Rating Scheme Explained
More about the rating scheme. I believe most riders fall within the bell curve as they say, we are all various levels of Intermediate in some form or another. On either side of the bell curve you have your expert riders who have not only logged miles, maybe have raced or ridden in all sort of conditions for years if not decades. We don't worry too much about the expert rider being able to handle most conditions. Many of the routes I consider expert have yet to be mapped and are more hardcore off road, single track stuff.
What we are concerned with are the beginner riders on the other side of the curve. When I think of a true beginner I think of someone who just graduated their MSF course and have owned a motorcycle for maybe a month. These are the riders I think about when I rate roads, riders who are extremely prone to panic and target fixation, or locking up the brakes. When I think about roads with decreasing radius turns, off camber turns, dirt / rock and bad pavement, or even extreme shelf roads these are the type that I personally would avoid bringing a beginner rider on. I've seen it when they ride these roads, they lock up, go 20 mph under the speed limit and are absolutely terrified (sometimes they wreck). I realize this rating scheme is purely subjective but it is consistent across all routes.
**The Routes Below are Clustered, ZOOM in for your convenience to get a look at all the data. Use the SORT function below or click on an individual route or marker for more detailed information!**
Sunset Crater
- Distance 15 miles
- Time 43 min
- Speed 21 mph
- Min altitude 6201 ft
- Peak 7218 ft
- Climb 919 ft
- Descent 1604 ft
Route 64 (South Rim)
- Distance 53 miles
- Time 1 h 6 min
- Speed 48 mph
- Min altitude 4416 ft
- Peak 7497 ft
- Climb 4997 ft
- Descent 2310 ft
Route 73
- Distance 29 miles
- Time 38 min
- Speed 46 mph
- Min altitude 4551 ft
- Peak 7320 ft
- Climb 1132 ft
- Descent 3468 ft
Route 89A
- Distance 71 miles
- Time 1 h 57 min
- Speed 38 mph
- Min altitude 3271 ft
- Peak 7018 ft
- Climb 5545 ft
- Descent 7497 ft
Route 96 / 97
- Distance 28 miles
- Time 37 min
- Speed 45 mph
- Min altitude 2264 ft
- Peak 4009 ft
- Climb 3343 ft
- Descent 1919 ft
Route 89
- Distance 40 miles
- Time 58 min
- Speed 43 mph
- Min altitude 2972 ft
- Peak 6033 ft
- Climb 2543 ft
- Descent 5003 ft
Route 260
- Distance 33 miles
- Time 35 min
- Speed 57 mph
- Min altitude 3068 ft
- Peak 7096 ft
- Climb 4948 ft
- Descent 1073 ft
Route 87
- Distance 89 miles
- Time 1 h 37 min
- Speed 56 mph
- Min altitude 2067 ft
- Peak 7477 ft
- Climb 11066 ft
- Descent 6073 ft
Route 288
- Distance 44 miles
- Time 1 h 22 min
- Speed 33 mph
- Min altitude 2182 ft
- Peak 6430 ft
- Climb 6811 ft
- Descent 4708 ft
Route 177
- Distance 31 miles
- Time 33 min
- Speed 55 mph
- Min altitude 1824 ft
- Peak 3711 ft
- Climb 3366 ft
- Descent 2454 ft
