more stats
1.3 miles
Distance
207 ft
Climb
-17 ft
Descent
00:11:43
Avg time
190 ft
Altitude change
2,812 ft
Altitude min
3,019 ft
Altitude max
2,815 ft
Altitude start
3,005 ft
Altitude end
2.8%
Grade
-4.7%
Grade max
12.6%
Grade min
1 mile
Distance climb
856 ft
Distance down
673 ft
Distance flat
00:11:43
Avg time

Cholla Mtn. Loop Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • Horse
    • Hike
    • Trail Running
  • Riding Area
    Brown's Ranch
    Scottsdale, Arizona
  • Difficulty Rating
    Blue Rate
  • Voted Difficulty
    Green (3 votes)
  • Local Popularity
    100 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 90 in Trail Running
    • 85 in Hiking
    • 5 in Horseback
  • Global Ranking
    #810 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • #34450 in Trail Running
    • #50235 in Hiking
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Bike Type
    AM, XC
  • Direction
    Both Directions
  • Climb Difficulty
    Blue
  • Physical Rating
    Moderate
  • Trail Visibility
    Always easy to follow
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • eBike Allowed
    No
  • Land Owner
    McDowell Sonoran Conservancy

Exceptionally fun and scenic loop trail around rugged Cholla Mountain. Be sure to take the short side route to Cathedral Rock. The trail is slightly harder than most of Brown's Ranch, but still suitable for beginners looking to build their skills.

Traditionally Indigenous Territory

Recent Activity on Trail

Past Week
  • 1 rides
  • 18 miles average
6 Months
  • 430 rides
  • 18 miles avg distance
All
  • 5,030 rides
  • Last: Aug 8, 2026
c1c2c3c4
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Status:
on Aug 1, 2026
Ideal
Avg: 3.96 (18 votes)
Your vote: 0

view (18,512)
close
  • Basemap  Map 
    • Pro
    • Pro
    • Pro
    • Pro
    • Pro
    • Pro
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 activity logs 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 users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
  • > 96%
  • > 90%
  • > 80%
  • > 70%
  • > 50%
  • < 50%
  • bi-directional trail
  • no data
Trail Last Ridden
Trailforks scans activity logs 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 activity logs 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 activities = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
  • most popular
  • popular
  • less popular
  • not popular
ATV/ORV/OHV Filter
Max Vehicle Width
inches
US Cell Coverage
Legend
cell carrier 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 users jump on trails. Zoom in to see individual jumps, click circles to view jump details.
BC Backroad Status

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.

map legend
Slope Aspect
Direction the slope faces
Flat N NE E SE S SW W NW
Trails Deemphasized
Trails are shown in grey.
disable
Only show trails with no bike usage.
Enable
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 cholla-mtn-loop trailhead (33.783450, -111.828820)

        Photos

        34 more »
        mtb
        85 |
        Mar 22, 2024 @ 10:03am
        Mar 22, 2024
        mtb
        66 |
        Mar 22, 2024 @ 10:03am
        Mar 22, 2024
        mtb
        131 |
        Apr 22, 2021 @ 1:16pm
        Apr 22, 2021
        mtb
        141 |
        Jan 3, 2021 @ 1:16pm
        Jan 3, 2021

        Videos

        7 more »
        youtuber Best intermediate MTB trail in Scottsdale, AZ...
        mtb
        13:43 | 192 | Jan 30, 2026 , Scottsdale
        Brown's Ranch Mountain Biking | Cholla...
        mtb
        17:35 | 322 | Jan 14, 2025 , Scottsdale
        Brown's Ranch | Post crash, the knee still...
        mtb
        5:45 | 403 | Feb 2, 2020 , Scottsdale
        Brown's Ranch - 03/17/2019
        mtb
        5:23 | 340 | Dec 9, 2019 , Scottsdale

        Technical Trail Features (TTF)

        Routes with this trail

        178
        Introduction to Brown's
        ★ 3.6 • 14 miles • 865 ft • 39 • Loop •
        Brown’s Ranch Trails will give you a bugs-in-teeth grin as you carve turns on groomed desert...
        113
        Pima to Granite Loop
        ★ 5.0 • 19 miles • 1,061 ft • 8 • Loop •
        Start at Pima trail head out and around mountain heading back on .
        170
        15 Miles of Scenic Beauty
        ★ 4.0 • 15 miles • 704 ft • 22 •
        Beautiful route that starts out on , then takes you in front of Mountain, past , behind Cholla Mountain,...

        4 Reviews & Comments


        We hope you've been enjoying Trailforks!

        Create a FREE account to view trail comments and much more.

        Create a Free Account

        Nearby Trails

        Brown's Ranch

        • By schillingsworthTF Pro TRAILFORKS HTA & contributors
        • #17864 - 5,330 views

        Frequently Asked Questions About Cholla Mtn. Loop

        ▼ Where is Cholla Mtn. Loop located?
        Cholla Mtn. Loop is located in Brown's Ranch, Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. It is part of the Brown's Ranch trail network. The trailhead is located at coordinates 33.78345, -111.82882.
        ▼ How hard is Cholla Mtn. Loop?
        Cholla Mtn. Loop is rated as Blue difficulty. The physical rating is Moderate. The average grade is 2.8%. The climb difficulty is rated Blue.
        ▼ What is the elevation gain for Cholla Mtn. Loop?
        Cholla Mtn. Loop has 207 ft of elevation gain. The trail has 17 ft of elevation descent. The elevation ranges from 2,812 ft to 3,019 ft.
        ▼ Is Cholla Mtn. Loop a point to point trail?
        Cholla Mtn. Loop is not a point to point trail. The direction is Both Directions. The trail type is singletrack.
        ▼ How long is Cholla Mtn. Loop?
        Cholla Mtn. Loop is 1.3 miles long. The trail type is singletrack.
        ▼ Are dogs allowed on Cholla Mtn. Loop?
        Yes, dogs are allowed on Cholla Mtn. Loop. Please keep dogs on a leash where required and clean up after them.
        ▼ When is the best time of year to ride Cholla Mtn. Loop?
        Based on activity log data, the most popular months to ride Cholla Mtn. Loop are:
        • February (374 activities)
        • November (278 activities)
        • May (266 activities)
        Check the reports page for current trail conditions.
        ▼ How do I access Cholla Mtn. Loop? Where is the closest parking trailhead?
        The closest parking and trailhead locations to Cholla Mtn. Loop are: View all parking locations in the area.
        ▼ How long does it take to ride Cholla Mtn. Loop?
        Based on recorded activities, it takes an average of 12 minutes to ride Cholla Mtn. Loop. The trail is 1.3 miles long. Actual times will vary based on fitness level, conditions, and pace. View recent activity logs for more details.
        ▼ How busy is Cholla Mtn. Loop?
        Cholla Mtn. Loop is a very popular trail. There have been 18,602 recorded activities on this trail. The trail has received 18,512 check-ins. View recent activity on this trail.

        Hit the Trail

        Open in App

        Get this trail on your phone instantly.
        open trail in app

        Download Trail

        Save to wishlist, Garmin & download.
        save the trail

        Find Related Routes

        Find routes and users activities that include this trail.
        find routes for this trail

        You must enter a description before submitting.