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Grand Canyon biking?


mcfly
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Doing a family road trip to the Grand Canyon over spring break. Trying to determine if I should bring bikes. Me and the 2 kids have trail bikes. My wife is the lowest common denominator with a hybrid bike that can handle smooth gravel or smooth dirt trails at its best. Is there anything out there that would work for us? Maybe one or two rides at 15-20 miles?

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No biking within the park except for on paved roads. You can even rent cruiser bikes I think. But absolutely no trail riding.

But…you will not be far from Flagstaff AZ and it has great trails. Like, descending 2000’ through pine forest and coasting for miles.

And…if you’re riding in Flag, you may as well drop down an hour drive to Sedona where you might decide to never leave due to the riding there.

Took the family to GC, Flag, Sedona, and Monument Valley three years ago and we all can’t wait to do a return trip.


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there is an awesome looking trail on the north rim in the national forest. if you want more info, i can dig it up. 

trail forks shows some trails on the south rim and a greenway:

https://www.trailforks.com/region/grand-canyon-national-park-36003/

and flagstaff looks to have a ton of trails:

https://www.trailforks.com/region/flagstaff/

 

Edited by circuitbreaker
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Thanks for all the input. My wife is trying to talk me out of bringing the bikes, because she doesn't think it will be worth the hassle of carrying and worrying about the security of the bikes for the two or three rides we might do. I'm still up in the air about it.

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I recommend: NOT taking bikes = no worries about theft and the constant hassle of bike wrangling when they aren't in use.  If you are in a mtn biking destination area, there will be quality bikes for rent.  E-bikes and cruisers will be available for rent in more developed areas and you can cruise around as a fam.  Just pack a bag with shoes, helmet and gloves and you're set. 

Thread drift: Rainbow Rim Trail shout out!  Note: Spring Break is too early in the year (cold, snow) for the Kaibab Plateau, North Rim.  But still, because there are vacations to come and this can be done in summer. 

The trail outside the national park on the north rim of the Grand Canyon is the Rainbow Rim Trail.  We were there maybe 12 years ago and I loved it. More miles have been added for a total of 22 miles one way.   It's a very, very long slog to get to the North Rim area and requires being self contained, although the National Park North Rim is relatively close by and has some services. 

It's not an overly technical trail, but it's a trail at 7,700' on the west edge of the Kaibab Plateau and there's close to 1,800' of cumulative climbing. 

It's character is that it contours the rim, so you ride out onto one of five points with spectacular views of the Canyon, then ride back into the Ponderosa pines and contour around a drainage, then back out onto the next point with some pinyons, sage and more gobsmacking views. 

This Trail Forks page shows clearly how the trail is laid out: Rainbow Rim Trail.  They rate the trail as Intermediate in difficulty, with a physical rating of Moderate. 

We camped roughly in the middle, and did an out and back to each end; it was 18 miles end to end at that point and I don't recall that out & back for each segment was that stressful. 

Although this isn't wilderness and is carved up by numerous logging roads, I've never been in a place in the lower 48 that felt so "out there" remote and I don't know why exactly.  We were getting close to camp finishing up the second segment at dusk.  Mr. June Bug was riding slightly ahead of me and I got major "I'm being followed by a mountain lion" paranoia.  No sighting, but again, just that kind of place. 

Camping was dispersed -- you just found your spot and set up anywhere, nothing developed, no services.  Things have likely gotten more formal in the intervening years since what amazing place hasn't been discovered, trashed, and formalized w/ rules and regs. 

I very much want to go back.  We may do this as a tour with Western Spirit this summer and let them handle logistics.   Their four or so photos show a good sampler. 

The Arizona trail is close by, goes all the way from the North Rim to the Utah border, so that's another riding option. For example, AZ Trail, Passage 40, South Kaibab

I hope I've convinced someone to go this summer. You get the Grand Canyon experience without the crowds and can ride a lovely trail that won't beat you up! 

 

 

Edited by June Bug
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  • 3 weeks later...

For future reference, you can ride bikes in the Grand Canyon National Park. They actually rent them at the south rim visitors center and can be ridden on south rim road and part of the south rim trail. I'm still glad I didn't bring them, for the one or two rides we would have done it wouldn't have been worth the hassle of carrying and managing them.

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