TR - Queens Ransom bikepack 2022

[evdog]

Back in 2015 I was able to join Schillingsworth on one of his initial runs on the Queen’s Ransom bikepack route. I think it may still have been under its original name the Salty Gila at that point. There were just three of us that year. The route has come a long way since, and was recently published on Bikepacking.com, so it will see a lot more traffic now in addition to the grand depart which I was able to join this past weekend. 25 riders this time around.

The route starts in Queen Creek near Gateway airport and traverses north across Phoenix on canal roads then onto singletrack much of the way through Hawes, Usery, Goldfields, Gold Canyon before picking up the Arizona Trail near Superior and then looping around back to Phx.


Rolling out of casa de Schillingsworth we had a 20-some mile warmup on bike paths and canal roads. The group stuck together for this stretch.




After a quick water and snack break at Desert Trails bike park we were soon on the singletrack at Hawes




And then ducked back into a neighborhood where friends had set up a sag stop for us complete with donuts, bacon, coffee, juice




And peanut butter whiskey. Two things I don’t like, but turned out are great in combination




OK, back to riding




Schilling led us on a slight route deviation on new trail Big Sister, which will soon be incorporated into the route. Fun, flowy trail with some jumps that aren’t really bikepack appropriate




No mylar balloon left behind




Continuing on to Usery Regional Park the nice views continue




Phoenix is that way, in case you’re lost




Cholla forest




A bit of rain and a bit of hike a bike to keep us warm




Camp for the night is on the other side of those mountains




25 riders burning in some lesser used singletrack




Into the Goldfields with some surprisingly nice singletrack. I was positive Schilling had found a nice new route through there, but he said it’s the same route we took in the 2015 edition.




The Superstitions up close




A rare pic of myself by Schillingsworth




Golden hour




Sunset approaching, I was hoping to make it to the grocery store in Apache Junction with daylight




Perfect ending to the day




Made it to dinner/resupply without needing lights. Fueled up, it was 5 miles of pavement and 2 never-ending miles of trail to get to camp.



A fire and tacos were waiting for us, but mostly we just wanted to get to bed and crash out after 75+ miles. Long, but awesome day!

Stats 76.8mi, +5,680/-4,870ft

[evdog]

Day 2

Queens Ransom camp. Friends had come up the previous day to reserve the spot for us. Even though it’s a remote part of Gold Canyon there were still apparently numerous vehicles that approached wanting the spot. Good thing we got it!




Setting off under grey skies




Gold Canyon not only has awesome trails but a gorgeous backdrop with the Superstition Mtns right behind it




Hannes came all the way from Germany to ride the QR. He also did the Fool’s Loop right before this.




Micro Moab




A bunch of jeep roads led us to the small golf community of Queen Valley. Not much here but a golf course, a club house/restaurant, and some houses. We got food and beer here, ready to head for Superior




It used to be a straight shot to the Arizona Trail TH but poorly behaved shooters and offroaders caused the locals to shut down a portion of Hewitt Station Rd that is on private property. So we now get to do a nice detour up into the hills.




After resupply at the Circle K in Superior we rolled out on the LOST (Legends of Superior Trails) and then dropped into Arnett Canyon




Arnett Canyon is just a couple years old but has already been subject to fire and floods. It has been nicely rebuilt with some impressive rock armoring and is riding well again




Lots of stream crossings this time of year




Picketpost Mtn looms above us as we head toward the AZT






Our German, Hannes, gets the full Arizona experience. He’d already met Cholla cactus earlier, and now crashed on some prickly pear.




Brandon here came from Florida for the ride and is about to enjoy some solid climbing to camp




Saguaros burned in 2020 after flares dropped during a military exercise didn’t ignite until they hit the ground, burning ~100+k acres of gorgeous desert.




Fortunately plenty of saguaros survived, and the brush is coming back.




Golden hour comes early. Hoping to get to camp again without needing lights, I’ve still got a ways to go.




Looking back down the canyon




Made it after sunset and with some stubbornness did not need my lights. Most were already in camp, including a number of backpackers who were hopefully not too annoyed that 25 bikepackers showed up to share their spot : ) No fire, everyone was out cold by 830 or so.



Stats for day 2 – 54mi, +5,470/-3,890ft

[smmokan]

Damn... always enjoy your TRs. And I still don't understand how (or why?) you have time to stop and take so many pictures during these big rides!

