REVIEWS DEALS BIKESHOPS TRAILS

New Section of BCT soon to open

3418 Views 25 Replies 18 Participants Last post by u2metoo, Jan 4, 2010

Epicrider

Discussion Starter · Dec 22, 2009

9

Five new miles of cool BCTsingletrack has recently been constructed up by Bumble Bee, courtesy of the Federal Governments stimulus plan. However it hasn't been connected to the the current northern end of BCT at Bumble Bee road. It should be connected sometime in January, The youth corp crews still have another mile of trail to build. Once it gets opened up, one can ride 19 miles of trail all the way up to Bumble Bee from Black Canyon City. For those who like epics, you will be able to ride from Bumble Bee all the way down to Carefree Highway, all 46 miles of it on the BCT, or 96 mile if you decide to do it as an out an back. Here are few pics of the new section of trail to give you a taste of trails to come.

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1 - 20 of 26 Posts

latedropbob

· #2 · Dec 22, 2009

that last pic looks sic...nice AZ skinny:thumbsup:

eabos

· #3 · Dec 22, 2009

Hmmm, sounds like a good challenge. I've never done 100 miles on a MTB. Done it bunch of times on road but not quite the same. Something to put on the 2010 "to do" list.

Maadjurguer

· #4 · Dec 22, 2009 (Edited)

I've come close to a hundie, but have yet to break that barrier. I can save you the trouble if you'd like...just go buy a whole salmon from the grocery store, and flog yourself with it for a few hours about your quads, knees and arse. Afterwords....you'll physically feel about the same...and smell about the same too. You will, however...be a bit cleaner and without the mental baggage that accompanies your thoughts of doing it all over again one day very soon.

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chongoman

· #5 · Dec 22, 2009

Looks excellent!
The terrain above the trail in the last photo looks like it has been cleared or burned. Is section along the big underground pipeline that went in recently??

Epicrider

Discussion Starter · #6 · Dec 22, 2009

Yep, that section is just after crossing the pipeline scar.

chongoman said:
Looks excellent!
The terrain above the trail in the last photo looks like it has been cleared or burned. Is section along the big underground pipeline that went in recently??

tiffanyinanthem

· #7 · Dec 22, 2009

Hey Dale!

Excellent pics thanks for sharing!

Question for ya, would you happen to know approximately how far north you can ride before reaching the 1mile thats not finished yet? Just curious.

Thanks!

Tiff

Epicrider

Discussion Starter · #8 · Dec 22, 2009

You can ride all the way to Bumble bee road now, about 12 or 13 miles. Last I heard the crews were still working on the Black Canyon Creek crossing north of Soap Creek Road. The creek crossing is located in a steep canyon area and they had to do some blasting and had to build some big rock wall to get the trail down the steep slopes. Not sure if they finished yet so the trail may be closed where the crews are working the trail at the creek crossing.Also, there are few fence lines that need to be crossed over, gates haven't been installed yet.

tiffanyinanthem said:
Hey Dale!

Excellent pics thanks for sharing!

Question for ya, would you happen to know approximately how far north you can ride before reaching the 1mile thats not finished yet? Just curious.

Thanks!

Tiff

brilog

· #9 · Dec 30, 2009

So, where is the funnest part now. Still hittin he rock springs TH to little pan sections. I had fun going down switches just north of TH. I'm not clear on where the trails goes from the bottom. There was steer grazing and I just wanted to climb back up. Thanks, Brian

tiffanyinanthem

· #10 · Dec 30, 2009

Toss up

Best part of BCT? Hmmm, I think I will say it's a toss up!

Starting at RS TH and heading south is the classic ride; flowy and fun! I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't been out there before.

BUUUT the Northern section has some awesome parts too!

We rode the Northern section on Sunday starting at RS and I had so much fun that I will probably start riding north now! Some sections aren't done; Dale mentioned the creek crossing which isn't done yet. Also, there are a few road connectors with one that isn't marked. All other parts of the trail though are marked really well and I think with more people riding out there, you can just follow bike tracks and be okay. On Sunday, we ended up turning around before reaching Bumble Bee and logged 19 miles round trip.

The only thing that I don't like about the Northern section; and it's a cool section don't get me wrong, is all of the connector roads. I think I counted 3 with one being fairly long. So with that said, it's just not as flowy as the southern section. But really even with the connectors, some of the best parts of BCT are now up North!!!

