Featured Ride: Black Canyon Trail IMBA Epic
Originally posted on December 23, 2015 at 7:00 am
The Black Canyon Trail (BCT) is truly epic, stretching from Highway 69 south to the Carefree Highway, just north of Phoenix. This MTB Project ride lists total mileage at 67.5 miles of 100% singletrack, but I’ve also read reports of 78 miles of total rideable trail. Either way, you’ll want to break this ride into sections by riding out and back or point to point with a shuttle.
As you can see in the elevation chart, the BCT trends downhill from roughly 4,200 feet to 1,600 feet at the end. Don’t be fooled though, you’ll still climb nearly 5,000 feet of elevation throughout the course of the ride.
If you’d like to do the BCT in one multi-day session, Hermosa Tours offers a 3-day, 2-night self-guided tour along 78 miles of the BCT. As the name suggest, tour guest guide themselves during the day while a Hermosa Tour guide breaks down camp in the morning, then moves and sets up camp at the following day’s destination.
The BCT is best tackled in early spring and late fall due to soaring summer temperatures in the region. Be sure to check out all the details on MTB Project if you plan to visit.
Photos courtesy of MTB Project.