I'm curious about the trails around Gold Canyon, Picketpost and Arnett Canyon- pretty good? We're thinking about spending a couple of months in that area next winter and I'd love to explore the "lesser used" stuff south of PHX.

[panchosdad]

Nice, love the light.

[406]

Nice! Looks like a good route.

[Peruvian]

Anymore pics of the various lash ups, camp apparatus, and other porn for gadget geeks?

[wendigo]

nice - we've been looking at doing the queen's ransom. can you throw a map of the add on that you did at the beginning?
last fall we made a diy loop around sedona and did the fool's loop instead of the ransom - was looking to to do Schillingsworth's nothing trip, but water stress was too real for us rain forest dwellers.

[climberevan]

Thanks for another great TR. I look forward to the rest of it. One of these days I hope to ride with you. We will confuse people we meet.

[evdog]

Damn... always enjoy your TRs. And I still don't understand how (or why?) you have time to stop and take so many pictures during these big rides!

I'm curious about the trails around Gold Canyon, Picketpost and Arnett Canyon- pretty good? We're thinking about spending a couple of months in that area next winter and I'd love to explore the "lesser used" stuff south of PHX.

Haha, spend 12+ hours on trail and that's a lot of time to stop and take some pics! Great excuse for a short break when there is an awesome view.

Those trails are all good xc rides. Not a lot of climb up to descend riding that a lot of riders love. These trails all have a fair bit of work involved, but that's why they aren't ridden as much. The AZT from Picketpost is a classic section. Pinal Mtn (Six Shooter, Icehouse etc) has some of the best pure descents in the area, not sure they're accessible in winter though. Lots of great riding south thru Tucson as well.

[evdog]

Anymore pics of the various lash ups, camp apparatus, and other porn for gadget geeks?

Not from me, I was getting into camp right at dark and people were tearing down before sunrise each day. Pretty good mix of setups from what I could see though. No single speeds was the most curious stat. Had some bivy sacks, some UL tents, a few tarps strung up using bikes or poles for support, and a couple bigger shared tents.

[evdog]

nice - we've been looking at doing the queen's ransom. can you throw a map of the add on that you did at the beginning?
last fall we made a diy loop around sedona and did the fool's loop instead of the ransom - was looking to to do Schillingsworth's nothing trip, but water stress was too real for us rain forest dwellers.

Not from my campsite : ). Any difference between what we rode and what is posted on bikepacking.com is just that we started from Schillings house whereas the published route starts next to Gateway airport for ease of parking.

I'd like to do those other routes sometime as well. Too many routes, too little time!

[toast2266]

Awesome pics - looks like a great ride. I've never ridden down in that area. Need to get down there one of these years...

[evdog]

One of these days I hope to ride with you. We will confuse people we meet.

Likewise! Need to get up to your area this year. People won't be confused for long though unless I get fast or you slow down a bunch 🙂

[evdog]

Day 3


Night 2 camp was at a new rain collector built by the AZT Association a couple years back. This is one of the few spots that could accommodate our group, and the fact there is a reliable water source there is a bonus.




Camp was right at the top of Martinez Canyon, one of the most scenic parts of the AZT. By camping here we'd get to see the canyon in morning light.




Approaching the next saddle above Martinez




Some of the best views not named the Grand Canyon IMO




Brian doing a bit of pushing at this point.




I love that lone cactus growing out of the rock




I took some time to just sit and have a snack and soak it in. With the morning light the views were just incredible.




Around the corner, looking south




Cactus forest as the trail crosses to the west side of the canyon




The crossing back to the east side is guarded by the Two-Thumbs-Up cactus.




His thumbs are getting pretty huge!




I had plenty of water and with the breaks and photo stops hadn’t seen any riders for awhile so I skipped the stop at the Gila River. Eventually caught up to a few before the Gila train bridge.




It’s still an active railway but no trains today




Made it to the A-Dot spigot in Kelvin and had a snack, then kept going. We had a 2-mile climb up the AZT on the south side of the river to the Florence-Kelvin highway. Lots of flowers blooming on this section




The Florence-Kelvin (dirt) highway sucks. 5 miles of this. I walked a bunch of it.




Schilling’s wife came out to provide us a sag stop. Water, sodas, margaritas, chips, donuts, etc etc. Nice break before the final push to camp.




The 2015 crew reunited – Chris, Schilling, Evdog.




