Reviewed by: tfrandal ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
What a terrific alternative to Sedona! Was two miles into a Sedona ride and just could not take being sandwitched in between residential development and the wilderness boundry. Sedona is over rated, over developed, and over run with a disney like atmosphere. The sound of a jack hammer carving out another building site into the red rock was just too much. I scrapped the Sedona ride and headed to Dead Horse State Park. The trail is pretty much summed up by the preceeding reviews. There is something for all types of riders and skill levels. Ranger Randy Victory has put together a great map of the trails. He is modest but proud of the trails, his map, his sweet cannondale and the fact he can ride the loop in 45 minutes. Very helpful guy. When the flagstaff trails are snowed in I plan to ride these trails every few weeks. A fun and challenging ride where a guy can have a little solitude. Nice views of Tuzigoot and Mingus.

Recommended Route:
Up Raptor and down Thumper in a clockwise direction.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Ranger Randy suggested riding the Thumper Loop then heading out Bones to Pecks Lake and back 89A. This is a 21 mile ride.

Reviewed by:  ,  Downhiller , from Camino

Summary:
Not bad. Climbing up the first part isn't difficult, it's not overly steep(but it has a few small sections that are) though. Thumper is fun, a few technical areas that are nice. Then there is Lime Kiln, and it's kind of like a mini "Porcupine Rim". Double track but really fun in places, dropoffs, etc. Nothing on these trails is bad, it can all be rolled, but a beginner will freeze up on some of the little drops and rocky areas. It's a nice loop though, especially to get away from the crowd at sedona. Not bad at all though, there's other stuff in cottonwood, and in the general area.

Recommended Route:
Clockwise.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Mingus Mtn Downhill...fun to do it once, not sure if I'd do it more than once, really nasty and technical trail at the top though.

Reviewed by: xtremerat , from phoenix

Summary:
I rode the trail starting at the Eastern end. Great workout but big mistake. Ride became 2/3 uphill with a short downhill to parking lot. Easy to find and follow. East to west much more challenging. First mile or so is the most difficult. After that there are some sandy parts but not bad. Overall it is a solid ride going in either direction. Not too flat and not too technical.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Anything in Sedona

Reviewed by: canyonrc , from Tempe

Summary:
Don't be fulled by the fact cottonwood is North of Phoenix. The uphill portion of this trail makes things hotter than a spilled bucket of sex. Mind you, its not really a hard climb. Just hot. The downhill, my favorite portion of any trail, is filled with these cool little steps that you can practice jumping off of. Although, there were a couple of parts of the trail that sparked visions of me toppling over the handlebars and losing my teeth on a edge of the steps. I don't feel bad anout walking over those parts though because my buddy wimped out as well. I have the pictures to prove it. In short, its a fun trail. After the ride, if you don't like the town of Cottonwood, you can head up to Gerome for a beer and a burger.

Recommended Route:
Take the trail counter clockwise to fully appreciate the technical down hill.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Anything in Sedona or head up to Flagstaff to beat the heat. Check for fire restrictions around the state though.

Reviewed by: The Mongol Lord , from Scottsdale

Summary:
My buddy and I headed out today for a trail in Prescott but our intelligence sources had been snoozing...all trails were closed in the Prescott Forest! We recalled hearing of a trail in Cottonwood so we gave it a shot. We were quite pleased with the terrain and the trail itself. A bit of climbing in the first few miles that were more than rewarded on the Thumper section itself with fun downhill runs, a few hairpin turns, some ledges(not too drastic but enough to make you think), and some tight, twisty track with berms and banks. The final section down Lime Kiln was a hoot, too. This is a good ride for intermediate to advanced riders and it would probably get more bike traffic if it weren't situated between Prescott and Sedona.

Recommended Route:
Clockwise as described below. I'd have a hard time imagining it being as fun in the other direction.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
A lot of stuff in Sedona(Broken Arrow, Cathedral Rock, etc)