I approached Flagstaff after an 8-hour drive from Salt Lake City, excited to reconnect with friends from Campfire Cycling for a bikepacking trip on the Craters and Cones Loop, but troubled by what I saw ahead. Dark clouds enveloped the San Francisco Peaks and bolts of lightning split the sky, and soon I was driving through torrential hail in the biggest storm Arizona had seen all year. It appeared our bike trip would be doomed by mud and bad weather, but lo, five trail champions arose among our ranks bearing gifts of spirit, water, shelter, and food. By their efforts, our journey was made sure!
Tobias—Bringer of Optimism
The following morning, I rolled into the first rendezvous point at Macey’s Coffee where I found familiar faces from my days living in Tucson and met new ones with whom I connected over a shared excitement for our trip. Once delicious food and coffee were consumed, we headed to the second rendezvous at the Thorpe Bark Park, where we merged with the rest of our party from Tucson, Flagstaff, Las Vegas, and Salt Lake City.
With leaden bikes we gathered around Toby, Campfire’s steadfast mechanic, for a safety brief regarding our three-day loop of the San Francisco Peaks. As Toby spoke, all eyes turned skyward to see the sky shrouded in unbroken grey, which soured the normally enthusiastic mood found at the outset of a trip.
But Toby stood before us bearing good news from a worthy source. Josh the owner of Campfire Cycling, hailed from Flagstaff where his step father, Kurt, once worked as a NOAAA meteorologist. Josh, Toby and Don had spent the stormy night before the ride with Josh’s parents and over morning coffee, Toby and Kurt discussed the proposed route. Toby shared Kurt’s guidance that if we raced for the Lava River Cave, 20 miles into our route, we would find more favorable riding on scoria-packed dirt made of volcanic rock. With better porosity and drainage properties, the scoria would provide a good riding surface even in wet conditions. Better yet, several miles on, we would find ourselves in the rain shadow north of the San Francisco Peaks, which would relieve the storms of their moisture on the southern side.
So, sharing Toby’s optimism, we commenced our first climb up Mars Hill, navigated a stretch of mud, then cruised forest roads surrounded by ponderosa pines made fragrant by the previous night’s rain. When we finally stopped for lunch at our first milestone, the Lava River Cave, we were still ahead of the storm and celebrated our arrival on friendly volcanic dirt.
Thanks, Toby, for sharing your optimism!
Abraham—Bearer of Water
Day one ended with a reversal of fortunes: a lack of water.
Avoiding wet weather in the rain shadow, we spent the afternoon riding through pinyon-
juniper woodland that offered clearer views of nearby peaks glowing with a patchwork of fall colors. Heavy clouds still hung above the mountains, but we moved under blue sky with high spirits.
Arriving at the first of first of three stock tanks marked on our map, we found it full to the brim with murky water, so we confidently decided to refill at a tank closer to camp. This proved to be a mistake as the next two tanks were bone dry, and worry set in once again as it was a long ride to our next resupply.
Then, as we arrived at our first camp, Abraham stepped forward and shared good news. In his previous explorations of the Arizona Trail, he had always refilled at a dependable cattle tank along Cedar Wash, several miles yonder, which he described as an oasis enjoyed by humans and bovines alike.
We really had no other choice and followed Abraham into the semi-desert grasslands the following morning in search of water. The ride out of camp was iconic Arizona chunk, with endless views toward Page and the Navajo Nation. Once at the junction with the AZT, Abraham scouted the detour and returned bearing good news of water aplenty flowing into a moss-covered tank. We gathered at the tank filtering liters of precious water as we chatted, snacked, and admired cinder cones to the west, the namesake of our journey.
Thanks Abraham, for leading us to our resupply!
Josh—Giver of Shelter
Beyond the resupply, our progress was slowed by a headwind as we approached 1,000-year-old cinder cones that once spewed forth lava on which this landscape was formed. Lunchtime came atop a hill overlooking a petrified lava flow that stretched on as far as one could see—a remarkable sight.
The farther we rode in this otherworldly landscape, the more evident it became that rain would soon catch us. When it did, it was heavy but brief as we cruised down a favorable grade to Highway 89, punctuated with a few rumbles of thunder. At the highway, we stripped off rain layers and entered Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in glorious sunshine. Then came a six-mile climb on a dirt road of black sand that slowed our tires at times as we continued through the beautiful volcanic landscape.
By the time we topped the climb, our tired party was strung out for some distance and the sun was dipping low in the sky. In golden light, we enjoyed a breathtaking descent that wove between ancient volcanoes toward the park’s entry gate and visitor center, where we regrouped as temperatures began to dip. The plan had been to ride on farther and camp in meadows beyond the park, but we were surprised by our trip leader, Josh, who secured two sites in the neighboring campground where we could rest well before our last push to Flagstaff.
Thanks Josh, for a comfortable camp!
Allison & Cami—Providers of Food & Coffee
The next morning, it was obvious we had departed the rain shadow. Trees and tents dripped with the night’s rain, and dark clouds filled the sky as we departed camp. Mustering at the visitor center, we received a weather report that showed two storm cells moving toward us and 100 percent chance of rain all day. As we pedaled toward the highway, our route on the other side appeared veiled by heavy rain, so we paused at the junction to decide our fate.
Continuing our planned route high on the Waterline Trail seemed out of the question with thunder approaching, and our alternate path along Schultz Pass Road appeared muddy and slow. So, we turned down a section of Highway 89 closed for construction and pedaled pavement through persistent rain—the most Arizona had seen all year—following locals Allison and Cami on our journey home. They led us off the busy highway and safely onto a smooth bike path winding through town, promising rewards of flavorful food and hot drinks at the Tourist Home Café.
While more rain fell on downtown Flagstaff, we concluded our adventure by parking 11 soggy bikes outside the café then huddling inside to enjoy warm cups of coffee, delicious breakfast burritos, and good conversation.
Thanks Allison and Cami, for leading us to a warm meal and hot coffee!
Thanks to our five trail champions, we capped off 127 miles and 7,000 feet of climbing while somehow dodging the worst of storms that overwhelmed other parts of Arizona. Once again, the Campfire Cycling crew delivered a worthwhile weekend of riding with incredible sights, great people, good cheer, and a dash of adventure!
***Check out the Rigs of Craters & Cones Part Deux for a zoom in on the 11 bikepacking rigs that carried these fine riders over our 127 mile route.
***This is Campfire’s 2nd ride of the Craters and Cones loop. Read about our first ride. Both times, we’ve modified the route to make it a comfortable 3 day trip. On this second attempt, due to the rainy weather, we still did not make it up through Lockett Meadow to the Watershed Road. We’ll have to return for a third ride of this lovely route one of these days.
Mark Johnston is a former resident of Tucson who resides in Salt Lake City where, inspired by Campfire Cycling, he continues spreading good cheer through bikepacking. Follow along at mj.photos and on Instagram @markjohnston801.