At 63 miles, the Highline Trail is the holy grail of backcountry mountain biking: an uninterrupted point-to-point singletrack that takes you from A to B via an epic landscape that will leave an impression lasting a lifetime. Tucked a thousand feet below the Mogollon Rim just north of Payson, Highline traverses a rugged, remote wilderness that hides an astonishingly diverse landscape. The jagged rim is your constant companion, but because you're riding below it, the terrain is shockingly lush for Arizona — numerous springs burst forth from the broken rocks, feeding year-round streams that nourish ferns, towering deciduous trees, and dense forest. Climb to cross a ridge and the terrain quickly turns arid, with ponderosa pines, gnarled alligator junipers, and manzanita taking over as the elevation drops. Hermosa Tours owner Matt McFee characterizes it as riding in "Flagstaff and Sedona at the same time," and even that falls short of the diversity you'll find out here.
The soil and trail character shift dramatically with the landscape, but the bulk of the tread is sandy with sandstone rocks, the dirt darkening in the lush zones before transitioning sharply to red rock slabs — yes, red rocks, just like the ones you'll find in Sedona. The trail is divided into three roughly equal segments: Gathering Waters, Inner Sanctum, and Geronimo's Call. Gathering Waters mixes flowy, machine-built tread with abrupt rocky climbs and steep fall-line descents left over from the historic route, finishing with spectacular red rock slab riding right before camp. The Inner Sanctum opens on fantastic Sedona-style slabs before transitioning to flowy, modern machine-built singletrack that delivers a kinesthetic swoop and flow mountain bikers will eat up. Geronimo's Call runs concurrently with the Arizona Trail and is the most burned-in of the three, boasting two of the biggest climbs and descents of the route, including a roughly 1,000-foot drop followed by an 800-foot climb and a final 900-foot descent into the Pine trailhead.
Ridden east to west, you'll enjoy a net elevation loss of about 1,300 feet, and the difficulty stays fairly consistent throughout, earning a solid Arizona intermediate/blue rating. Highline is open to hikers and equestrians as well, and the tread and corridor are built with those users in mind, but plenty of sections still ride like purpose-built fun. Keep your eyes peeled for a couple of rocky features — one on Geronimo's Call might briefly exceed the intermediate rating, though it's short. Sixty-three miles of remote backcountry singletrack might sound like a day ride for some or an overnight bikepack for others, but most riders will want logistical support to take it on. However you tackle it, this is some of the finest backcountry singletrack you'll ever ride.
 | Highline Trail: Gathering Waters |    | 22 mi |
| Highline Trail: Geronimo's Call | | 23 mi |
 | Highline Trail: Inner Sanctum | | 22 mi |
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Geronimo's Call is home to the longest downhills (and consequently, the longest climbs) on the Highline Trail. I thoroughly enjoyed these massive downhill romps — it's probably my favorite section of the entire Highline! Would be great as an out-and-back as well.
| ThankInner Sanctum offers great swoop and flow on mostly brand-new singletrack. This is the most approachable section of the Highline Trail, so if you're a newer rider, I'd recommend starting here. When we rode it, the trail was getting kind of grassy due to lack of traffic, so hopefully it'll get more burned in as it grows more popular!
| ThankWhile the entire Highline trail is fantastic, Gathering Waters was probably my least-favorite section. This segment includes the longest stretches of trail that weren't rerouted, so you'll be forced to slog up a couple of steep sections that might force some riders to hike-a-bike. This is still a decent trail, just not as good as the rest of it.
| ThankThe Highline Trail is a spectacular backcountry mountain bike experience! It's rare to find such fantastic machine-built singletrack so deep in the wilderness. Would highly recommend a thru-ride of the entire trail!
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