| Name: | Loop over southern part of McDowell Mountains - a.k.a. long Double Bypass | 
|
| Description: | A "long" ride during the spring Phoenix trip. With my back still being on the mend, I was not overly ambitious. The plan was to ride some trails in the Sonoran Preserve on the west side of McDowell Mountains. I set of in already warm morning from Cindy and John's house in northern Fountain Hills. On the roads I moved west to the trailhead of Sunrise Trail and went on it. It was pretty steep and rocky, which made the back not very happy. Needless to say, there were no bikers in sight, although there were many hikers (which can be credited for the looseness of the trail). I must admit that I was misled by the "moderate" rating of the trail - perhaps for hikers, for bikes, I'd rate it "dificult". Then I moved onto Lost Dog Wash trail, which was also rocky, but not steep. Then onto Quarts trail, which was the same thing. I got a bit lost in an upcoming neigborhood and then regained my track down a wash. From here I went north again onto Paradise Trail. Here I got a flat around lunch time so I fixed it and had a bar at the same time. It was pretty hot, but, there was a cool breeze which was making things bearable. I also discovered that my back is more achy than I thought. So, the plan was to head back as soon as possible. I did not get any better idea than head to Bell Pass trail which climbs 1500 ft. It did not feel like much at the bottom but I was not too happy on the top. The trail was steep and occasionally loose, so, I did some pushing. Then I dropped down on the east side of the mountains, onto Prospector Trail that ends on the dirt road to Thomson Peak. Another 0.4 mile down the road, I turned onto Dixie Mine trail which dumped me into undeveloped fancy neighborhood of Fountain Hills. I followed the streets back to the house. Bottom line - great ride that was more technical than it should have been. Hopefully next time I am in better shape to extend it further north and then east into the McDowell county park. | |
| URL: | TopoFusion Home Page | |
| ||
| ||
| Total Distance: | 26.60 miles (42.80 km) |
| Total Trip Time: | 4:55:17 (4:02:25 moving time) |
| Total Climbing: | 4780 feet (1457 m) |
| Total Descending: | 4646 feet (1416 m) |
| Average Speed: | 6.58 mph (10.59 kph) |
