I love local challenges. But one such backyard adventure just a few miles down the road from my house had me too intimidated for the past decade to attempt, “Dells in a Day” – riding all ~45 miles of trail in the most relentlessly technical trail network I’ve ever seen.

Photo Credit: Scott Bideau

The trails through the Granite Dells have blown my mind every single time I’ve ridden them for more than 10 years now. When I first visited Prescott, Arizona for a job interview at Prescott College in 2012, I remember staring at the City’s trails map, impressed by how many miles of trail snaked around beyond the edges of town. Most of the trails were rated blue, but my eyes were pulled toward a tight cluster of black trails in “The Dells.” I didn’t know anything about them, so I headed out there after the first day of the interview process. My jaw dropped – fins and domes of tan granite rose directly out of a pair of lakes in an absolutely stunning scene. I found the trails into that bedrock wonderland, and immediately I was pushing my hardtail over some of the most technical trails I’d seen anywhere – and these were all open to bikes!? I couldn’t believe it, and I felt like I was in way over my head. But I knew I’d spend a lot of time riding here if I got the job.

And get that job I did! A year later, my Dells skills had improved dramatically, and my mind had already begun wondering if it was possible to ride all 20ish miles of rocky trail in a day. When your average speed is only 2 or 3 mph, that’s quite a valid question! I never got around to attempting that challenge, though – I was too intimidated and crashed too often out there.

The years passed, our amazing City Trails Manager Chris Hosking kept building more trail in the Dells, and although my Dells in a Day challenge frequently crossed my mind, the feat kept getting tougher and tougher! By this past spring, the mileage of Dells singletrack was approaching 50 miles after Chris and the Over the Hill Gang volunteers went on a building spree on newly-acquired property that was protected from development thanks to tireless efforts by Save the Dells.

Photo Credit: Scott Bideau

After spending 3 months bikepacking the ridiculously difficult Continental Divide Trail over the summer, my Dells in a Day vision finally seemed somewhat reasonable. In fact, the toughest part suddenly changed to mapping out how to most efficiently connect every single trail in the Dells, an effort that took several evenings buried in Ride with GPS. Then on a chilly December morning, I set off with a nervous grin, pedaled for a hundred feet, and then clambered over some awkward and unrideable boulders. I was in it!

The first 6 hours of the ride were filled with the hardest of the trails, and I felt like I was cruising and making great time. I don’t even know how to describe the style of riding – 4-mph pumping through wheel-eating fractures, power climbs with limitless traction that are steeper than should logically be rideable, series of drops that put you waaaaay behind the seat, and endless body English. By the end of that 6 hours, my brain felt like mush from being so continuously focused, but I was making good time!

Photo Credit: Scott Bideau

The second half went a little faster despite my whole-body fatigue. The trails have a bit more flow (affectionately known as “Dells flow” – it’s a very special type of flow), and toward the end, none other than Chris Hosking himself joined me. He was so pleased to see how well I was going. No one had ever ridden all the Dells trails in a day, and Chris was over the moon that someone was even attempting it. Right at dark, we rolled back up to my truck – every single foot of Dells trail ridden with zero crashes! I was pleased as punch – completing something that had been on my mind for a decade felt like a monumental personal accomplishment.

Photo Credit: Scott Bideau

And that little tiny frame bag that came along for the ride? That is the new Cranny! On a long-travel full-sus rig with a long 200mm dropper post, a little bag beneath my seat with my repair kit gets buzzed by the tire. Those day-ride essentials all fit into the Cranny, leaving me buzz-free when I go through full travel.

Curious about riding in the Dells? We’ve currently got a much smaller Dells Challenge going on for the month of March – 3 routes that highlight some of my favorite trails, some rad prizes, and more! These 3 routes would also be great options for exploring these trails if you end up in Prescott and have a hunger for a few hours of incredibly techy riding (and some hiking, too).