Sedona and Prescott. rinse and repeat. I like to ride alternating days and then head back home.
Hotels aren't an issue with 1.4 million Hilton points in da bank
Great places to stay, eat and play
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| Roadtrip advice! http://dirttreaders.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=16712 |
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| Author: | tranceX [ Mon Jan 11, 2016 3:18 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Roadtrip advice! |
I'm looking to do a 3-4 day long weekend somewhere driveable from San Diego. I'm looking for some input from the readers here about where they would go for an epic guys weekend of riding. My friend and I are looking for something that highlights riding terrain and conditions that we don't necessarily have here in San Diego. Maybe something in the forest, slickrock, or super flowy and fun. We are both advanced riders. Some of my first inclinations would be to hit up Sedona or Moab or Hurricane/St George or Black Canyon in AZ. I'm just curious where everyone would go if they had 3-4 days to ride their favorite trails. Thanks! Also looking for tips on breweries, restaurants, etc along the way or for post ride beers/eats. |
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| Author: | k2rider [ Mon Jan 11, 2016 4:09 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Roadtrip advice! |
My personal opinion based on the criteria you've given, hands down would be Hurricane. It may not have the most challenging riding on the planet (though I haven't done Grafton Mesa yet) but it is completely different than what you'll find local. I have (2) trips in the works to go there myself. We usually do a Sedona run at Halloween and I love the riding but to me, the *fun* factor is lower and the *work" factor is higher than most areas. I do love Slim Shady to Hi-line though and now I'm hooked on all the Hogs trails as well. Moab is to far for anything less than 7 days for me. Haven't been to the PHX area to ride yet but just booked a weekend in March. Black Canyon is on the "must do" list along with South Mountain and the Hawes Mountain trail system. Probably going to ride the Cactus Creek race course as well because it's very highly thought of. |
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| Author: | J.A.M. [ Mon Jan 11, 2016 4:45 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Roadtrip advice! |
I've been to Sedona and Tahoe and can't wait to get back to both! |
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| Author: | Canaan [ Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:12 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Roadtrip advice! |
+ 1 on Tahoe. |
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| Author: | tranceX [ Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:44 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Roadtrip advice! |
Thanks for the input on Hurricane. What time of year is best there? Is it rideable in late Feb, March? Or is it cold and snowy until later? What trails specifically? JEM, Gooseberry, Zen, Guacamole, Virgin River, etc. Thanks again. I've only done Goose and it was probably in my top 2 or 3 days of riding ever. Same fo Tahoe? I'm assuming I'll have to wait til Spring? When is the best time? Best trails up there? |
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| Author: | OldDogDan [ Mon Jan 11, 2016 6:24 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Roadtrip advice! |
If you're talking about doing this within the next couple of months, and by "driveable" you mean maybe <8 hrs, I'd scratch off the higher-elevation places like Tahoe and Hurricane until later in spring, and look more to lower desert or coastal, say Phoenix or Santa Cruz. |
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| Author: | bajamtnbkr [ Mon Jan 11, 2016 7:10 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Roadtrip advice! |
If you haven't being to Sedona is a must. I've being to every place mentioned and they all have something special BUT Sedona will deliver for sure. So easy to find the trails, stop at any bike shop for a map and info. Plenty of restaurants. Highly recommend to stay in the area of Village of Oak Creek and ride from your hotel room, so awesome!! |
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| Author: | racerbill [ Mon Jan 11, 2016 7:31 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Roadtrip advice! |
+1 on Sedona and Oak Creek Village . We are heading there in early February it will be cold in the mornings and good in the afternoons |
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| Author: | k2rider [ Mon Jan 11, 2016 8:01 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Roadtrip advice! |
