The Forrest Biome
Wildland AZ Writings and Bikepacking Routes
I write because the salience of memory bleeds unless moved from tongue to script. This site serves as a reservoir for my thoughts and experiences.
Bikepacking Routes
The Capes of the Canyon are a set of two bikepacking routes located on the South and North Rims of Grand Canyon National Park. Both routes traverse classic Colorado Plateau geography. The COTC take riders into vast forests of pinyon, juniper, ponderosa, aspen, and spruce. They travel through open subalpine meadows and arid savannahs. They cross exposed plains of sand, sage, stone, and prickly pear. They traverse across benchlands and canyonlands topography. They peer down at the waters of the Colorado River. And most strikingly, they take bikepackers to Capes of land jutting out into geological space, providing riders iconically recognizable and rarely regarded views of the Grand Canyon.
House Rock Wrap takes bikepackers on a wraparound traverse across House Rock Valley to viewpoints of Marble Canyon. Riders can expect to visit and camp rim-side at Tiger, Bedrock, South Canyon, Buck Farm, and Triple Alcove points. These overlooks provide expansive views of the Colorado River as it courses through the redwall layers of Marble Canyon - a precursor to the Grand Canyon. The route is framed by the shear rising walls of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument to the north, the iconic Saddle Mountain Wilderness to the south, the gorge of Marble Canyon to the east, and the ascending flanks of the Kaibab Plateau to the west. House Rock Valley provides a multitude of dirt roads crossing high desert grasslands where pronghorn, deer, and bison frequent.
El Lobo Lupus takes bikepackers through the high elevation heart of the White Mountains, Blue Range, and Mogollon Rim of eastern Arizona where the Mexican Gray Wolf has been reintroduced. The route name “Lupus” reflects the track’s looping path and its goal of providing riders the opportunity to see Mexican Wolves (Canis lupus baileyi), commonly called "El Lobo." The Mexican Wolf is a highly endangered subspecies of the Gray Wolf. It was nearly wiped out by predator-eradication programs, but the species was reintroduced to Arizona and New Mexico in 1998 and has slowly increased to a population of over 200. Riders will travel through the territory of El Lobo - mountainous terrain known as the "Alps of Arizona." This land encompasses not only tributary headwaters of the Gila and Little Colorado Rivers but also some of the tallest peaks in Arizona at Escudilla and Baldy.
These bikepacking routes feature phenomenal views that highlight the Grand Canyon region from segments of the Capes of the Canyon. Typically 2 - 3 days in length and with water sources stationed at good distances, dispersed camping abounds along these loops that take riders right back to where they parked. Each track begins and ends at accessible locations where a 2WD vehicle is possible to drive/park at the start. Spend the weekend or a night camping next to a viewpoint of the Grand Canyon.
Gold to Grand Loop takes bikepackers on a desert ride through Gold Butte and Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monuments along the Nevada/Arizona border. The route travels across the vast arid basins of the Mojave Desert in addition to tracing and climbing over the pinyon-studded Virgin Mountains. Bikepackers can expect to visit springs providing riparian oases while cycling dirt track along and through exposed, vibrantly colorful geological formations. Gold to Grand Loop meanders within environmentally important habitat for the Mojave desert tortoise but mule deer and big horn sheep are out here too. Junipers and Joshua trees intermix along with creosote and yucca along terrain that ranges from 1400 to 4900 feet. This is a great 3-4 day winter bikepacking trip close to Las Vegas and through the heart of where the Colorado Plateau and the Mojave Desert meet.
This is my attempt to provide a centralized location of information to answer all things dealing with the Arizona Trail (AZT) at the Grand Canyon for users planning their trips.
For AZTers, the Grand Canyon is arguably the main passage with the most questions pertaining to permits, camping, access, water, resupply, etc. The Grand Canyon is also one of the highlights of the trail. Whether it is northbounder just days from the end or a southbounder just starting their trek, the Canyon is both a marker of progress and one of the most highly-sought sights on the whole trail.
Backcountry Trips and Blogs
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