Desert Mountain Ramble

Please come and tour pristine Sonoran desert and beautiful singletrack on this ~50 mile endurance ride.

What: ~50 mile endurance ride with one good 1500 ft. climb and countless smaller hills.
Where: Pima & Dynamite and Beyond.  See map and information below.
When: Ride begins at sunrise (6:30 AM) on Saturday April 6th   
We will be camping out the night before.  Please join us if you can make it.
Who: Experienced riders only please.  This ride will take strong riders in very good shape at least 5 hours to complete.

Ride Description (also see the map ):
We will leave camp on the north side of Granite Mountain at sunrise in order to beat the afternoon heat.  It could be warm, up to 90 F.  Bring lots (at least a gallon) of water and food because the loose granite trail surface sucks a bit of energy.  
We’ll roll out of camp on a short section of singletrack and then head north on 136th St. for some miles.  Then we drop into Camp Creek and grind threw a mile of sandy wash to Bartlett Dam Rd.  Head up the Dam Rd. and keep climbing up 2 track to the course highpoint of 4200 ft.  Time for fun.  Descend ~1500 ft of mostly singletrack.  Follow powerlines south and cross the pavement of the Dam Rd. again.  Turn east and test climbing ability on the wall of doom.  Descend miles of nice rolling singletrack (including the 30 mph trail labeled on The Map of phoenix) back towards 136th St.  Your almost 1/2 way there. Time for the long haul.  Ride up 1-track west towards the Flagstaff-Phoenix power lines you followed earlier.  Start picking up speed and crank down West Express to an easily missed left (east) turn near Browns Pk.  Cross back under powerlines, past the stock tank and head up 2-track past Browns Ranch.  Make right onto more good singletrack.  Weave down and around Slant and Cone mountains on singletrack.  Bushwack 200 feet to the southern set of powerlines.  Head east on sandy powerline road for 2 miles and then turn north towards the Smokin Rock.  Take funky reroute around Smokin Rock out and then up past Little Granite Mtn.   Descend fast 1-track toward Granite Mtn.  Take secret cut-threw south. Turns into 2 track for 1/4 mile.  Make left onto 1-track that descends around the south side of Granite Mtn.  Climb up “busted nut” trail and enjoy final 1-track descent back to camp.  You made it.  Congratulations.

Relax, Rehydrate, Refuel.  When all riders finish we’ll head to Greasewood Flats for food and celebration.

Note: we plan to ride the first half of the course as a group because it is easy to get lost on this section.  Then we’ll cut loose for the 2nd half so people can go at there own pace.

Directions to start:
From Phoenix:  101 north to, Pima Rd. north, East on Dynamite-Rio Verde for ~6.5 miles, north on 136th St. for 3 miles, Look for sign for E. Dove Valley Rd., open gate on left (west) side of 136th, follow dirt 2-track for 1/3 mile, left at Desert Mtn Ramble sign onto narrower 2-track for ~1/5 mile and you’ll be there.

From Flagstaff & Sedona: I-17 south to Carefree highway exit.  East on Carefree highway to junction of Pima Rd.  South on Pima to Dynamite Blvd, see directions above to get from Pima-Dynamite intersection to the camp site/ride start.

From Payson and E. AZ:  87 south. Find your way through Fountain Hills or Fort McDowell Reservation to Fort McDowell Rd.  Keep heading north through Rio Verde and turn left (west) onto Rio Verde drive.  Follow for a few miles to 136th, turn north.  See directions for Phoenix to get from Rio Verde-136th  intersection to the camp site/ride start.


Notes:
Bring patch kit and at extra tubes because Teddy Bear Cholla abound.
Bring lots of water and food
Watch for motorcycles
Enjoy yourself

I hope to see you there and please email if you plan to attend.
zack.washburn@asu.edu