Great Canyons of the Southwest Bicycle Tours: Bryce, Zion, Grand Canyon, Capitol Reef

White Mountains of Arizona

Bryce/Zion Alpiner
Canyon Country Classic

Dates:
(7 days, 6 nights; Sun-Sat)
May 2-8
Oct. 3-9

Assembly Point:
Phoenix/Camp Verde
(airline service to Phoenix; Timberline van shuttle from Phoenix to Camp Verde prior to tour and from Globe to Phoenix following tour)

Tour Cost: $1,995
(includes all lodging, breakfasts and dinners, support van, Timberline van shuttles, tour maps & narratives)

Itinerary

We probably spend way too much time crowing about how unique we are as an organization and how we always have been on the cutting edge of adventure. And so, how do we explain why it took us 25 years to discover the White Mountains of eastern Arizona? Because, make no mistake, the White Mountains, referred to as Arizona’s Alps, define adventure. Well, better late than never, and White Mountains of Arizona has become a fixture in our overall program.

In the context of this 7-day program, we’ll ride from the Verde Valley into Zane Grey country atop the Mogollon Rim. We’ll visit Payson, Show Low, and Pinetop-Lakeside, all portals to the recreational wonders of the Whites, before climbing beyond 9,000 feet into the heart of these rugged mountains. We’ll ride the beautiful White Mountains Scenic Byway to Greer, nestled in the high alpine Lee Valley at 8,525’ near the headwaters of the Little Colorado, and then challenge the awesome Coronado Trail, named Arizona’s most beautiful scenic road by Arizona Highways prior to our descent to the High Sonoran Desert at Safford.

White Mountains of Arizona assembles in Camp Verde north of Phoenix, and we’ll provide a van shuttle from Phoenix early enough on Assembly Day to visit the 800-year-old cliff dwelling ruins at Montezuma Castle National Monument. We’ll ride east from Camp Verde Day 1 along the sparsely traveled General Crook Trail, named for the U.S. General who waged war on the Apaches in the early 1870’s, leading to the relocation of the tribe to nearby Fort Apache. We’ll climb steadily from the valley into the Coconino National Forest on the Mogollon Rim and spend our first overnight in Payson.

Early morning of Day 2, we’ll ride into the Sitgreaves National Forest through Heber to Show Low, and then spend much of Day 3 engaged with the upwardly undulating, but scenically rewarding White Mountains Scenic Byway. We’ll spend the evening at the beautiful Greer Lodge near the Little Colorado and then we’re off to join the Coronado Trail the following day at Eager.

As we head south along the Coronado Byway, we’ll quickly climb into the ponderosa of the Apache-Sitgreaves Forest. The cinder cones that mark our course reveal the volcanic legacy of this region. We’ll continue to climb to the Alpine Divide north of the town of Alpine, our last town until we descend into Morenci at the end of Day 5. We’ll spend the night at the historic Hannagan Meadow Lodge and much of the next day riding in the high alpine wilderness of the Whites. With the exception of the San Francisco Range north of Flagstaff, Arizona’s highest peaks line our route; Reno, Rose, Mitchell, Coronado and Malpais stand as magnificent sentinels from north to south.

Clearly, we could go on and on as we attempt to convey the utter thrill of cycling the Coronado Trail. Know, though, that this day will rank among the elite cycling experiences in our entire program. We’ll conclude this extraordinary day with a long descent into historic Morenci, home to the second largest copper pit mine in North America.

Our descent continues on Day 6 as we leave the Whites and enter the high Sonoran Desert of the fertile Gila River Valley enroute to our overnight in Safford. We’ll continue through the Sonoran region on our final day to Globe and conclude our program with a visit to the Besh-Ba-Gowah Archeological Park before shuttling back to Phoenix.

Total Mileage — 434

E-Mail: timber@earthnet.net