Mogollon Rim and Pine Loop

Mogollon Rim

This week we are camping, riding and hiking around Payson, AZ. It’s almost the geographic center of Arizona. Mogollon Rim is a 200 mile long plateau that runs east from Payson. The plateau is roughly 2,000 higher than the surrounding topography and we rode part of it. ‘

Gravel Road 300 or Rim Road starts off Highway 260 and ends on Highway 87. We rode out 20 miles and then turned around at Knoll Lake and rode back. The road climbs steadily in spots with only a few more sustained climbs and our day was 2,600′ of climbing. It was a mixture of thick gravel, and fast dirt through pine forests reaching an elevation of around 7,900′. The views from the road face south so it made picture taking rough because you’re shooting directly into the sun all day.

Pine Loop

There isn’t a lot of mountain biking in the area, but we combined a few trails to make a great loop. Our loop was 22 miles with 3,015′ of climbing. Honestly, it felt like more climbing than descending.

We started at the Pine trailhead and road up the AZ Trail to Pine Canyon, This is a beautiful singletrack that climbs through maples, alders, oaks, and pine. When we reached the junction with Bearfoot Trail we turned left and the fun The continued. This trail was more technical with rugged rock sections that seemed impossible but we were able to ride almost everything. The climbing seemed relentless as we reached the highway. Crossing over, we hooked up with the Pine-Strawberry Trail. Short punchy climbs and downhills, rock gardens, and forest views sped past. Before we knew it, we were spit out on Hardscrabble Road and we cruised back into town tired.

We celebrated with a beer at THAT Brewery in Pine. I had the Monsoon Mud Stout and Derek had the Knotty Nut Brown. This isn’t their only location, we visited the Cottonwood location back in April when we spent time in Sedona.