadow riding the AZT provides. Plus, the AZT still gives you a great view at the East Rim. I think we counted 6 downed trees from the Kaibab TH inside the GCNP all the way to Jacob Lake and 5 of those were within 200 yards of one another in the last major drainage. We were all pleasantly surprised by the trail clearing efforts up there.

For reference I mostly did the Kaibab Monstecross 130 route without dropping off the plateau in favor of staying on the AZT. It was a 2 day bikepack for me. The first day was 93 miles, only 17 were singletrack (RR). The second day was 50 miles of AZT with 40+ being singletrack. There were some HAB sections, but nothing too long and others I was with cleaned a bunch more than I had legs/lungs for. YMMV.

Hopefully one of the others can chime in as well from this past weekend.

[AZTtripper]

Yep those meadows are sweet, the trick is there covered in snow when you get there during a thru ride.

Of course you could start in the north in the fall, but then you run the risk of bad weather in the south. Start too early and it can still be way hot start latter and you might get hit by the first storm up north.

So far those starting in the north have skipped the stuff in the south, and those starting from the south and doing the course have skipped the north. Back in 04 I did ride most of the trail, that was there, in the south and then everything up north. Only because I started early had a break in the middle and then went slow did that all work out.

Doing different parts of the state in the best season makes good sense. Not the most ideal thru trip but perhaps the best way to put it all enjoy each section.

[the tortoise]

Thanks all!

Any and all suggestions are appreciated. Keep them coming. Not being a resident of the state, having local knowledge is most helpful.

I have ridden both the rainbow rim trail and a portion of the AZT trail on the north rim and both are very nice. I know weather plays a factor in trying to do a border to border trip in one push from heat to snow to cold but that is the goal. I am thinking about doing it next year during the AZT race and starting a couple of days early so I can see some of the racers on the trail and I think April is probably the best time to do it weather wise. Being old and slow the last I see of most people is at the start line!

I think the AZT 750 is probably one of the most difficult endurance races out there and whoever completes it certainly has a huge feather in their cap, but it is a little too much over the top for me. My goal is a border to border completion with the obligatory hike through the Grand Canyon (just to say I did it) using the best roads and trails and minimizing high traffic pavement stretches.

I am moving away from racing now and more into MTB bikepack touring. I really like (need) my beauty sleep, like to take pictures and hang out. I like the idea of State border to border routes which take in the best scenery and routes of each state.

[Kevinscamps]

I am very interested in the best way around Highline without throwing the baby out with the bath water.  Hard to tell from the topo map.  Where is the miserable HAB?  People keep talking about the two miles up to the Rim, but that is pretty much unavoidable without at huge amount of roads.  How is the section from Payson to Pine?  Pine to Forest Road 440?  Forest road 440 to Washington Park (Forest road 32?). 

I am touring from Phoenix to Utah starting This Friday or Saturday.

[Briansong]

I have been working on a route from Needles AZ to Alpine on the AZ~NM border. I have ridden much of it but need to put together a bunch of unconnected sections. I have the route highlighted on FS maps but the missing "connectors" are either private property or paved, which I am trying to avoid. The route is mostly tailored to a TD type route, mostly jeep/FS/gravel stuff.

So, its not AZ, North-South but East-West. I missed the cooler temps to complete the first 200 miles from Needles to Crown King. Like I previously stated, I've ridden much of it, just not continuously.

Anyone interested in helping string a track together, let me know. A bunch of these sections could be covered over a weekend bike pack.

Steve