I’ve been camping and backpacking in the White Tank Mountains east of Phoenix most of my life. It all started with a couple of trips a year with my Boy Scout troop. We’d do day hikes with fully loaded backpacks as training prep leading up to our annual trip to Havasupai Canyon. Our packs which back in the day were upwards of 40 or 50 pounds, you know, the ones with big metal frames that you’d bungee down a sleeping pad and bag. We’d head straight up Ford Canyon, attempting to scramble up the famed “white tanks” and find a nice lunch spot high up in the range. I remember the trip back down Mesquite Canyon to be a lot rougher back in they day. Over the years, the park system has put a lot of time and money into improving the trails and developing new ones.
We’d also do an annual “bike hike” where we would park at a church at 107th & Olive Avenue, load up our camping supplies in a giant trailer and set out for a 15 mile road bike ride along the narrow two lane road leading to the park. The majesty of the mountains would grow with every mile we rode until they consumed our entire field of view. Camp was made and we’d often head over to mountain bike the competitive track or just take off into the desert, exploring washes and climbing unnamed peaks.
Some of my fondest memories are peering towards the city at night, twinkling while we were enjoying the calm of the desert or hearing coyotes howling.
When we set out to create trail races back in 2009 in the valley, the White Tanks were high on my list. I was intimately familiar with the toughness and beauty of the mountains here and just how fun they are. Scrambling down Ford Canyon, running across Mesquite Canyon Trail and even the brutally steep and feared Goat Camp. I thought how cool would it be to stage a true mountain race across the entire network of trails?
Tour of Ford Canyon on the 50K & 50 Mile Routes
Flash forward to 2016 and we are now in the 7th edition of the Mesquite Canyon Trail Runs which is now the finale for our seven race Desert Runner Trail Series and the cornerstone of what Aravaipa Running is doing here in the South West. Offering an authentic trail running experience for people of all ages and abilities, the event has evolved over the years to now offer distances from 8K up to 50 Miles. This event will no doubt continue to evolve and take advantage of new park improvements. This year is no exception.
With the opening of the new Gray Fox trail, we now have the opportunity to stage the event out of the park’s competitive track parking lot. This will give a chance for everyone to park right at the start/finish line and still tie in to the main trail system. Due to the move, we had to slightly re-configure the southern portion of the race courses which will now utilize the Bajada Trail instead of the South Trail in the 30K, 50K & 50 Mile distances. The former Black Canyon Aid station will also move slightly up to where the Bajada Trail crosses the main park road.
You can see updated course maps on our Mesquite Canyon Webpage.
Overall, the rest of the course is unchanged and the nature of the total elevation isn’t affected significantly. We look forward to seeing how you feel about these changes and seeing you this weekend.