This is desert highlands and a beautiful part of the Sonoran Desert. (not much left with all the development) There are some jeep trails here and this area is also used by ATV and dirt bikes. Most of them stay off the singletrack.
From the parking area I head northeast and follow the powerlines along a jeep trail for a mile or so. It's a good warm up before you hit the singletrack. You'll see singletrack trails branching off of this jeep trail on the right that head out to several rock outcroppings in the distance. As you head toward these you will cross other trails. It's hard to get lost because you can always follow the powerlines or look at the many landmarks. Some trails are numbered.
It's a great ride because as you ride north you are gradually gaining elevation on a trail that has a lot of short ups and downs through boulders. It takes some skill to be able to get good speed going down to clear the uphill part. Lots of shifting and braking. The ride back is downhill and like a rollercoaster! Let it rip!
Nice Sonoran desert trails. Some black diamond side trails. Most intermediate and roads for easier in the mix. Catch it in winter-early spring for best conditions. Riding in gentle hills.
| ThankWOW... Highly recommend this area... all of it with all of it's trailheads. Get a map like I did and highlight all the trails you do. We got almost all of them. There is every ability of trail here, from the beginner to technical bliss.
| ThankRiding back towards town is a blast! You can pick up some speed on the whoop dee doos. It's in a great part of town lots of choices for breakfast after the ride.
| ThankGreat place had a fun time but go to browns ranch gust up the road parking and bathroom
| ThankDrive up to the browns ranch trailhead. You can park at dynamite and Pima, but the power line road is mostly deep, soft rock for a mile .
This is a fantastic, well laid out, easy trail system. You can ride for days on rolling switchbacks. Very few technical spots but there are plenty of good views and you can get your cardio with distance. More technical riders will like the relaxed ride and newbies will find it challenging but not intimidating. Make sure to grab a trail map!
| ThankThis is a pretty extensive trail system (It's really part of the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve North trail system, but this is the name that Singletracks knows it by) with different trails for differing skill levels. You should be in good cardio shape for these trails though, as there are a lot of climbs. Also be aware that there are a LOT of Cholla close to the trails, so be careful on the downhill curves.
| ThankDesert in bloom, beautiful. 16 miles around Cholla & Granite Mountain loops, 2 hours 15 minutes with photo stops.
| ThankI recommend going north on Pima Rd there is a better entrance right before the intersection of Pima and las piedras. This has to be my favorite course right now. Lots of challenges and jumps and shifting. I had a blast!
| ThankStarted at Browns Ranch trailhead and headed east on the power lines to granite mountain loop which was really good single track. Took that to trail 4 which I was hoping to take to the browns mountain trail. It was fairly miserable with lots of deep sand. Luckily it branches off on a bunch of other numbered trails that I was able to take back to the granite mountain loop. Some of the trail finding was difficult due to closed trails. Overall good time and lots to explore.
| ThankWow. Awesome trails. Easy gradual uphill. Fantastic downhill. Lots of potential jumps. There are some sand areas on the main trail that follows the east/west powerlines, but it can be avoided. No rocks in the trails. Beautiful desert scenery. Highly recommended - even for a beginner. Don't touch any metal on your bike while under the power lines. Ouch.
| ThankWow. Awesome trails here. Easy gradual uphill. One of the best down hills i've seen yet. No rocks. Some sand here an there, but it can be avoided. Don't touch any metal on your bike while riding under these power lines. Ouch
| ThankGreat ride! Lots of fun ups and downs, don't be deterred by the atv tracks in the first 100 yards or so. Keep going north and look for the single tracks that start branching off. And have fun!!
| ThankFUN FUN FUN!!! Very easy to navigate just follow the powerlines
| ThankThis trail network is often overlooked and underestimated by many. Yes, a lot of the trails are open to (and were created for) motocross bikes. On this desert gravel they create some fun features ... parts of it are like a huge pump track. Large areas are designated non-motorized. With about 100 miles of available trails, you can create many different and fun 15 to 20 mile loops that are not highly technical but have enough ups and downs to feel like interval training.* Review edited 12/26/2010
| ThankStarts out kind of dull, but gets better the further north you go. The ride back is pretty quick too, not a white-knuckler, but worth the effort. I am looking forward to going further next time.
Should probably mention you need a permit as it is AZ state trust land. $15 a year, no biggie.
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