Arizona Trail: Oracle to Picketpost, Day 1 (Arizona Trail)
Mountain Biking Trail
Hard
28.1 mi
4,142 ft
Deep in the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona lies one of the finest stretches of singletrack anywhere – The Arizona Trail between Oracle, AZ and Superior, AZ.
This Arizona Trail mountain bike tour is truly a hidden gem. Deep in the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona lies one of the finest stretches of singletrack anywhere – The Arizona Trail between Oracle, AZ and Superior, AZ. We often use the word “remote”, but this section of trail may take the cake. It’s OUT there. Despite being one of the hottest deserts in North America the Sonoran Desert is teaming with life. Gila monsters, desert tortoise, javelinas, rattlesnakes and countless types of cactus permeate the landscape. Rugged and unforgiving as it is beautiful – it is magical world many of us do not get to experience often.
This is a self-guided tour, but not like our others. We mandate the following: GPS with the AZ Trail track from loaded, latex or Slime tubes (and plenty of them), 100oz hydration bladder and at least one water bottle mounted on the bike, and beefy tires. A little preparation goes a long way on this trip. Our goal is not to scare you, but simply be prepared for a great time mountain biking the Arizona Trail. This is a difficult, advanced level trip for experienced mountain bikers.
We created this trip for those who don’t want a guide, don’t want to be supported during the week and generally just want their own self-serve adventure with a bit of logistical assistance. Each day we relocate a very deluxe camp setup (provided by Ready Camp) of (2) 10×10 canopies, full kitchen, dry firewood, camp chairs, fresh water, coolers of food and beverages (you purchase prior to trip) and all your personal gear like tents, bags and clothing. You can go as cheap or deluxe as you want on food, beverages and amenities!!
Day 1
Our first day we’ll meet at 7:00am and then start with a shuttle from Apache Junction to Oracle, AZ of about 90 minutes. The beginning of the trail from Oracle takes you up and down on narrow singletrack crossing 5 or 6 washes. Distant views of Antelope Peak, our night’s destination, reveal themselves periodically. Behind us we can see the northern slopes of Mount Lemmon, Tucson’s signature peak. The vegetation in this area consists mainly of low-lying cacti such as prickly pear and chollas. During one of our scouting trips of this trip we came across a hissing gila monster in this region – a beautiful, but poisonous reptile not to be trifled with! After a long, enjoyable descent on some newly-built singletrack you’ll have a few miles on dirt road which will be a welcome relief as the singletrack in this first section demands attention. This road points directly at Antelope Peak, a reddish ancient volcano. You’ll soon rejoin singletrack to traverse the right hand flank of Antelope Peak, but keep your eyes peeled in this section as route-finding is tricky. Ride length is about 28 miles.
For more information or to book a tour, visit: Written by FATMAP Official
This Arizona Trail mountain bike tour is truly a hidden gem. Deep in the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona lies one of the finest stretches of singletrack anywhere – The Arizona Trail between Oracle, AZ and Superior, AZ. We often use the word “remote”, but this section of trail may take the cake. It’s OUT there. Despite being one of the hottest deserts in North America the Sonoran Desert is teaming with life. Gila monsters, desert tortoise, javelinas, rattlesnakes and countless types of cactus permeate the landscape. Rugged and unforgiving as it is beautiful – it is magical world many of us do not get to experience often.
This is a self-guided tour, but not like our others. We mandate the following: GPS with the AZ Trail track from loaded, latex or Slime tubes (and plenty of them), 100oz hydration bladder and at least one water bottle mounted on the bike, and beefy tires. A little preparation goes a long way on this trip. Our goal is not to scare you, but simply be prepared for a great time mountain biking the Arizona Trail. This is a difficult, advanced level trip for experienced mountain bikers.
We created this trip for those who don’t want a guide, don’t want to be supported during the week and generally just want their own self-serve adventure with a bit of logistical assistance. Each day we relocate a very deluxe camp setup (provided by Ready Camp) of (2) 10×10 canopies, full kitchen, dry firewood, camp chairs, fresh water, coolers of food and beverages (you purchase prior to trip) and all your personal gear like tents, bags and clothing. You can go as cheap or deluxe as you want on food, beverages and amenities!!
Day 1
Our first day we’ll meet at 7:00am and then start with a shuttle from Apache Junction to Oracle, AZ of about 90 minutes. The beginning of the trail from Oracle takes you up and down on narrow singletrack crossing 5 or 6 washes. Distant views of Antelope Peak, our night’s destination, reveal themselves periodically. Behind us we can see the northern slopes of Mount Lemmon, Tucson’s signature peak. The vegetation in this area consists mainly of low-lying cacti such as prickly pear and chollas. During one of our scouting trips of this trip we came across a hissing gila monster in this region – a beautiful, but poisonous reptile not to be trifled with! After a long, enjoyable descent on some newly-built singletrack you’ll have a few miles on dirt road which will be a welcome relief as the singletrack in this first section demands attention. This road points directly at Antelope Peak, a reddish ancient volcano. You’ll soon rejoin singletrack to traverse the right hand flank of Antelope Peak, but keep your eyes peeled in this section as route-finding is tricky. Ride length is about 28 miles.
For more information or to book a tour, visit: Written by FATMAP Official
Created By
Strava Routes
Route and Elevation
Segments
| Name | Distance | Elev. Diff. | Avg. Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| AZT Tiger to Freeman Rd. | 26.63 mi | -1,453 ft | -0.1% |
| AZT TT | 22.59 mi | -1,401 ft | -0.4% |
| AZT TO Low Point | 15.92 mi | -1,191 ft | -1.3% |
| Tiger Mine TH to Singletrack End @AP | 25.98 mi | -1,401 ft | -0.0% |
| TH to 1st gate | 5.27 mi | -420 ft | -1.1% |
| CONSOLIDATED SEGMENT - Eye of the tiger DH only | 1.54 mi | -348 ft | -4.3% |
| Eye of the Tiger | 1.67 mi | -410 ft | -4.5% |
| AZT Antelope Peak - Tiger Mine to Freeman Road | 27.04 mi | -1,450 ft | -0.1% |
| Tiger Mine AZT Single track to Antelope Peak Saddle | 25.59 mi | -1,430 ft | -0.0% |
| AZT FKT | 26.88 mi | -1,414 ft | -0.0% |
| 1st gate to 3rd gate | 4.80 mi | 479 ft | 0.9% |
| AZT Climb out of Oracle | 5.11 mi | 541 ft | 1.9% |
| AZT Passage 14D East to West | 4.25 mi | -883 ft | -3.9% |
| Ripping into the Bloodsucker | 1.76 mi | -676 ft | -7.3% |
| Kachina Trail Climb | 1.41 mi | 272 ft | 3.6% |
| AZT Passage 14E West to East | 3.46 mi | 417 ft | 2.3% |
| Unnamed Rd Climb | 1.59 mi | 492 ft | 5.8% |
| AZT - Dodson Wash to Antelope Peak | 3.65 mi | 505 ft | 2.6% |
| CONSOLIDATED SEGMENT - 5 Mile Gate to Freeman | 4.76 mi | 407 ft | 1.2% |
| 5 Mile Gate to Freeman | 4.76 mi | 407 ft | 1.3% |