[GodMadeDirt]

no love for the MSP area ? What about Sunrise, Wingate, Bell Pass , Lost Dog, Taliesin etc ... ?

That's fresh in my mind (and body) as I was up there yesterday.

 

[GodMadeDirt]

This is fantastic -- thanks for putting some additional context to all this, Richard! I'm glad we're getting so much input on this.

I think at this point we probably have a pretty close-to-ideal list of overall difficulty for the bulk of the known trails in the Valley. Anyone want to take a swing at reorganizing the list per the latest input?

It's probably also worth noting that "difficulty" in the context of this particular thread seems to be related to technical difficulty, not aerobic/endurance type difficulty. That's probably pretty safe to say. I know there are some rides that get a whole lot harder when you add in the fact that you've probably been pedaling a couple hours before you even get to the "hard stuff," which wouldn't really be that hard if you could just hit it fresh.

p.

Agreed. This is a great thread. I have to admit when I read it this morning I thought, here we go, this is gonna get ugly, but this has been pretty informative and tame and dare I say fun.

+1 for sticky

 

[GodMadeDirt]

OK...one more stab at this. I added a few more trails PLUS a "blue/black" category, as there really is a big difference between Desert Classic coast-to-coast and Bell pass.

Green:

Reach 11
Papago Loops
Usery Park (Usery Loop, Moonrock, etc.)
Cave Buttes
Desert Classic, from ramadas to the water tank
McDowell Mtn Park Race Loops - Sport, Long
Trail 100, from 7th Ave to 7th St
Pemberton loop
Pima/Dynamite
Estrella Race Loops
Thunderbird Park

Blue:

McDowell Mtn Park Race Loop - Tech loop (only for the drop-in and climb out)
Desert Classic coast-to-coast
SoMo East/West loops
Trail 100, from Dreamy Draw to Tatum
Dixie Mine
McDowell's - lower trails (Lost Dog, Quartz, etc)
Javelina
Hawes/Mine Loop/Twisted Sister
Trail 100 coast-to-coast, for your first big XC beatdown (7th St to Dreamy Draw being more advanced than the rest)
Javelina-Mormon Loop up/down

Blue/Black:

Black Canyon Trail "lollipop loop", for your next big XC beatdown (not too technical, but very remote, very long, and very tiring)
Goat Camp out-and-back XC (use caution on lower sections)
McDowell passes - Windgate/Sunrise/Bell, for the ultimate XC beatdown (use caution on the west side of Bell and Windgate passes)
T100 offshoots -- Trail 8, Trail 220, Mine Trail, Rocky Ridge/Mine Drop, Trail 306/Shaw Butte (front side)

Black:

Pass Mountain
Hawes - tower drop
National
Corona de Loma
Trail 306/Shaw Butte (back side)
Geronimo
24th St/Mormon

Double-Black:

DD-area tech - Cheesegrater, Yuri's Folly, Hairball, etc.
Telegraph Pass
Holbert
Kiwanis
Viejo (Old Man)
Cochise
Alta/Bajada
Old Lady Ames
Goat Camp full loop

As far as the difficulty classifications go, here's my definition:

Green = generally "easy" trail with no long sustained climbs or very rocky sections. Mostly double-track or wide singletrack. These trails are safe for beginners.

Blue = moderate trail with some rock gardens, moderately steep grades, sustained climbs, exposure, switchbacks, and/or long distance. These trails can also be remote with little or no bail-out points. Not recommended for beginners but OK for the moderately experienced rider.

Blue/Black = generally blue with some short black sections OR excess distance. Advanced riders will be OK, but intermediate riders will need to use caution.

Black = difficult trail with plenty of technical areas, exposure, tight switchbacks, sustained climbs, and steep terrain. Only recommended for advanced riders. Wearing armor is a good idea.

Double-black = extremely difficult trail with very steep terrain, chutes, tight switchbacks, exposure, and drops. Even experienced riders can be expected to walk sections of this trail. Armor should be worn.

Do you sleep?:skep: I like how you split up the McDowells with the addition of the Blue/Black. GG
EDIT: Almost forgot to mention 306/Shaw - worthy of being on this list. Love hiking that section