Tiff

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Paul B

· #11 · Dec 30, 2009

Very nice! Thanks for the pics; glad to see Sonia's still pedaling.

mt bk

· #12 · Dec 30, 2009

This is fantastic! I think I'll gear up for a ride home from the cabin in Crown King this spring. 25 miles of downhill to Bumblebee, then hit the BCT. I'm just not sure best way from Carefree to Tempe, must be some canals somewhere. Any suggestions?

SSG

· #13 · Dec 31, 2009

I/we been riding that new trail section for the past few weeks and it's a blast. The trail crew is still working on the canyon switch back (blasting) we were able to watch when they blasted one section

it is passable via hike a bike.....wounder how we will cross when the water is kinda high in that section??

When that section is complet it'll be one nice up and down, just like the rest..

Did a coast 2 coast (Bumble Bee south to Table Measa) 22 er so miles oneway if the computer worked right

one of the best rides I've done this year.

IMHO it's kinda like sedona'ish in a way in how it flows with the rollers and twists with views that make it hard to keep track of the trail........I'm wigging :eekster:

Mostly ride out there on Mondays with a few others, would love to slice some whenever:thumbsup:

Doode

· #14 · Dec 31, 2009

Thanks for the pics and info Dale! Its going to make a great New Year's Day ride :thumbsup:

Notch Johnson

· #15 · Jan 1, 2010

River flowing?

For those of you who have ridden BCT recently, what is the water level like @ the river crossings? I'm thinking of coming down from Preskitt and giving it a spin on Sunday, but would like to be prepared if need be.

I know there is a website detailing the water flow that Dale posted quite some time ago, but I can't remember it.

Thanks!

tiffanyinanthem

· #16 · Jan 2, 2010

Notch Johnson said:
For those of you who have ridden BCT recently, what is the water level like @ the river crossings? I'm thinking of coming down from Preskitt and giving it a spin on Sunday, but would like to be prepared if need be.

I know there is a website detailing the water flow that Dale posted quite some time ago, but I can't remember it.

Thanks!

Water is fairly low right now, ankle deep if your foot slips off a rock as you cross.

Have fun!

Tiff

longhairmike

· #17 · Jan 2, 2010

damn, it looks soooo serene out there! Satifying mtn biking for me is 49% workout, 49% scenery, and only 2% concern over hitting hills, jumps, & drops. I'll be up for some grueling 4-5 hour group rides with you peeps hopefully by the end of this year.

brilog

· #18 · Jan 2, 2010

Why wait till the end of year??

longhairmike

· #19 · Jan 2, 2010

brilog said:
Why wait till the end of year??

cause of

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u2metoo

· #20 · Jan 2, 2010

Yesterday, I met up with Doode, and 7 other doods, to ride the new section of Black Canyon Trail. What a way to start off the year, but rolling on some primo single track.

Our plan was to leave some cars at The Black Canyon City Trailhead, and then shuttle up to Bumble Road where the trail intersects (about half mile off of I-17). We didn't actually park at this intersection, because we drove right by it. The signage was not to clear when we initially went by. Instead we parked a couple miles down the road; after the road turned unpaved. From here, we picked up the actually BCT. Joe and I pedaled back up the trail to the Bumble Bee Rd. intersection; about a mile.

We pretty much took our time on this ride, making sure we were on the correct path. We basically started pedaling at 10:30 and finished up around 2:30. That is a long time to cover 13 or 14 miles. Actually I'm not fully sure what the true mileage was, but I'd say its in that range. It isn't to tough to get off the path, due to the Jeep Road crossings, Stagecoach paths, and gas pipe line.

The trail obviously needs to be packed down more, but the contour of the path was really nice. Even the we shuttled to a higher point, it wasn't all down hill, since we went down to the bottom and up out of the river bed several times.

No real mechanicals, and surprisingly I think we only had two flats. Not bad for riding a brand new trail, which can be prone to have hidden sharp things.

Joe stated it pretty good, when he said "How you spend New Years Day is a pretty good indication on how you will spend the rest of the year". I can only hope I will continue to find excellent adventures, good company and feeling good all year.

Cheers.

Here's a vid of the day:
http://blip.tv/play/g95EgbrTagI%2Em4v

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