12 miles to camp was mostly downhill, and scenic in golden hour






The faster riders were nice enough to have a campfire waiting for us upon arrival




Hannes from Germany had been unaccounted for all day. He camped below us night before, but made it to the rain collector before the last of us left in the morning. He hadn’t been seen since, and ended up making a wrong turn and got behind everyone. He made it to camp 3 though, so all was good. Only one dropout on day 1 which made for an unusually paltry attrition rate for a route like this.




Stats day 3 – 44mi, +5,110/-7110ft

[evdog]

Day 4

Camp 3 was below a formation known as Area 52. It’s a cool rock plateau with lots of slabs and walls. The 2015 route went up it after camping at the same spot. Again we’d camp in the wash below but this time would navigate around it.




A bit chilly. I’d prefer frost to the heavy condensation we had the last time here.




Shitty climb out of camp




Looking back




Brush tunnels above the river (or whats left of it)




Loading up with calories at McDs in Florence. Ice cream was my craving, fortunately the machine was working




After Florence its 20+ miles of canal roads and other flat dirt roads. Some were ok




Others were not very memorable, but needed to make the loop




Getting into San Tan Regional park we’re back on trails and soon pass the Shaka Cactus




Climbing up to the high point




I think we were all ready to be done by this point so we didn’t spend any time hanging around




Final descent




We re-grouped at Desert View Park before pedaling over together to the brewery for final meal




Rolling out as a group




Toast to Schllingsworth for putting together a great route





Stats final day – 56mi, +1,750/-2,000ft


After a few easy miles back to the start we parted ways. I headed over to Gold Canyon to rest up. Ended up taking a full day off.




New shower setup proves its worth. Cool breeze was no match for 100F water!

[406]

New hitch rack setup looks good.

[evdog]

Yeah liking it so far. The 1up is very low profile so the MTB fits pretty snug against the moto. Still long enough to scrape on the ground sometimes but nowhere near as bad as the other carrier. Only downside is it's hard to stash the MTB inside to keep it out of sight.

[springsproject]

Hell yeah!

[bennymac]

Wow great TR! Thanks for the stoke

[evdog]

The trip continues..... had to get my money's worth for the cost of gas to get out here!


I took a day off and bummed around camp in Gold Canyon. It used to be a really nice place to camp, but it has been overrun by #vanlifers and boondocking RVs ranging from decrepit bus conversions to massive 5th wheel toy haulers. I had to go pretty far back to find an open spot, and thought I'd gotten far enough away but still heard a generator someone fired up and ran most of the night.


Had to get out of there so I headed over to Hawes. The bikepack route passed through Hawes, but I wanted to check out some of the other new trails. Parked on the east side and climbed up Alp d'huez




Goat is a pretty new trail that traverses up high, connecting the east and west sides of Hawes




Sunset Ridge was the trail I really wanted to hit, lots of rock rolls that look really fun. Was hoping to get in 2 laps




Walked the upper 3-4 features which are supposed to be some of the hardest. Another rider was doing the same. They were all fine, it actually seemed like the loose flat parts of trail in between the features were the sketchiest parts of the trail




Could catch some nice air once you know the lines




Here's most of the descent





Pretty fun trail. There are a few sections that will definitely keep you on your toes.




I did runs on both Twisted Sister and Big Sister before climbing back to the top for one more lap.

Big Sister:




Hit the top of Sunset just after sunset but opted for Red Mtn instead






Nice views, and super quiet up top.

[evdog]

I was planning to ride Browns Ranch the next day for an easy spin, but opted for a backcountry ride instead... Gold Ridge Tr #47, one of the better descents in AZ. It's an hour or so north of town on the way to Payson.


The ride is a loop with sort of an interesting approach involving state highway, then forest road, then singletrack. The forest road starts of nice and smooth before getting steep and rugged.




Picked a mylar balloon out of a tree next to the trail. Balloon count is pretty good so far this year




Did a bit of trimming on the singletrack where it was badly overgrown. Not a lot of people take that approach but it's the easiest way to do the ride. Views open up once back on fire roads up top




Just gotta climb up by that dimple in the middle




Nice view looking back. Not a single side by side or vehicle in sight. Guessing the gate must be closed at the bottom. Made for a nice peaceful ride!




View from the top near the trailhead.




Looking down from a campsite at the trailhead.




A few patches of snow up top and next to the trail on the north facing slope.




