Local MTB Rides
Brown Canyon
MTB
10 miles
1064 ft elevation
Beginner/Intermediate Skills
Intermediate Fitness
Starts at Cherokee Lot
The local favorite. A little climb, a fun downhill. It doesn't get old and it's the staple of the Wednesday Night Ride.
From the Cherokee parking lot, all of the trails to the east as well as the first few miles to the west are very beginner friendly. Once you start up into the trees to the west, your fitness and skill levels should be more intermediate. A nice thing about Brown is you can always turn around and almost coast back downhill to the start.
The ride map and gps files include 2 laps of the loop and some side trails equaling 16.5 miles and twice the elevation but you can do the outer loop that's most common. These side trails are marked in black on the map below.
Popular Strava segments:
Brown Canyon Climb
BaeBee Headz Yo!
Trough to the Y
Cooper Loop
MTB
10 miles
1540 ft elevation
Intermediate Skills
Excellent Fitness
Starts at Miller Canyon Lower Lot
Cooper Loop is most commonly ridden counter-clockwise. It consists of Perimeter Trail, Carr Canyon Road, Clark Springs Trail, John Cooper Trail and the Miller Canyon descent. Most riders prefer to start at the beginning of Perimeter Trail which is considered the most challenging part of the ride. This also means you finish the ride with the Miller Canyon descent, arguably the best part of the ride.
Ride options include starting from the lower parking lot on Carr Canyon Rd, (mile 3.7 on the map) and if you're really ambitious, continue up to the top of Carr Canyon Rd, then descend back down to the Clark Springs Trail to continue the loop.
On Clark Springs, then Cooper Trail there are two very sharp left turns, almost full U-turns to watch for. They can be easy to miss even though they're marked. The first is at mile 6.35 and leads into the Cooper Switchbacks. The second is at mile 7.6 and drops to the Miller Canyon upper parking lot.
Popular Strava segments:
Perimeter First Climb
Carr Climb Lot to Trl Head
Going Down
Hunter Canyon
MTB
14.5
2260 ft elevation
Beginner/Intermediate Skills
Intermediate Fitness
Starts at Hunter Canyon
Hunter Canyon offers a network of trails with something for everyone. There's definitely some climbing to be had. You'll find fast, flowy downhills, some with tight twisty turns and a good share of well groomed, dry creekbed trails. Did we mention climbing?
The ride below covers the whole trail network in one ride. It's The Whole Taquito. Click the More Hunter Canyon Rides button to find more rides including an easy ride and Lynngitimate, the newest Mountain Bike Trail in Cochise County that's quickly becoming a favorite.
You'll also find a challenging ride across Lynngitimate that takes you to Cooper Loop, then back. Hunter Canyon has become a popular destination and start point for local mountain biking.
Strava Route Note: Strava's route tool does not do well on Hunter. It routes to the roads, not the trails the route is based on. The better option is to either load the gpx file onto your device or use one of the Ride With GPS files along with their app.
Popular Strava segments:
Orion UP
soul crusher
Red Barchetta
Wren Arena
MTB
6.7 miles
627 ft elevation
Beginner/Intermediate Skills
Intermediate Fitness
Starts at Wren Arena
*Ft. Huachuca pass required.
Wren Arena is the site of Ft. Huachuca's Equestrian area but also the site of the NICA High School Mountain Biking Race Course. It was also an MBAA course in past years.
Most of Wren is beginner friendly with the exception of the Marshall Ridge Climb (marked in black on the map below) and the west side being more intermediate.
The ride map and gps files include 1 lap with Marshall Ridge included followed by 2 laps of the NICA HS2016 course and 1 lap of the shorter Middle School course for a total of 16.5 miles.
Popular Strava segments:
NICA HS2016
Let it FLOW !!!
2014 MBAA Foray-Coyote Lap
Arizona Trail
MTB
19 miles
1281 ft elevation
Beginner/Intermediate Skills
Beginner/Intermediate Fitness
Starts at Sahuarita Rd
So it's not local but many locals like to make the 1 hour drive because it's a great area to ride.
The AZT-Sahuarita towards Pistol Hill ride starts at Sahuarita Rd and Hwy 83. It's mostly beginner friendly and as an out and back, you can turn around whenever you're ready. Most people ride it about 2-3 miles past Three Bridges.
Popular Strava segments:
I-10 Gate to Old Soniota Hwy
Three Bridges to Top of Hill
Pistol Hill to Three Bridges
McKenzie Ranch
MTB
10 miles per lap
654 ft elevation per lap
Beginner Skills
Beginner/Intermediate Fitness
Starts at McKenzie Ranch
McKenzie Ranch is a 1,700 acre open space park on the far east side of Pima County in the Cienega Creek Preserve. Like the Arizona Trail, it's about an hour's drive from Sierra Vista and many locals make a couple of trips each year, typically in the fall, winter or spring.
The trail system consists of two loops totaling about 10 miles and is purpose built for mountain biking. It is very beginner friendly with virtually no technical features. The climbs are gradual and the downhills are fast and flowy. This route includes 2 laps.
There are no services so take plenty of food and water. Weekends can be a little crowded but the course is one-way (clockwise) so it accommodates more people than many places.
Popular Strava segments:
McKenzie Ranch Lap
McK Ranch Southern comfort
McKenzie Ranch The Long Way
