Adventure Cycling Association

After a quick van shuttle, you and your fellow adventurers will congregate at Kaibab Camper Village, located just south of Jacob Lake. Here you’ll take part in your group orientation meeting and begin getting acquainted with the rest of the dirt-loving group members while gathered around a tasty meal. When you finally climb into your tent and fall asleep, you’ll dream of the high-quality singletrack trails and excellent backroads that are in your near future.

Today we’ll set our sights high as we head to our camping spot, perched at nearly 7,500 feet in elevation. As we zigzag up some challenging dirt roads, we’ll ride among the nearly 1,600 plant species that call the Grand Canyon home. Our climbing will be rewarded by stunning views of the Colorado River wrapping around Great Thumb Mesa in the canyon far below and of the Uinkaret Mountains rising dramatically in the west.

You have two options today. If you like, you can test your dirt-riding skills as you blast along the famous Rainbow Rim Trail. This singletrack trail was built for cyclists (with no grades exceeding 10 percent) and it weaves in and out of valleys, offering incredible canyon views. Alternatively, you can follow meandering Forest Service roads most of the way to tonight’s destination: a pristine camp on the canyon’s edge overlooking Timp Point.

We’ll start out on dirt roads before riding into the Grand Canyon National Park campground on pavement. You’ll also have the option of riding a section of the undulating Arizona Trail (recently proclaimed an “Arizona Treasure”) into tonight’s camp, where we’ll enjoy the simple pleasures of showers and a laundry.

Did you know that the oldest rocks in the Grand Canyon are close to two billion years old? Attend a geology talk with a ranger, go mountain biking, hiking, or horseback riding, or, of course, simply relax. And be sure to check out the North Rim Lodge, a space with a stunning veiw.

After we fuel up for the day, we’ll pedal out of the park on pavement. Continuing on Forest Service roads to our last primitive campsite, we’ll take a turn onto the Arizona Trail, which here is made up of a mouth-watering combo of singletrack trail and decommissioned dirt roads. The trail ambles through aspen groves, connecting with the enchanting high meadows of the Kaibab Plateau. Although it is not apparent, the north wall of the Canyon rises 1,000 feet higher than the South Rim, giving the North Rim nearly twice as much annual precipitation as the other side. At our final campsite, we’ll enjoy our last backcountry dinner beneath a stand of old-growth ponderosa pine.

We’ll spend our last day cycling on rolling dirt roads — or we may take a singletrack option — back to Jacob Lake, where we’ll say our goodbyes, but only after an amazing 1,000-foot descent! High fives all around before we pack up and head on our way, basking in the glow of a completely fantastic cycling experience.