Molina Spring epic ride trip report

azbackpackr · Posted: 5/24/2010, 6:13 am Post subject: Molina Spring epic ride trip report

Photos in gallery. This was my first fairly long mountain bike ride of the season--21 miles. Starting out in the very dry overgrazed grasslands off 60, just a few miles east of Springerville, and heading south on a rough 4WD 2-track, with plenty of rocks in it to make it more interesting. Vegetation and grass cover improve greatly as you continue. The road goes gradually uphill as it heads almost due south toward Escudilla, which is in view most of the time. It felt very epic to me because I had planned to do it for a couple of years, and had never been that far up that road. Heading back to the car was fun, since it was a gradual downhill most of the way, but not too steep.

If you wanted to continue on to the base of Escudilla, it would be a simple matter of continuing on through White Mtn. Acres and around the back of the mountain. Eventually you would get to Luna Lake. If you had panniers with camping gear, then you could cross 180 and continue on down the Blue River road. You would ride pavement only very briefly by Luna Lake. From the Blue River road you could go to New Mexico via the Pueblo Park road, and from there to Reserve and the Gila NF. It would be a fun long bike ride that would take several days. Road is about 6.4 miles east of Springerville stoplight, on 60.

threedogz · Joined: 06 May 2005 Posts: 668 Location: Chandler

Wow, sounds like a great bike ride. I am going to be up in Pinetop in June when I drop my daughter off at soccer camp. I was planning on biking and this sounds like fun!

Thanks for sharing.
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azbackpackr · Posted: 5/24/2010, 6:34 pm Post subject:

It may be kind of hot out on the Molina Springs road in June, which is why I rode it in May. There is some great mtn. biking around Pinetop--I go over there to bike from time to time with the president of TRACKS hiking club. Also, there is a bike club, although they are fairly serious mtn. bikers and road bikers. They have rides almost every day.

If you can ride intermediate level singletrack, the favored trail is Los Burros, which is about an 8 or 10 mile loop, out by McNary. Country Club is another trail I have ridden, off of Buck Springs Rd. The TRACKS group ride forest road loops, not trail, though. Those are kind of fun too--totally non-technical.