riding in Flagstaff, AZ

[vincent]

ride up here on the forest roads a lot so thought i would list some areas/roads and the condition, how busy they are etc

lake mary/mormon lake -----from my experience all the forest roads down around lake mary and mormon lake tends to have the most off road vehicles , this is beautiful country and the roads are in pretty good shape but i tend to ride this only during the week to hopefully cut down on running into them and cars

would say half are going pretty fast but everyone has been great about slowing down when they see me, the problem on all the roads around here is most of the curves are blind, i try to get out of the curves quick as possible

80% of the time it is 5-10 ohv in a row, i get completely off the road until i am sure they are all through, with the dust here the machines behind the leader cannot see you


elden springs rd----have ridden the elden springs rd a couple of times, it is in pretty good shape and i have not hit a lot of traffic there, last ride i took schultz pass road back and it is pretty washed out and not in good shape


for tuthill----have ridden fort tuthill area several times, those roads were good last time i was up there, but do wash out some if a lot of rain
this is a good safe place to park the cars and go ride
riding there this afternoon and will post if any bad areas

grand canyon---- excellent nice riding everywhere, dirt paths are in good condition and 6 months of the year the paved main rim road is closed to cars

 

[vincent]

rode south woody mtn rd -231 from fort tuthill yesterday/sunday down to rogers lake

seems like the forest service has done a lot of work on the roads recently, running into a lot more deep gravel etc on them

this was a lot of sand/gravel on woody mtn road
and quite a bit of washboard

the roads down by lake mary are not near as washboard

i have ridden this road some and always had some traffic, some faster than others
but yesterday was the worst ride i have ever had in flagstaff for fast traffic
i was covered in dust and obscured by it a lot after the cars passed

will try this at some point during the week but never again on a weekend
it is beautiful country and i would like to ride it if i can feel safe

 

[vincent]

update on 231 over to 89A
did this ride again middle of the week
most of the sand/gravel that had been dropped on it has been packed down or pushed off, not near as bad as last time
the road was in pretty good shape all the way through, think this is about 20-25miles before you get to 89A
but because the road is in good shape and it is a pretty wide road the cars are faster

way less cars than last time but still moving pretty fast
this is a beautiful ride other than that
would not do it friday through sunday or holidays


rode the grand canyon south rim a few days ago, the shuttles are closed and the entire rim road up and back i saw maybe 20 people, NOBODY is there right now
great place to ride


did the ashurst lake road part of the way yesterday, HORRIBLE
road is trashed and people flying
will not go near there again
this road tends to be one of the worst i have ever ridden in flagstaff

 

[vincent]

Sunset Crater Monument


this is all paved and road bikers will like this one

rode this today but forgot there is a huge elevation drop from the south end entrance- it was hot
would only do this ride fall or spring

my elevation gain for the 48 miles was 3500 or more

the main entrance on the south end is at the top, basically it is a downhill roll all the way to the visitor center 21 miles down, so remember you have 2000 feet or more to climb back up to the car

not many cars but i tend to go there during the week
there are some blind curves, some cars have been fast

road is in great shape

i went down to the visitor center and 4 miles past that to the doney picnic site which gives you views from the other side

originally i had planned to do the 50 mile loop on 395 from the top , around to 89 and back down 89 but i stopped at the lower visitor center to get water and the staff there stepped out to see if i needed anything- the visitor center is closed- they were very friendly and knowledgable and ask where i was riding too etc
they told me that on 89 there is a 2 miles stretch where it goes to 2 lane and no shoulder, this is a hwy 55 or 65mph through there - said it was fast and sketchy to ride through there
so i just did a few more miles down 395 and came back

my biggest concern today was overheating the motor because over to doney picnic area is a big climb and then 21 miles back up to my car and the temp was 101-102 down there...

will probably do this again in the fall

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Sunset Crater Monument


this is all paved and road bikers will like this one

rode this today but forgot there is a huge elevation drop from the south end entrance- it was hot
would only do this ride fall or spring

my elevation gain for the 48 miles was 3500 or more

the main entrance on the south end is at the top, basically it is a downhill roll all the way to the visitor center 21 miles down, so remember you have 2000 feet or more to climb back up to the car

not many cars but i tend to go there during the week
there are some blind curves, some cars have been fast

road is in great shape

i went down to the visitor center and 4 miles past that to the doney picnic site which gives you views from the other side

originally i had planned to do the 50 mile loop on 395 from the top , around to 89 and back down 89 but i stopped at the lower visitor center to get water and the staff there stepped out to see if i needed anything- the visitor center is closed- they were very friendly and knowledgable and ask where i was riding too etc
they told me that on 89 there is a 2 miles stretch where it goes to 2 lane and no shoulder, this is a hwy 55 or 65mph through there - said it was fast and sketchy to ride through there
so i just did a few more miles down 395 and came back

my biggest concern today was overheating the motor because over to doney picnic area is a big climb and then 21 miles back up to my car and the temp was 101-102 down there...

will probably do this again in the fall

Some pictures would make this thread more alive!

 

[terb]

I have been on every road up there and I have no idea what your talking about..

 

[vincent]

hmm, do a google search of sunset crater national monument
it is north of flagstaff headed toward page

 

[vincent]

will add some pics tomorrow or wed, did not bring the camera in

 

[vincent]

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)

The lava flow lies on the land like a dream, a wonderland of rock. A thousand years ago the ground was torn open and lava erupted into the sky, forever changing the landscape and the lives of the people who lived here. A thousand years later, trees and flowers grow among the rocks, and people...

www.nps.gov

 

[Hectors Ghost]

I lived in Sierra Vista for several years in 90s. Some of the best years of my life. Bought and rode a V4 750 Honda Magna in 93 as an early release. I covered Arizona and New Mexico on her. Bought an aluminum Balance mountain bike and learned to hate clip-on's when riding in sand. Beautiful area. Ride safe.