As a result of the recent closures we had around here due to the schultz fire a lot of people have been exploring some new trails (or revisiting some old ones).

I can’t tell you that I’m pleased at the root cause of this newfound interest in different trails, but in an effort to look at the silver lining in the situation, I am glad that my mountain biking routes were somewhat forced off the beaten path.

One of the trails that has seen a lot of use lately just happens to be the section of the arizona trail which goes north from snowbowl road along the west side of the peaks wilderness. This section of trail has been under construction for the last few years, and every time I ride it, it gets better and better.

I absolutely love the concept of these ‘long trails’ that are littered around the country. The whole idea of a long continuous stretch of marked and maintained trail which cuts across vast distances is a really amazing concept.

The first one that I ever had any experience with was the Knobstone Trail while I was growing up in indiana. Although it isn’t a full length through the whole state of indiana, it still falls into the category of ‘long trail’ in my book. It’s one of the first places I went mountain biking on a regular basis, and the Nebo Ridge section of it still holds a special place in my list of mountain bike trails.

Since then I’ve been captivated by the hiking on the Long Trail in vermont while I was at school in northern new york. Weekend trips have taken me to numerous sections of the colorado trail in southwestern colorado. And of course, the arizona trail runs less than 5 miles from my house.

It never ceases to amaze me at how well these trails are marked and maintained. I often wonder if there’s some sort of pride that makes these long trails high on the list of maintenance projects for local groups? It seems that often times trails near these epics will be neglected, while their trailheads are kept pristine, erosion bars are set, and signs are up-to-date.

The local trail maintenance groups around here certainly put the arizona trail high on the priority list, as a good percentage of the recent trail days (as well as the upcoming ones) are centered around maintaining sections of existing arizona trail as well as punching through the few remaining sections that are still not connected.

I wholeheartedly support this effort, and not just because races like the AZT300 or the CTR hold a special place in my heart. I think it really gives people a sense of adventure and inspiration to know that they could jump on a trail near their house with the potential of ending up across an entire state, if time and support weren’t an issue.

This inspiration has long been proven out on the Appalachian Trail, where hordes of ‘section hikers’ will break the trail up into manageable chunks to fit into a schedule that wouldn’t normally allow a one-time push.

With the more widespread construction of these sorts of trails, that same enthusiasm can be seen on a more local level. I’m aware of several events in and around flagstaff that use sections of the AZT, and that’s just in this town alone. I can probably name several more in the tucson area, and at least a couple north of the grand canyon.

Along with the Arizona Trail, we’re also fortunate to have the Black Canyon Trail near Phoenix, which provides a similar experience.

I love hearing (and seeing) these long interconnected trails pop up, and I hope the enthusiasm and support continues for their construction and maintenance into the future. If we keep moving along this track, there may be a day in the future where you could go anywhere you want through a giant system of trails all across the country.

How’s that for utopia on a mountain bike?