You can ride Hurricane year round. It does snow there but rarely and it never lasts. We go every February and every May. This year we're going Jan 28-31. Last year, it was in the 70's in February and in the 50's & rainy in May so you never know. The only time it ever snowed on us there was in April one year and we were riding over at Church Rocks as it snowed on us. Another huge bonus of the St George/Hurricane area and Sedona is that there are trails you can ride while they're wet...or snowing. Like others have mentioned, we stay in Oak Creek in Sedona as well. Nice to hear you liked Gooseberry. Every person I've ever taken there has said the same thing as you. It's just so unique compared to other trail systems. To answer your question, we ride it all when we can. You definitely want to stay off the JEM when it's wet but as far as Goose, if you can get up the road, it's pretty much good to go. Across the valley is Little Creek Mesa, it's like 1/2 Goose & 1/2 dirt trails winding thru pinon pines and it's another no-go place when it's wet. Every Saturday, the Over the Edge bike shop in town does a shop ride and it's a great pace. The owners are very cool and he's a great rider as well. No ego at all. Just there to guide you and make you a better rider by pushing the boundaries...but only if you want. Don't forget there's alot more trails down in St George & Santa Clara....Zen, Barrel Roll, Church Rocks, Prospector and on and on. One other huge plus of St George vs Sedona is the bargain lodging. I've stayed in $36 per night rooms at the Rodeway Inn (worst hotel ever but $36 divided by 2 is $18 per person so I put up with it. If I'm looking to save money, I get a 2 bedroom condo at Sports Village for $90 a night and the Zen Trail is (2) minutes away by bike. We stay over off Hwy 9 in newer houses when we have a larger group. Tahoe is definitely a Summer destination. If El Nino delivers as all the hype has suggested, some stuff won't be rideable until July. |
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| Author: | Dirtrider [ Mon Jan 11, 2016 8:40 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Roadtrip advice! |
Sedona and Prescott. rinse and repeat. I like to ride alternating days and then head back home. Hotels aren't an issue with 1.4 million Hilton points in da bank Great places to stay, eat and play |
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| Author: | mongooseboy [ Mon Jan 11, 2016 11:12 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Roadtrip advice! |
Tahoe is off the board until spring I have a buddy that just posted a photo of the trailhead at the Flume Trail and it was covered in deep snow. I've done St George/Hurricane Pronounced: "Hurrcan" area in the winter, the riding in the lower trails, GEM, Church Rocks, Green Valley, should be ride able but Gooseberry Mesa is probably snowed in. The other place to consider might be Vegas Bootleg Canyon will for sure be ride able and probably the Blue Diamond area but I've seen snow on those trails so check the weather. Better yet, drive the 5hrs to Vegas, ride Bootleg spend the night, partake in some Vegas debauchery, get up, and drive the 2hrs to St George. One of my co-workers is in Sedona right now and he posted Facebook photos of snow on the red rock hills surrounding town, stunningly beautiful but probably not ride able. Good Luck! |
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| Author: | evdog [ Tue Jan 12, 2016 12:57 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Roadtrip advice! |
Sedona is great but now that the Forest Service has adopted trails in to the system and signed them, the hoardes of retarded tourist hikers have found them. Still a great place to ride, but I'd avoid it on holiday weekends. It is best in fall and spring but can be done with less crowds and colder temps in winter. Hurricane is awesome. Best spring and fall. You just have to watch for any rain because roads become impassible when wet. But often they are good to drive on by next morning 10-11am if it is sunny. There are plenty of different systems to ride if you can't get to Gooseberry or Little Creek. For fall/winter/spring most of Arizona is prime. Phoenix and Tucson have great riding and plenty of killer trail systems that don't get a lot of attention. South Mountain is everyone's favorite for techy descents but it is even worse for hiker traffic than Sedona. Gold Canyon is a great system that has a lot of variety and scenic. McDowells and Browns Ranch do as well. A friend of mine does a loop around both each year of >100 miles with pretty much no pavement and minimal dirt road. My absolute favorite out there though is the Arizona Trail from Superior/Picketpost to Kelvin. Possibly the most scenic trail in AZ. A few pics. This one is a must do. Black Canyon is good but this one is a whole other level. Both are point to point shuttles though.    Tucson is another place I have been going to. It has some killer sections of AZT as well and a bunch of smaller, fun trail systems. Prescott is great April or May and in the fall as well. Tons of riding. A few other places to consider - Vegas - Bootleg, Cowboy Trails, Blue Diamond, Bears Best (may be bulldozed) - Kernville - lower elevation trails are good winter/spring - Kern Canyon Tr, Whiskey Flat, Wagy Ridge, Keyesville trails - Santa Barbara - lots of great chunky descents - SLO - Santa Cruz / Bay area - even Santa Monica / front side San Gabriels are good this time of year if you want to stay closer Plenty of options. For me, with 4 days I'd try to get further away like AZ. |
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| Author: | k2rider [ Tue Jan 12, 2016 11:02 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Roadtrip advice! |
Nice timing for you TranceX.... http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-tr ... southwest/ |
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| Author: | tranceX [ Tue Jan 12, 2016 4:05 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Roadtrip advice! |
Thanks for the input guys. This is great! |
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| Author: | evdog [ Tue Jan 12, 2016 5:40 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Roadtrip advice! |
Here are some more ideas.... http://forums.mtbr.com/arizona/top-10-m ... 89821.html I've done 7 of the ten. So much great riding in AZ.... |
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