6.9 hr
Overview
This is a brutal trail that is incredibly rewarding. It is super chunky technical the whole way down! An Incredible trail with cliff hugging precariousness, skinny rocky heart-pumping pick sections, lumpy crazy rock-gardens, brash and natural boulder kicker launchpads, loose, sandy, squirrelly bike-surfing, and back again. From high up on ridge lines, to deep down in canyons, this trail has all the elements. Be prepared to be blown away, literally and metaphorically! (it can be gale force windy here too)<br><br>Look for the trailhead at the end of Pine View Dr., it'll be on the right. At the ~3.5 mile mark you dump into a creek bed. Take a sharp left and you'll soon pick back up the trail downstream. Do not take the trail that branches to the right! Palm Canyon Trail is prone to washouts, so keep your eyes peeled and use your instincts. When in doubt, keep going downstream. At mile ~8.8, you'll merge onto a doubletrack section that can be deceptively hard to find when the trails washed out, look for a few lines that climb up out of the wash. It's up over that embankment. <br><br>Indian Potrero Trail has been closed periodically, requiring a detour (stay right on the doubletrack). This is also an option for the novice rider as there are some very technical sections! Either way, it ends up at the "dry wash" climb and the half way point of the trail. This is where Palm Canyon Trail ends and the a sand wash climb begins. There are many options from this point, but the ride isn't over at mile 12. You have a minimum of 8 more miles of riding at this junction, no matter how you cut it. <br><br>At the dry wash be prepared to do some walking as this route gets too soft to pedal. Keep an eye out for some side routes that parallel the trail on the right. These as well as East Vanderventner Trail (about a mile up) act as good bail outs. The dry wash portion tops out at Dunn Road at a section known as "the freeway". Go left here to the Art Smith Trail benches and a well deserved rest!<br><br>In the case of an EMERG
Trail Stats
25.5 km
323 m
1328 m
443 m
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Photos
Terrain Triumph!
Terrain Triumph!
second gate that needs to be CLOSED behind you! The Wellman family thanks you for not letting there cows out.....
second gate that needs to be CLOSED behind you! The Wellman family thanks you for not letting there cows out.....
The only mellow flat section this trail has to offer. Enjoy this 1 mile sigh of relief while it lasts....
The only mellow flat section this trail has to offer. Enjoy this 1 mile sigh of relief while it lasts....
Lots of Cholla in da house! View from the wash.
Lots of Cholla in da house! View from the wash.
Don’t let your kids birthday balloons ruin the desert!
Don’t let your kids birthday balloons ruin the desert!
Some tight and exposed switchbacks.
Some tight and exposed switchbacks.
desert melons or a mirage...... you be the judge
desert melons or a mirage...... you be the judge
Near the trailhead--prepare for a bit of exposure!
Near the trailhead--prepare for a bit of exposure!
The wash is not as bad as the whiners say. Slow and steady wins the race!
The wash is not as bad as the whiners say. Slow and steady wins the race!
View from the too
View from the too
Oasis.
Oasis.
The dreaded "Sand Slog" 3.4 miles of dry riverbed. We caught it after a rain, so it was pretty firm. Can be a sandbox though.
The dreaded "Sand Slog" 3.4 miles of dry riverbed. We caught it after a rain, so it was pretty firm. Can be a sandbox though.