Monday, January 15, 2007

Arizona Trail at Colossal Cave


Tucson, Arizona

Scout is a real mountain dog, a trooper who loves to run. If you put her on a leash, she barks and growls and is loath to obey any order you give her. But if you put her behind a mountain bike she's your best friend.

We went out to check out the Colossal Cave section of the Arizona Trail and had a blast cruising along fresh, super smooth singletrack. I felt pretty guilty riding this great stretch of trail considering that I didn't take part in the Cienega Corridor Construction Project. Alas, it's a new year, and I promise I'll try my hand at trail work.

This is a preliminary post, I'll have maps up as soon as I've ridden the Passage #7 from I-10 to Saguaro National Park.

How to get there: From the intersection of Old Spanish Trail and Pistol Ranch Road, continue on the dirt section of Pistol Ranch Road. After about a mile, you'll see a 4wd track on your right, with a wide improvised parking area. The marked AZ trail will cross this track to your right, heading towards Colossal Cave.

Length: 13 miles from I-10 to Saguaro National Park. (About 4 between Pistol Ranch Road and La Sevilla)

Trail Conditions: Smooth singletrack.

The Map: To Come.

The Ride: We rode up to La Sevilla Campground in Colossal Cave and then back down past my car until we got to a cattle guard on Pistol Ranch Road.

2 comments:

Web said...

Brendan,

You're obviously knowledgeable about mtb trails in Arizona so perhaps you can help with this:

RidingTheSpine is a trio of guys doing a ride from Alaska to the tip of South America. The trio will soon be riding the Arizona Trail from North to South. They need advice on which sections of the trail to ride and are also looking for contacts to help arrange talks to school groups about their trip and their charity (a bike trail that's being constructed in flood devasted areas of New Orleans). Can you offer suggestions where to ride on the AZT?

Respectfully,
Larry Lagarde
RideTHISbike.com
Urging bicycling for recreation, commuting, health and a better future.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for writing this.