The Rodeo Sonoran Migration: Feb 6-8 

Updated January 15

The Sonoran Desert might be a desert by definition, but in practice, it is built a little differently. Instead of being a barren rocky expanse, the Sonoran is the most ecologically diverse desert in the world, with hundreds of unique species of animals and plants that call the American Southwest home. 

These plants and animals all have particular conditions where they thrive. Some like the hotter, more barren flat lands, and others enjoy the cooler mountains and highlands of the desert. Yet all of it coexists in and around Phoenix, Arizona, where the desert meets one of the biggest cities in the West. 

For half the year, the Sonoran Desert is an inhospitable place. Temperatures soar, water is scarce, and bike riding is reserved for early morning rides before the heat monster comes roaring with the midday sun. For the other half of the year, however, you have an off-road cycling paradise. 

In the winter, Arizona is Trail Donkey and Flaanimal country. Migrate with us to the desert to see what it’s all about.

Friday, February 6: Phoenix, Browns Ranch, Seven Springs, Humboldt Mountain

• Friday morning will be about breakfast and packing. With a noon rollout, you could even catch a morning flight in, although that might add some extra stress. We will be around the start to help get anyone situated, while the shop we will be staging from is a great independent shop that can help with everything from Co2 to Carbs Fuel gels.
• 12 pm Rollout from The Velo in central Phoenix.  Street parking in the adjacent neighborhood is free and safe. Be sure to not leave anything too valuable sitting around, but with the trip running Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, things won’t be sitting too long.
• Very easy, paved rollout until the Pima/Dynamite Trailhead. Then mostly dirt the rest of the way. The day will be a long slow climbs through the different ecological zones of the Sonoran, and also through the diverse, and sometimes flawed, architectural choices of Scottsdale and Paradise Valley.
• Optional climb up to Humboldt Peak at almost 6,000 feet. The idea here is we ride to camp, unloaded, and enjoy an extension of the day for those with gumption! Much of the next days ride is visible from the top. If that sounds like a lot, that is also okay, the next day will contain an abundance of great riding. You can also hang around the Seven Springs oasis and read a book, explore by foot, or have a nice rest!
• 4-6 pm arrival at Seven Springs camp, extra circular ride option departs.
• 6 pm all riders at camp. Last light will be around 6:30pm.
• Dinner and campfire stories (pending burn allowances).

Saturday: Seven Springs, Bloody Basin, Sheep Bridge, Horseshoe Reservoir, McDowell Preserve

• We ride at dawn! It is basically an 81-mile day minimum. 40 miles of which doesn’t have reliable water. But, don’t let that scare you, it will be one of the most scenic rides you can do in the United States. We know, we’ve seen a lot of it.
• The route is essentially a long ride around Horseshoe Reservoir and the mountains the tower over the eastern side of the valley. This is rugged stuff! 
• On the way there, we will climb up to over 5,000 feet, far higher than most of the plants that are synonymous with the Sonoran, before taking on a long descending route that takes us all the way down to some of the most dense saguaro forests outside of the national park in Tucson. Half of this riding will take place in Bloody Basin, a spectacular geographic area that is surrounded in three sides by steep, craggy mountains. The views are big, the roads are always changing in quality, and the riding is just our speed.
• We are optimistic that we will have some possible spots to filter, but there are very few signs of humanity. The one reliable water spot is the Verde River at Sheep Bridge. It is deep and swimmable. I hear rumors of a hot spring. The bridge, which was built long ago to allow sheep herds to cross the deceptively deep Verde River long before the damns were created to make the series of lakes that now define the river.

• Beyond Sheep Bridge, the riding gets rougher. On this side, the tracks are extremely remote and only accessible by bike, moto, or true off roading rigs. This is where everyone must be cautious and understand that it is as remote as you can get in Arizona.
• That stretch is just 14 miles, but can easily be two hours of riding. Once on the other side, the terrain gets smoother, but there is a long climb back towards camp. Smoother trails through the Sonoran and McDowell preserve will follow, all of this will be smooth compared to the Sheep Bridge terrain, and will be followed by camping at McDowell Preserve, complete with running water and showers. How elegant!
• Dinner and hangs will follow. We are still coordinating what this can look like, but along the way there is food stores to stock up!

Sunday: McDowell, Fountain Hills, Scottsdale, Phoenix Mountain Preserve

• Easy ride for Sunday! The goal is to hit a 1 pm arrival in Phoenix. The minimum distance is around 50 miles of mostly paved riding, with some joyful detours along the way.
• Load up and ride to Fountain Hills at 8 am. Restaurants and grocery stores are there to celebrate making it through the hard stuff. 
• In town, the route will go through the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and Trail 100. This iconic network offers a stunning pocket of wild land in the middle of one of the countries largest cities. There is a way around for those who are done with dirt at this point, and bathrooms, water, and shade to regroup. Alternative routes will be made available.
• We will celebrate at the end at The Main Ingredient, an institution of the neighborhood with great outside patio seating and some really tasty food options.We also hope to grab photos of everyone and their bikes after they have been through the trials and tribulations of the three days of riding.

The Route: Playing the Hits and a Hidden Gem 

The Sonoran Migration is a three-day, two-night bikepacking trip that is not a race. Instead, it is a choose-your-own-adventure around the desert, with predetermined campsite and light support. And by light, I mean water at the campsites we’ll have someone drive out to the campsites that can bring food / gear if you don’t want to carry it yourself. The rest of it is on you, just like it would be on a bikepacking trip. 

Additionally, we have a route! Do you need to follow ALL of it? No, but there aren’t a lot of roads where we are going. We will have a few out-and-back options, but what we have outlined here is our curated tour of the northeastern cut of the Sonoran Desert, from “the Valley” all the way to some of the highest peaks you can get to in a day’s ride. 

In total, we are looking at a route with three general surfaces: road, gravel, and singletrack. None of the single tracks require a full-suspension bike, we’ve done it on a fat tire Donkey, but it isn’t a cake walk either. The gravel itself is also a mixed bag, which is par for the course deep in the desert, so use that tire clearance the bikes give you and go big or risk going home deflated, literally and figuratively. 

That being said, if you want to bring your mountain bike, or your trusty gravel bike isn’t a Rodeo, no worries! This isn’t an exclusive gathering. Our bikes are just well-suited for this kind of riding, so we like to get together with a bunch of our friends to do it from time to time.