+ 44
Usery Mountain Park: Easy Loop
Mountain Biking Trail
Hard
11.24 mi
459 ft
A combination of smooth dirt singletrack and gravel paths creates a fun XC loop through Usery Mountain Park.
Usery Mountain Regional Park forms part of the green space barrier that hems in the northeastern corner of the Phoenix Metro Area. Despite being located right next to the popular mountain bike trails in the Hawes Trail System, Usery often gets overlooked by many mountain bikers.
It's a shame, really. Usery is home to a gorgeous campground that boasts 73 campsites with stunning views of the mountains to the north, all while being surrounded by ancient saguaro cacti. Granted, Usery doesn't have quite the density of trails that McDowell or Brown Mountain boast, but you can still piece together a few high-value loops through this regional park that can be pedaled right from your campsite.
The loop mapped here is a non-technical cross-country ride through the arroyos and flat desert on the south side of Usery Mountain Park. The ride starts off on a narrow, sinuous singletrack known as the Lost Sheep Trail, swooping and flowing through the cacti on classic gravelly Phoenix singletrack.
As you reach the south side of the loop, the route as mapped hops on a gated gravel road that runs along a dyke above a mostly-dry channel. If you'd prefer to have a bit more challenge, there is a singletrack-ish trail that runs lower down in the channel that may or may not be waterlogged: it depends on the time of the year.
The southeastern corner of the loop also contains a mixture of singletrack and gravel doubletrack, and it can easily be cut off if you want to shorten the ride.
After picking up the Ruidoso Trail, the rest of the ride follows fantastic non-technical singletrack. The flowy trails will have you grinning from ear to ear as you dodge the jumping cholla and rocket in and out of the small arroyos.
After looping back north on the County Line Trail, the return back to the west on Meridian and Blevins is a touch rockier than the trails you've ridden thus far. The rocks are still easily navigable, and this route overall is still deserving of an "Easy" technicality rating.
Once onto Chainfruit to return to Lost Sheep, the narrow, smooth singletrack is back for a fun finish to this beautiful cross country ride. Written by Greg Heil
Usery Mountain Regional Park forms part of the green space barrier that hems in the northeastern corner of the Phoenix Metro Area. Despite being located right next to the popular mountain bike trails in the Hawes Trail System, Usery often gets overlooked by many mountain bikers.
It's a shame, really. Usery is home to a gorgeous campground that boasts 73 campsites with stunning views of the mountains to the north, all while being surrounded by ancient saguaro cacti. Granted, Usery doesn't have quite the density of trails that McDowell or Brown Mountain boast, but you can still piece together a few high-value loops through this regional park that can be pedaled right from your campsite.
The loop mapped here is a non-technical cross-country ride through the arroyos and flat desert on the south side of Usery Mountain Park. The ride starts off on a narrow, sinuous singletrack known as the Lost Sheep Trail, swooping and flowing through the cacti on classic gravelly Phoenix singletrack.
As you reach the south side of the loop, the route as mapped hops on a gated gravel road that runs along a dyke above a mostly-dry channel. If you'd prefer to have a bit more challenge, there is a singletrack-ish trail that runs lower down in the channel that may or may not be waterlogged: it depends on the time of the year.
The southeastern corner of the loop also contains a mixture of singletrack and gravel doubletrack, and it can easily be cut off if you want to shorten the ride.
After picking up the Ruidoso Trail, the rest of the ride follows fantastic non-technical singletrack. The flowy trails will have you grinning from ear to ear as you dodge the jumping cholla and rocket in and out of the small arroyos.
After looping back north on the County Line Trail, the return back to the west on Meridian and Blevins is a touch rockier than the trails you've ridden thus far. The rocks are still easily navigable, and this route overall is still deserving of an "Easy" technicality rating.
Once onto Chainfruit to return to Lost Sheep, the narrow, smooth singletrack is back for a fun finish to this beautiful cross country ride. Written by Greg Heil
Created By
Strava Routes
Route and Elevation
Segments
| Name | Distance | Elev. Diff. | Avg. Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| just visiting | 3.03 mi | -256 ft | -1.6% |
| just the tip | 0.45 mi | -52 ft | -2.2% |
| Lost Sheep Down Moon Rock** | 2.16 mi | -230 ft | -2.0% |
| SB Desert Hawk | 1.52 mi | -144 ft | -1.8% |
| Lost Sheep Down | 1.07 mi | -118 ft | -2.1% |
| southbound n down | 2.40 mi | -187 ft | -1.5% |
| Sheep racin down to the Moon** | 1.64 mi | -171 ft | -2.0% |
| Sheep Burst | 0.23 mi | -26 ft | -2.2% |
| Moon Rock Trail to Blevens Trail | 0.82 mi | -56 ft | -0.6% |
| mr clw clmb | 0.26 mi | 26 ft | 1.7% |
| Channel 2 Ruidoso Crosscut | 0.27 mi | -10 ft | -0.5% |
| 2020 Showdown SW Safety County Line Grinder | 0.96 mi | 95 ft | 1.9% |
| MeridiSpill | 0.66 mi | -36 ft | -1.0% |
| Meridian Trail to Horse Lot WB | 0.98 mi | 89 ft | 1.7% |
| Cat's Peak/Blevins Junction WEST to Blevins Trailhead | 0.76 mi | 72 ft | 1.8% |
| Horse Lot to Area 10 WB | 0.43 mi | -20 ft | -0.2% |
| ChainFruit Up | 0.94 mi | 79 ft | 1.6% |
| chain fruit up and out | 1.44 mi | 144 ft | 1.9% |