Camping with Suzi

Sometimes we miss outstanding recreational opportunities that are right under your nose. That’s why I’m embarrassed to admit, after living within a half hour drive of them, I just discovered two great mountain bike trails near Sierra Vista, AZ. I knew about the Carr Canyon trail that winds and climbs up and down the foothills of the Huachuca Mountains but Brown Canyon and Garden Canyon trails are new to me.

I probably should explain. Sierra Vista is becoming a “winter roost” for mountain bikers. Tucson is a great bike-friendly community but Sierra Vista, at an elevation of 4633, tends to be cooler, has less traffic, a lot less traffic lights, and a wide variety of routes. There are several road routes radiating from Sierra Vista but it’s those off-road bicycle trails that thrill and challenge riders.

Brown Canyon, just south of Sierra Vista, is considered a technical five-mile loop with about half of it a “controlled” downhill swoop on single-track. The Garden Canyon route can be as long as 15 miles and all of it challenging (1700 ft increase in three-miles) but this Canyon is too lovely to not stop and enjoy. I would recommend packing a lunch and make it an outdoor date. (For more trails and trail descriptions check out the Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists website.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 at 7:03 am and is filed under Hiking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.