Gold Ridge reminds me of Los Pinos trail at home, after some traversing it follows the undulations of a ridge top with some really fun descents. Pinos is either steep up or steep down, Gold Ridge you can ride up all the climbs. Awesome ride if you have the chance. Drops almost 3,000ft in 6 miles.




Some more stoke from the ride:

[evdog]

Was planning a longer day ride on BCT for the next day but didn't get going early enough. So I decided to check out a newer trail south of Sedona instead, the White Hills loop. There are actually two loops totaling over 30 miles of singletrack. It's a moto trail system, so I was expecting some sand, ruts and whoops. But its also supposed to be decent on MTB.


Trailhead was empty. A guy on dual sport rode thru as I was getting ready but I never saw him on the trails. Started off flat with a bit of rolling terrain




There were a few splits with one line going easier way and the other steeper up and down. For MTB, harder line had a bit of hike a bike up then a fun descent. As is usual with moto trails anything steeper is where the trail would get churned up.




Nice views on the west side of the network.




Trail was pretty fun through here. Reminded me of Rabbit Valley and Western Rim near Fruita.




Some more fun flowy trail on the way out.

Sedona is so good nearby not sure I'd divert to ride these trails again, but they could be really fun with more moisture in the dirt. Drivetrain needed a good cleaning after this, super dusty.

[evdog]

It has been a few years since I rode BCT and I wanted some easy cruising miles, so I set up a moto shuttle on the northern half of the trail.

Checking Trailforks for conditions comments said there is new singletrack at the northern terminus. Cool, the first 3 miles or so used to be doubletrack. Always love new dirt! Edit to add - just found out BCT has also been extended a further 6 miles of new trail to the north of Orme Rd as well.

Parked the truck near Bumblebee and headed north on the moto. Sketchy riding in a few places with the MTB on board due to wind. Took just over an hour to get to the northern end of BCT on dirt roads.


I've only ridden the northern part of the trail once before maybe 5 yrs ago so I couldn't remember where the doubletrack section went. The first few miles on the new singletrack was a game of "where will the trail go next". Plenty of it is low angle hillside so the trail is little more than scratched in. Not easy to spot turns until you're right there.




They had to do some bench cutting though. Overall the new trail was really nice. Hopefully it will attract more traffic to that northern end to keep it riding well.




The trail joined the original route at Russian Well, with a bit of doubletrack through this old ranch site.




Open range




A bit of water flowing in the Agua Fria but very easy to pedal through




So nice....




Bit of doubletrack along the canyon rim, but views were nice




The Antelope Creek section has some of the most interesting terrain and most fun riding on the whole trail




One last hill to climb before it trends downhill to the truck




Love the rock and cactus combo




Started seeing campers off various roads getting closer to Bumblebee. Pretty quiet out there though. Didn't hear a single gunshot all day. Only met one rider all day as well. 37mi +2800/-4500ft

[evdog]

Headed up toward Sedona after BCT. Original plan was a 2-H loop, but in the end I opted for a one H loop, Hiline. And timed for sunset to maximize stoke and minimize trail traffic.


Hiline climb is still a favorite. Seemed easier this time. Either 29er wheels smooth it out or some of the toothy rocks that were sticking out are gone.




Met a few groups hiking down as I was climbing up but saw no other riders.






Took a breather at the top waiting for a big family to climb up the switchbacks here. After them there was no one in sight.




Hiline descent. Clean run aside from grabbing a bottle I dropped half way down.




Section along the river and then up Templeton is the big challenge. I've ridden all of it at one time or another but never all in one go.




This isn't even the hard part : )




Templeton was deserted even for this time of day, until I got to the Cathedral rock crossing which was a stream of people heading down the trail




No filter, amazing light for sunset. Nice chill lap.

[evdog]

Next day.... should have got up early, but I didn't. So I should driven around Sedona rather than up through VOC. But I didn't. So this was my view for about 45 minutes.




Monday morning and the Schebly Hill trailhead was overflowing with vehicles. Signs I saw on the drive up said other trailheads were all full as well. Found a parking spot along the road and pedaled up to Hangover.




Had a good run on the traverse and climb to the saddle, but didn't attempt a couple of the off camber ledges. The spur is great at a lot of things but terrible for pedal strikes and I didn't feel like taking a tumble over the side.




Happy place




Love the contrast here




Made everything on the climb up to the corner at the top here.




Stopped at the saddle for a rest. The only rider I'd see all day passed me here.




Cool spot!




Had a pretty good run down the backside. Hangover itch scratched!