Sweet single track in the Kaibab Plateau's glorious high forest. Related Riding instead of Hiking We decided to switch up our usual mode of adventure - hiking - and get on our mountain bikes. After our epic Grand Canyon rim to rim in one day journey a few weeks ago, we noticed the beauty around Jacob Lake and GC's north rim in northern Arizona. Only a few hours drive from St. George, Utah, we got out of the heat to explore the cool, aspen-filled forest on the Kaibab plateau. So many aspens that it reminded me of Colorado high country. We stayed at Kaibab Lodge, five miles from the entrance to the north rim of the Grand Canyon National Park in a spartan "hiker's" cabin, the last place available there. Maybe a rim-to-rim hiker had cancelled at the last minute. The dinner and breakfast buffets were a bit spendy, but then again this is a pretty remote location. The Arizona National Scenic Trail links Mexico to Utah through 800 miles of prime Arizona deserts, mountains, and canyons. It's divided into 43 sections, or "passages." At the Mexico border, it begins in the Huachuca Mountains, trekking through grasslands to gain 3,000 feet to a ponderosa pine forest. The final passage is through Buckskin Mountain to the Utah border, where you can see the Vermillion Cliffs. It's open to hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians. We rode a gorgeous section of this trail through pristine forest and meadows in the Kaibab National Forest on a splendid single track to a viewpoint of the east rim of the Grand Canyon, making a loop by riding back on perfect gravel roads. No other vehicles - we had it to ourselves. The day before this, we just picked gravel roads to explore and ended up at an old cabin, possibly a line shack for ranchers. Our friend Jeff is an avid mountain biker. We hiked the rim to rim trail with him. When I showed him photos of this single track, he said, "Looks great. Let's go." That's the spirit! Looking forward to another northern Arizona adventure!
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6/19/2024 06:38:46 pm
We like the AZT sections near us, but we hike them instead of bicycling. Local cyclists enjoy a long section called the "Lemmon Drop", which starts at the top of Mount Lemmon and ends in Milagrosa Canyon. (Really ambitious riders bike up to the start of the drop. Are you that ambitious?) The drop is tricky riding: a lot of slope, rocks, bumps, exposed cliffs, etc.
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Hi Larry!
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6/23/2024 08:20:37 am
Nice! Views that do not say iconic Arizona. Aspens are such a delight.
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Yes, just about every part of this ride was a delight! Few people, blue sky, perfect temperature, single track, the list goes on. Great scenery change from St. George, although it is beautiful, too. The aspens remind me I need to get up to the high country more often!
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Sue and Fred
About this blogExploration documentaries – "explorumentaries" list trip stats and highlights of each hike or bike ride, often with some interesting history or geology. Years ago, I wrote these for friends and family to let them know what my husband, Fred and I were up to on weekends, and also to showcase the incredible land of the west.
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