In January and part of February, we did some riding in Arizona. We were sure we were going to find snow in Flagstaff, which is where we were based, but it was fairly dry. We were not able to ride the top of the mountain trails but we got to enjoy the foothills. In Flagstaff, the feeling about emtb from the locals was pretty neutral but we were told that there was some push in place to ban ebikes from the trails. This is another part of the country that needs more education about ebikes.
While in Arizona we decided to scope out Sedona, as we know it's a destination for mtb.
Unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience. The trails are ok (not on our top 10 list though) but the local riders really hate ebikes. We got passed going up-hill by a strong rider that made the point to stop and tell us that we were disrespecting the trails by riding an ebike. Not sure why our impact was more damaging compared to his, considering that he was clearly riding faster than us uphill! With the Vortex and positive energies in Sedona, we felt a lack of that from locals on the trail. The fun part was when we passed a few rangers that were working on the trail and they were happy to see us on ebikes saying that ebikes help bring more people out to do exercises. There you have it!
The best trail we rode in Arizona was the BCT. The Black Canyon trail encompasses the iconic Arizona look with so many saguaro cacti! 🌵 Overall, besides Flagstaff where you definitely have elevation change, the rest of the trails in Arizona are in the desert with no shade, so only truly enjoyable in the winter months.
Trail types: forest riding, high altitude - desert riding.
Trails we rode: Christmas Tree and AZT Walnut Canyon (Flagstaff), Chimney Rock/Thunder Mountain/Lizardhead (hike-a-bike trail) Girdner/Last Frontier/Outer limits loop (Sedona) , BCT (North of Phoenix).
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