Oct 15, 2007

Black Canyon Trail 10/14/07: Arizona

15 of us headed north of Phoenix off of I-17 to ride the Black Canyon Trail(N33º 59.076' W112º 10.063’). This is a new trail to me, and to many. We actually did some trail building the week before on a trail that is about a mile away from connecting to the loop we road yesterday.

We split from the parking lot (Table Mesa)at 8:00 am with temperatures at about 65 degrees. The pace wasn't necessarily blistering, but we moved surprisingly fast for a group this size. The nearly 3K of climbing we did, was spread out over 20 miles.

The climbs were gradual, and although the downhills weren't wicked fast they were a blast. The views of the cliffs above the river and surrounding mesa's are very dramatic. The special thing about this area is how green it is due to the river supplying the much sought after moisture.