mike
iMTB Hooligan
Yes, it was established as a OHV trail. GDMBR was established as a bicycle route, and motos ride it. So…
I rode the Peace Trail clockwise in, mainly, two outings: a 2.5-day reconnaissance from Yuma to Quartzite in December 2020, then a 14-day ride from Quartzite to Yuma in February 2021. Around 120 and 700 miles respectively. (My wife rode with me for ~ten local miles of it on two afternoons.) The main AZPT loop reputes to be 675 miles.
Why would a cyclist ride it? Because she can – all winter long (check the Parker 250 and 425 race schedules for their two closure weekends). Because he likes the desert in massive quantity. To squarely justify a plus-tire bike. Because she already did the triple crown. To get the first cycling through-ride on it. Because _________________________________ (your own reason).
Some riders will balk because they think they’d be dusted out by RZRs. That wasn't my experience at all. I had individual days where I saw not one person. The wind helped.
At similar mileage to the AZT, the AZPT is much less effort. The difficulty is in the remoteness, resupply intervals and loose surfaces. There’s paltry ascending and it stays low almost the whole way. There are established alternates and connectors. The Hualapai Mountains section near Kingman is dependent on conditions, as it attains 7000’ elevation (the alternate is a county scenic dirt road).
If hike-a-bike is defeat in your mind, this probably isn’t the route for you. There are dry washes and even minor dune areas to contend with (mostly on the west side), although not extensive. I bypassed Limekiln Wash due to bridge-out road closure, and bypassed 30 miles of the Hualapai Mountains with questionable conditions and provisions (Yucca AZ is not a reliable food resupply). Leave the water treatment gear at home and have water capacity for intervals up to 90 miles. I’m positive the route would go in under a week at race pace. At a touring pace (I averaged under 50 mi a day), you can plan on a half-dozen bivies between resupply points Martinez Lake, Quartzite, Bouse, Lake Havasu City, Golden Shores, Bullhead City, Kingman, Wikieup, Wayside Bar and Grill, Salome, either Dateland or Wellton, Yuma.
In summary it was a great outing – worth a partial or full repeat if I end up in the area again during winter. I'm excited about this route because we really needed a US winter bikepacking route. AZPT is exactly what I was hoping for.
The AZPT web site has a dearth of info and current GPX:
https://arizonapeacetrail.org/
I rode the Peace Trail clockwise in, mainly, two outings: a 2.5-day reconnaissance from Yuma to Quartzite in December 2020, then a 14-day ride from Quartzite to Yuma in February 2021. Around 120 and 700 miles respectively. (My wife rode with me for ~ten local miles of it on two afternoons.) The main AZPT loop reputes to be 675 miles.
Why would a cyclist ride it? Because she can – all winter long (check the Parker 250 and 425 race schedules for their two closure weekends). Because he likes the desert in massive quantity. To squarely justify a plus-tire bike. Because she already did the triple crown. To get the first cycling through-ride on it. Because _________________________________ (your own reason).
Some riders will balk because they think they’d be dusted out by RZRs. That wasn't my experience at all. I had individual days where I saw not one person. The wind helped.
At similar mileage to the AZT, the AZPT is much less effort. The difficulty is in the remoteness, resupply intervals and loose surfaces. There’s paltry ascending and it stays low almost the whole way. There are established alternates and connectors. The Hualapai Mountains section near Kingman is dependent on conditions, as it attains 7000’ elevation (the alternate is a county scenic dirt road).
If hike-a-bike is defeat in your mind, this probably isn’t the route for you. There are dry washes and even minor dune areas to contend with (mostly on the west side), although not extensive. I bypassed Limekiln Wash due to bridge-out road closure, and bypassed 30 miles of the Hualapai Mountains with questionable conditions and provisions (Yucca AZ is not a reliable food resupply). Leave the water treatment gear at home and have water capacity for intervals up to 90 miles. I’m positive the route would go in under a week at race pace. At a touring pace (I averaged under 50 mi a day), you can plan on a half-dozen bivies between resupply points Martinez Lake, Quartzite, Bouse, Lake Havasu City, Golden Shores, Bullhead City, Kingman, Wikieup, Wayside Bar and Grill, Salome, either Dateland or Wellton, Yuma.
In summary it was a great outing – worth a partial or full repeat if I end up in the area again during winter. I'm excited about this route because we really needed a US winter bikepacking route. AZPT is exactly what I was hoping for.
The AZPT web site has a dearth of info and current GPX:
https://arizonapeacetrail.org/
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