Arizona Mountain Bike Ride
Granite Basin Loop Ride
Prescott, Arizona

Ride Synopsis:

Description:

The loop ride we did in Granite Basin turned out to be a very nice surprise. Not so much that I expected it to be a disappointment, but we did it near the end of June with the daily high temps in Prescott pushing into the 100's and frankly, a lot of the mountain biking I've done around the area has turned out to be less than enjoyable This ride was really fun!!

If you're looking for lots of climbing and technical riding, this isn't your loop. If you like fun, fast loops with moderate climbing, and some seriously cool whoop-dee-doos that you can jump off of all day long, this loop is for you. Drive on into Granite Basin area (or alternately you can launch from the Williamson Valley Trailhead to the northeast and not have to pay the $2 day use fee) and stage at the Metate Trailhead. From The trail heads off directly west across the road from the trailhead. Break left when you can and get onto Trail #349 which takes you south out and around the canyon that has some private homes, then back to the east where you get some fun, fast, downhill run to the Granite Basin road. Cross the road and break left until you reach the sign that steers you right onto Trail #346 (near the Cayuse Trailhead). Climb this rocky steady grade, but keep an eye out for a left turn to put you on to Trail #347. Once you get on #347, go over a slight rise, and then it's tons of fun screaming downhill over lots of jumps and bumps. This pretty much goes on until you get to the left turn that takes you west to Trail #345 (the Mint Wash Trail). This is sort of a grunt bit with some climbing and rocky technical challenges, which eventually deposits you back at Granite Basin Lake. You can jump on the road from there and ride the short distance back to the Metate Trailhead.

A last word, this is just one of a bunch of rides you can do in this area. There are many more trails around and bigger loops you can do by mixing and matching. You can get a full Granite Basin trail map at the trailhead. Sky's the limit!