Old Man Details

Activities
- Mountain Bike
- E-Bike
- Horse
- Hike
- Trail Running
Riding Area

South Mountain Preserve
Phoenix, Arizona
Difficulty Rating

Double Black Diamond Rate
Voted Difficulty

Proline (1 vote)
Local Popularity
60 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 60 in E-Biking
- 60 in Trail Running
- 85 in Hiking
- 5 in Horseback
Global Ranking
#56683 in Mountain Biking [+]
- #16033 in E-Biking
- #83856 in Trail Running
- #25400 in Hiking
Trail Type

Singletrack
Direction

Downhill Primary
Popular Direction Shown
Dogs Allowed

Yes
eBike Allowed

Yes up to Class 1
Land Owner

City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation

A steep, primitive, unmaintained trail that is unlike the comparatively well traveled and well "groomed" South Mountain standards like Javelina, Geronimo, Beverly and National.

Note that this social trail is currently unsanctioned, but it is planned to be adopted in coming years as part of the Corona de Loma Loop according to the South Mountain Trails Master Plan.

Steep drop in from the amazing vantage point just above the National saddle. Head right at the fast fork, then a slight uphill over some technical rock formations before you begin the first major descent.

Once you start downhill over the first large, undulating rock slabs, expect a very loose tread with minimal grip and must make moves at speed.

The first feature is a steep rock roll into a small rock garden followed by an immediate 90° right hander. Scout first, lots of wheel traps off the fast line.

The second feature is a slow semi-uphill 90° right into a very steep, jagged rock chute. Again, a precise line is key, and you only have split second to dial it in.

A few more narrow rock gardens brings you to a VERY exposed basalt boulder field. Not clear if there is a real rideable route through this high consequence section, but any miscalculation will result in a several hundred foot tumble off the east face of the mountain. Use extreme caution - remember, you are in a very remote part of the park with little traffic should you eat it.

Just after this segment, you'll hit a 45° switch back that heads into the steepest sustained downhill stretch of this trail. Also happens to be the loosest, with a surface of 100% shale shards. Enjoy sliding down this and watch the few boulders sticking up near the middle of the run.

After that, you'll enter a very straightforward section of moderately technical trail that heads toward Secret Trail before linking up with Desert Classic. This section through the top of the canyon into Secret is great singletrack, and the trail is much grippier and faster, though the rocks are much sharper.

This trail is unsanctioned.

Traditionally Indigenous Territory

Recent Activity on Trail

Past Week

0 rides

6 Months

12 rides
19 miles avg distance

All

58 rides
Last: May 20, 2026

c1	c2	c3	c4
January	February	March	April
May	June	July	August
September	October	November	December

update trails status or condition

Old Man Trail Reports

status	date	description
	Jan 30, 2026 @ 12:37pm (America/Phoenix) Jan 30, 2026
	Sep 20, 2024 @ 4:44pm Sep 20, 2024	Love this trail steep lose and techy
	Mar 25, 2023 @ 12:00am Mar 25, 2023
	Mar 7, 2023 @ 11:51pm Mar 7, 2023	Most fun trail in Phoenix!
	Sep 3, 2022 @ 6:02am Sep 3, 2022