Armed with some fresh trail routing posted the week prior, Sunday’s AZT ride would take place on the west side of the San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff. But first up we needed breakfast. So we jumped on the bikes and picked up singletrack just 100’ from our campsite. Some 2.5 miles and 600’ lower, we arrived at the Café at the bottom of Snowbowl Rd. All I can say is the moto folks up here can build some great flowing & technical trails with the full backing of the Forest Service. After stuffing ourselves on the buffet (well Brent did), it was time to pedal back up the road to the campsite and gear up for our 21 mile ride. This time we took the singletrack in the up direction from our campsite. Same moto trail, but definitely some technical climbing at altitude (8,000’). Soon enough the aspens start appearing.
At the end of this former forest road, the moto trail splits off and we’re in a non-motorized area nearly surrounded by aspens.
This is the Lamar Haines / Viet Springs trail.
Barely a hundred feet further and we come across Ludwig Veit's Cabin, built in 1892. This was part of a 160-acre homestead.
Just above the cabin is the well house and food storage cellar.
Had I done my homework, we could have searched for the pictographs in the boulder rocks. Back on the trail, we continue climbing encountering a heavy flow of day hikers coming down Lamar Haines to look at the cabin. We finally finish the day’s major climb and come out at Aspen Corner, so appropriately named.
We jump on a wide trail that weaves through the aspens, intersecting the AZT.
This section of AZT across Hart Prairie is highly popular and seems as one of the most heavily used trails with hikers and bikers on the west side of the San Francisco Peaks area. But for good reason. It’s when you come into the first meadow you look right and see Humphrey’s Peak (12,633’) on the left and Agassiz Peak (12,356’) on the right.
And then take in a 360 degree panoramic look around you.
The trail closely follows the 9,000’ contour line as you enter into aspens and exit back to open meadows.
Lush ferns among the aspens
Meadow near Bismarch Lake
The reward before the AZT crosses Forest Rd 418 is nearly a dozen and a half long switchbacks through the forest that dumps you into yet another huge aspen grove.
On the other side of forest road, the AZT continues into the aspens. But it’s time for us to begin the return loop back to camp 11 miles away so we can get on the road to San Diego. We make some time on nearly 6 miles of forest road. Green ski runs of Arizona Snowbowl.
Then we pick up another excellent moto trail.
By this point we were completely exhausted from the weekend and bailed down Snowbowl road for the last 1.5 miles. Which was a good thing, as the heavens opened up with less than 30 seconds after reaching our vehicle. Despite hail mixed with the torrential rain, we both stayed outside for the remainder of the scattered thunderstorm to shower the weekend off of us. Just like taking an ice cold shower, it was completely refreshing which was a good thing with 9 hours of driving ahead of us.
