Open in App
Get this trail on your phone instantly.
more stats
8.6 miles
Distance
686 ft
Climb
-577 ft
Descent
00:45:51
Avg time
109 ft
Altitude change
1,333 ft
Altitude min
1,587 ft
Altitude max
1,395 ft
Altitude start
1,503 ft
Altitude end
0.2%
Grade
-19.4%
Grade max
15.4%
Grade min
4 miles
Distance climb
3 miles
Distance down
1 mile
Distance flat
00:45:51
Avg time
Desert Classic Details
-
Activities
- Mountain Bike
- E-Bike
- Horse
- Hike
- Trail Running
-
Riding AreaSouth Mountain Preserve
Phoenix, Arizona -
Difficulty Rating
-
Voted DifficultyBlue (6 votes)
-
Local Popularity90 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 90 in E-Biking
- 60 in Trail Running
- 35 in Hiking
- 5 in Horseback
-
Global Ranking
-
Trail TypeSingletrack
-
Bike TypeDH, AM, XC, DJ
-
DirectionBoth DirectionsPopular In Reverse
-
Climb DifficultyBlue
-
Physical RatingModerate
-
SeasonYear round
-
Dogs AllowedYes
-
eBike AllowedYes up to Class 1
-
Ride in RainYes
-
Land Owner
Desert Classic trail connects the east and west ends of the southwest quadrant of south mountain riding area. About 13 miles across the lower flats of the south west range it ascends from east to west and descends west to east. Pima Canyon which is a large ramada with parking at the east end and Telegraph pass which is a small ramada and parking at the west end. Desert Classic is the classic trail ride.
Access Info
Pima Canyon, Telegraph Pass, Warpaint, Western Star, various trailheads
Local Trail Association
-
-
-
Please consider joining or donating to the local trail association to supportDonate to earn trail karma!
trail development & maintenance.
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
Recent Activity on Trail
Past Week
- 3 rides
- 19 miles average
6 Months
- 99 rides
- 18 miles avg distance
All
- 909 rides
- Last: Jun 14, 2026
| c1 | c2 | c3 | c4 |
|---|---|---|---|
January | February | March | April |
May | June | July | August |
September | October | November | December |
Desert Classic Trail Reports
more »
close
-
Layers w
- Weather Layers
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- More Layers
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
-
Upgrade to
3D
Trail Conditions
- Unknown
- Snow Groomed
- Snow Packed
- Snow Covered
- Snow Cover Partial
- Freeze/thaw Cycle
- Icy
- Prevalent Mud
- Wet
- Variable
- Ideal
- Dry
- Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
Trailforks scans users ridelogs to determine the most popular direction each trail is ridden. A good flowing trail network will have most trails flowing in a single direction according to their intension.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of riders are riding a trail in its intended direction.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of riders are riding a trail in its intended direction.
- > 96%
- > 90%
- > 80%
- > 70%
- > 50%
- < 50%
- bi-directional trail
- no data
Trail Last Ridden
Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine the last time a trail was ridden.
- < 2 days
- < 1 week
- < 2 weeks
- < 1 month
- < 6 months
- > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
- Downhill Only
- Downhill Primary
- Both Directions
- Uphill Primary
- Uphill Only
- One Direction
Contribute Details
Colors indicate trail is missing specified detail.
- Description
- Photos
- Description & Photos
- Videos
Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months.
Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades.
Think of this as a heatmap, more rides = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
- most popular
- popular
- less popular
- not popular
ATV/ORV/OHV Filter
Max Vehicle Width
inches
US Cell Coverage
Legend
Radar Time
Activity Recordings
Trailforks uses anonymized public activity data.
?
Activity Recordings
Trailforks uses anonymized public activity data.
?
Personal Heatmap
▶
Activity Types
all
/
none
▶
Options
2
Date range
month
–
Winter Trails
Warning
A routing network for winter maps does not exist. Selecting trails using the winter trails layer has been disabled.
Missing Trails
Most Popular
Least Popular
Trails are colored based on popularity. The more popular a trail is, the more red. Less popular trails trend towards green.
Jump Magnitude Heatmap
Heatmap of where riders jump on trails. Zoom in to see individual jumps, click circles to view jump details.
BC Backroad Status
![map legend]()
Service Road Atlas is a free to use, community-driven service for viewing and creating reports on the numerous back-country service roads around B.C. and Alberta.
Slope Aspect
Direction the slope faces
Trails Deemphasized
Trails are shown in grey.
Only show trails with no bike usage.
Suggested Layers
Based on selected activity type
Save the current map location and zoom level as your default home location whenever this page is loaded.
Save
Directions to desert-classic trailhead
(33.362840, -111.986080)
Photos
60 more »
Videos
15 more »
youtuber
![ALL THE PLANTS ARE TRYING TO KILL YOU // Last...]()
8:51 |
1711 |
Mar 8, 2018 , Phoenix
21:21 |
75 |
Mar 30, 2026 , Phoenix
51:03 |
68 |
Mar 30, 2026 , Phoenix
27:59 |
74 |
Mar 21, 2026 , Phoenix
Routes with this trail
★ 4.0 • 3 miles • 543 ft • 3 • Out & Back •
Nice ride on , then a hard grind up to and old helicopter pad for a nice view of Phoenix's East Valley.
★ 4.0 • 15 miles • 1,350 ft • 9 •
Cross country with a climb at the halfway point.
★ 4.5 • 10 miles • 564 ft • 17 • Out & Back •
South Mountain intro ride for beginners / lower intermediate riders. A few short steep wash crossings will...
Links
13 Reviews & Comments
We hope you've been enjoying Trailforks!
Create a FREE account to view trail comments and much more.
Nearby Trails
- Entrance Trail 0 ft
- National (dirt Road) 0 ft
- Pima Drop-in 20 ft
- Pima Canyon Loop 466 ft
- Beverly-pima Connector 1,562 ft
South Mountain Preserve
- By todd
Trailforks & contributors - #14930 - 24,597 views
- Follow/Subscribe
- login to download gpx or kml files.
Frequently Asked Questions About Desert Classic
▼
Where is Desert Classic located?
Desert Classic is located in South Mountain Preserve, Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is part of the South Mountain Preserve trail network. The trailhead is located at coordinates 33.36284, -111.98608.
▼
How hard is Desert Classic?
Desert Classic is rated as Blue difficulty. The physical rating is Moderate. The average grade is 0.2%. The climb difficulty is rated Blue.
▼
What is the elevation gain for Desert Classic?
Desert Classic has 686 ft of elevation gain. The trail has 577 ft of elevation descent. The elevation ranges from 1,333 ft to 1,587 ft.
▼
Is Desert Classic a point to point trail?
Desert Classic is not a point to point trail. The direction is Both Directions. The trail type is singletrack.
Hit the Trail
Download Trail
Save to wishlist, Garmin & download.
Find Related Routes
Find routes and users activities that include this trail.
You must enter a description before submitting.