3.5 miles
Distance
138 ft
Climb
-935 ft
Descent
00:37:59
Avg time
National Details
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Activities
- Mountain Bike
- Hike
- Trail Running
- Horse
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Riding AreaSouth Mountain Preserve
Phoenix, Arizona -
Difficulty Rating
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Voted DifficultyBlack Diamond (5 votes)
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Hiking SAC ScaleT3 Demanding Mountain Hiking
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Trail TypeSingletrack
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DirectionBoth Directions
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Climb DifficultyDouble Black Diamond
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Physical RatingExtreme
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Trail VisibilityAlways easy to follow
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Dogs AllowedYes
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eBike Allowed
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Global Ranking
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Local Popularity85 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 90 in Trail Running
- 70 in Hiking
- 5 in Horseback
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Land Manager
This trail has huge boulders and multiple drops in succession. A lot of the trail is ground out to be narrow between the rocks. It is a challenge riding both up and down it. That said, it is a fun challenge. Very unique experience here in Phoenix to try and no dab as you find your best lines.
Local Trail Association
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Please consider joining or donating to the local trail association to supportdonate to earn trail karma!
trail development & maintenance.
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
More Stats for National bike trail trail
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Altitude change-797 ft
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Altitude min1,559 ft
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Altitude max2,392 ft
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Altitude start2,357 ft
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Altitude end1,558 ft
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Grade-4.3%
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Grade max-31.4%
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Grade min21%
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Distance climb2,418 ft
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Distance down3 miles
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Distance flat1,860 ft
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Avg time00:37:59
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Avg reverse time01:11:16
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Trail Conditions
- Unknown
- Snow Groomed
- Snow Packed
- Snow Covered
- Snow Cover Inadequate
- Freeze/thaw Cycle
- Icy
- Prevalent Mud
- Wet
- Variable
- Ideal
- Dry
- Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
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The colour categories are based on what percentage of riders are riding a trail in its intended direction.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of riders are riding a trail in its intended direction.
- > 96%
- > 90%
- > 80%
- > 70%
- > 50%
- < 50%
- bi-directional trail
- no data
Trail Last Ridden
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- < 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 ridelogs 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 rides = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
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- popular
- less popular
- not popular
ATV/ORV/OHV Filter
Max Vehicle Width
inches
Radar Time
x
Activity Recordings
Trailforks users anonymized public ridelogs from the past 6 months.
- mountain biking recent
- mountain biking (>6 month)
- hiking (1 year)
- moto (1 year)
Activity Recordings
Trailforks users anonymized public skilogs from the past 12 months.
- Downhill Ski
- Backcountry Ski
- Nordic Ski
Jump Magnitude Heatmap
Heatmap of where riders jump on trails. Zoom in to see individual jumps, click circles to view jump details.
Trails Deemphasized
Trails are shown in grey.
Only show trails with NO bikes.
Directions to national-14939 trailhead
(33.342880, -112.044250)
update trails status or condition
National Trail Reports
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Recent Ridelog Activity on Trail
Past Week
- 8 rides
- 17 miles avg distance
6 Months
- 385 rides
- 15 miles avg distance
All
- 3,155 rides
Photos
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Routes with this trail
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+ 1

This is one of the best trails in Phoenix! It's got everything from techy rock gardens to fast flow, alt-lines, drops, and steep climbs. Most people ride this section as an out-and-back or climb up Mormon trail and then link back into National. I wrote a more in-depth article about the National Trail if you want to check it out here! twowheeledwanderer.com/posts/the-national-trail-phoenix-arizona
[Reply]
SlideReady
(Jan 9, 2021 at 8:20)

Favorite trail in Phoenix/Mesa area so far. Challenging with some tech sections but most of them have several different lines to make it smoother or sketchier. A few quick techy climbs even on the DH that will improve your skills.
[Reply]
Ksyoung
(Jan 19, 2021 at 9:59)

I'm not an AZ native but compared to other black diamonds I've ridden in the valley I'd say this is more of a double black. Definitely lots of double black features and sections. Fun trail, very technical and challenging. I'm okay admitting I did a fair amount of hike a bike.
[Reply]
alexmt13
(Mar 13, 2021 at 13:16)
This section of national is by far the most popular to ride. I’d say this section of national is a black diamond trail with a few double black features. The trail isnt rated a double black because the double black features have bypasses or are easily walkable.that being said this trail is fairly technical. You need some good skill and effort to get up to
national and ride down it.
[Reply]
national and ride down it.

National Trail is a rocky and rowdy trail located at south mountain. This trial is a local favorite with many features that make it unique. This trail rides over and next to large boulders. My favorite aspect about this trail is how it flows. When riding this trail you are either riding very rocky and bumpy sections or hard packed smooth single track. This combination of smooth and rocky makes for a very fun trail with many challenging features. This trail is famous for a feature called the waterfall. This feature is basically a massive pile of rocks that looks like a waterfall. people all around the country come to the south mountain to ride the waterfall and get down it. The scenery of this trail is unique, you can see the city of phoenix and the sky harbor airport, but you are also surrounded by mountains and boulders, this gives this trail a very nice scenery.
[Reply]
jaxonr
(Dec 21, 2021 at 19:06)
With the right climbing/trial skills it's a fun cleanable climb. Very much on the steep side though. Recommended for riders who love the climb with tricky features.
I wish I could've ridden it downhill. We met a lot of mtber's and they were all going the downhill way. Looked super fun. I agree with the other comment- a good amount of black and blue features with 2 or so double black features.
Beautiful views. Lots of hikers--it's good to yield to hikers, keep the vibe courteous and frieldly
[Reply]
I wish I could've ridden it downhill. We met a lot of mtber's and they were all going the downhill way. Looked super fun. I agree with the other comment- a good amount of black and blue features with 2 or so double black features.
Beautiful views. Lots of hikers--it's good to yield to hikers, keep the vibe courteous and frieldly
Videos
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Nearby Trails
- Dobbins Extension 1 mile
- Acer Summit Trail 3 miles
- 28th Street 3 miles
- Mountain Park Ranch Greenbelt 4 miles
- Pima Wash Trail 4 miles
South Mountain Preserve
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