{"id":1990863,"date":"2026-06-15T10:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T07:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1990863"},"modified":"2026-06-15T10:05:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T07:05:00","slug":"pedal-63-miles-of-the-finest-backcountry-singletrack-on-the-highline-trail-in-payson-az","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1990863","title":{"rendered":"Pedal 63 Miles of the Finest Backcountry Singletrack on the Highline Trail in Payson, AZ"},"content":{"rendered":"
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All photos by Leslie Kehmeier<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The holy grail of backcountry mountain biking is the point-to-point singletrack trail.<\/p>\n

Not a loop. Not a convoluted network. Not a dirt road. Uninterrupted singletrack that takes you from A to B via an epic landscape that will leave an impression lasting a lifetime.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, many of the iconic \u2014 and most-ridden \u2014 point-to-point mountain bike routes are anything but<\/em> high-quality singletrack. The Kokopelli trail immediately springs to mind: this highly-trafficked route might be popular, but the on-the-ground reality is that much of the so-called \u201ctrail\u201d consists of boulder-filled 4\u00d74 roads followed by soul-sucking sand pits. And where the trail does<\/em> narrow to singletrack, it\u2019s rough, steep, and not very much fun. Still other iconic desert routes, like the White Rim, are 100% jeep road.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s a new route on the map that you may not have heard of, and it\u2019s set to change the paradigm for backcountry singletrack riding. It\u2019s known as the Highline Trail<\/a>. At 63 miles long, this otherworldly point-to-point trail traverses a landscape so diverse and so lush that it\u2019s genuinely unique amongst mountain bike trails \u2014 and it might just be the finest backcountry singletrack you\u2019ll ever ride.<\/p>\n

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