Review Date
January 25, 2008

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Every few months

Reviewed by: thaphillips ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
I lived in Sahuarita for 2 years, and this was my closest trail. That being said, this trail sucks. It is always overgrown, the trail is very rocky and I would not suggest taking a hard tail. The "great descent" people are talking about is a DIRT ROAD, not a trail or fire road. This "great descent" just happens to go down for a long ways and you go fast so people like it. It does have good scenery, but if I was looking for scenery I would be hiking not biking.

To sum it up..... it's a lot of work for a very little reward. Also bring a truck if you want to park at the trail head, because it is rocky and a low clearance vehicle will get torn up.


The madera canyon trails are much better, but they are illegal for biking.

Recommended Route:
NONE!

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Aspen Draw
Brown Mountain
The Gap
Fantasy Island
Golden Ranch ....etc

Review Date
August 25, 2007

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: sinofone ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST RIDING IVE DONE IN ARIZONA. THIS IS A EPIC RIDE THAT WILL LEAVE YOU WANTING MORE, AT A LATER DATE. THE SINGLE TRACK IS COMPLETLY OVERGROWN BUT YOU CAN SEE ENOUGH TO GET BY. WEAR LONG SOCKS TO AVOID RIPPIN YOUR LEGS TO SHREADS. MABY EVEN ARM PROTECTION. AMAZING VISTAS AND ALOT OF EXPLORING TO BE HAD. THERE ARE MORE TRAILS OUT THERE THAT I WOULD LIKE TO CHECK OUT. SOME WATER CROSSING DEPENDING ON WHEN YOU GO SO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR CHAIN LUBED WELL. ALOT OF THE UPPER JEEP ROAD IS WASHED OUT THIS YEAR SOME HIKE A BIKE BUT NOT TOO BAD.

Recommended Route:
PARK EITHER AT THE TURN OFF TO THE TRAIL HEAD OR HEADDOWN THE ROAD A LITTLE WAY AND THERE ARE SOME DISPERSSED CAMPGROUNDS. SO YOU FLY DOWN THE FIRST BIT OF FIRE ROAD. SUPER FUN WAY TO START A RIDE. FOLLOW MAIN ROAD DOWN. THERE WILL BE A TRAIL SIGN ON THE RIGHT WITH A SMALL GATE TO ENTER ONTO THE SINGLE TRACK. THIS TRAIL IS OVERGROWN AND CAN BE TECKY IN SPOTS. REALLY FUN. THERE ARE A FEW CREEK CROSSING ALONG THE WAY AS YOU HEAD FOR THE BASE OF ELEPHANT HEAD. THE SINGLE TRACK DUMPS YOU OUT ONTO ANOTHER FIRE ROAD TAKE A LEFT AND FOLLOW THE MAIN TWO TRACK UP BEHIND ELEPHANT HEAD. IT IS REALLY WASHED OUT IN SPOTS. AFTER A WILE OF CLIMBING PAST THE WATERFALL YOU WILL GET A GLIMPS OF ANOTHER BIKE TRAIL MARKER, MORE SINGLE TRACK. CLIMB THIS TO THE SADDLE FOR SOME EXCELLENT VIEWS AND THEN DESCEND THE OTHER SIDE. YOU WILL HIT ANOTHER FIRE ROAD AND CAN CLIMB UP TO THE RADIO TOWERS OR THIS IS A GOOD TURN AROUND. I WENT TO THE MADERA TRAIL AND DESCIDED TO HIT SOME MORE SINGL TRACK BUT YOU CANNOT GO TOO FAR. YOU WILL RUN INTO A SIGN THAT SAYS WILDERNESS BOUNDRY. THERE ARE NO BIKES BEYOND THIS POINT SO TURN AROUND AND DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN.

Review Date
December 18, 2006

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: fletchfighters ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
all I can say is wow!!! Great views, totally different than the normal desert riding in the Tucson area. If you like rocky terrain then you will like this trail. Some great singletrack but not ridden often, very overgrown in spots. I was eaten up by all the branches. This is a long trail and takes a lot out of you. Much more of an advanced trail.

Recommended Route:
All the above guides are right on. It is $5.00 to be at Madera Canyon now, not $2.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
50 year trail, tucson mountain park, fantasy island

Review Date
January 13, 2005

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 5 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: tictac778 ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
If you're an endurance rider/racer looking to improve your technicual skills, this ride is your wet-dream; the climb to the TV towers is a grinder. The ridge trail to the last forest road climb is a sweet little gem of single-track. Five flaming dog poops; I absolutely loved this ride.

Recommended Route:
Trail head is at Proctor Rd where it degrades into a jeep trail. Start down lumpy, bumpy elephant head until it ends at FR 1073. Go left up (and up, and up) this rocky jeep road. Go through the cruddy little cattle gate and keep climbing. Watch for ridge trail on the right, and take this sweet little trail to FR 183 and go left. Climb up this well-graded road until your front tire hits the TV-tower gates. Turn around and head back down! A more detailed description of this route can be found here: http://www.cherba.com/atmb/elephant_head.htm

Other recommended trails in the same area:
50 Year Trail is too smooth - Miligrosa is too rough - Elephant Head is just right :)

Review Date
March 15, 2004

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: thephoenixson ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
no recent reveiws for this trail so i thought i'd lay one down. this was the first trail i rode after i moved into the Tucson area. and what an introduction to desert mountain biking!
i guess we went in the "back" way. so it was sandy, rocky jeep road up to the single track. and then miles of climbing through knee high grass (since not a lot of people ride this trail it got a little out of control). but all that initial climbing makes for one killer ride back to the vehicles. fun, semi-technical descents. and then the screamer back out on the jeep road. trail might not be for everybody, but the Ocotillo gardens and the veiw of Elephant Head Rock make it worthwhile if you're looking to ride something a little different compared to the usual Tucson rides.

Recommended Route:
the "reverse" way. start from the bottom and work you're way up. makes coming home much more fun.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Starr Pass, Fantasy, Chiva Falls, Tucson Mountain Park.