PMBC Club Ride in Flagstaff, AZ – July 17 – 19, 2015
Come to the cool pines and lakes around Flagstaff, Arizona!
With valley temperatures well into the triple digits, you will enjoy riding in the cool, with highs in the high 70s and lows
around 50.
This year, the ride weekend is Friday July 17 through Sunday July 19. There are three planned rides – one on each of the
3 days.
Cost:
$15 for PMBC, ABC, GABA, Bullshifters Members
$25 for Non-Members
Online sales end at 4pm 7/14/2015. Day-of registration costs an additional $10 so sign up early!
Become a member of PMBC for $15! Link to PMBC Membership
Lodging:
The best place to stay is in or around Mormon Lake Lodge because all rides will start and end there. Mormon Lake Lodge
is away from the city and out in the forest just off Lake Mary Road about 28 miles southeast of Flagstaff. It is cool and
peaceful there, and you just may see elk and deer as you are driving or riding around. The lodge offers cabins in several
sizes, hotel rooms, RV camping and tent camping. There is also a full service restaurant and bar with live entertainment.
Make your reservations early because the cabins and hotel rooms fill up during the summer. They don’t always answer
the phone so leave a message and keep calling back. They’re not always quick to respond to voice mail.
Mormon Lake Lodge (928) 354-2227 ~~~ www.mormonlakelodge.com
If you wish, you can instead lodge at one of the many hotels in Flagstaff.
The Rides:
All routes will be between 6700 to 7400 feet elevation. Maps will be provided. For maps and directions to a couple of
additional routes if you’d rather, instead of the planned club rides, please refer to Optional Rides below.
Ride 1:
Friday afternoon, the first ride will start about 4 PM and will be a 17-mile ride around Mormon Lake. This is a
very scenic ride through the forest with a good chance to see deer and elk. It is a hilly ride with several moderate climbs
and one big climb.
Ride 2:
Saturday morning is an out-and-back, and we roll out from Mormon Lake Lodge at 8:00 AM. The route goes
out to Lake Mary Road where we will head west towards Flagstaff. There are rolling hills, some great descents, and some
good climbs as well. Lake Mary Road has a fantastic bike lane. The halfway/turnaround is at Lake Mary Chevron &
convenient store near I-17 (on the corner of Lake Mary Road and Walapai Dr.) The total ride will be 55 miles. You can
always turn around sooner if you wish. The ride is very scenic with forests, lakes, and green meadows surrounding the
route. Maps will be provided.
SAG: TBD – we are in the planning stages for SAG support and looking for SAG volunteers. Please contact the ride leader
Bob Litchfield if you are interested in volunteering for a rolling SAG stop. (BobLZX12@cox.net or 480-544-3584)
Otherwise, there will be no SAG.
Page 1
PMBC Club Ride in Flagstaff, AZ – July 17 – 19, 2015
Here is some technical information about the ride and a route map:
Figure 1: Elevation Profile for Ride 2
Figure 2: Map for Ride 2 on Saturday
Ride 3:
Sunday morning, we again roll out from Mormon Lake Lodge at 7:30 AM for another 55-mile route. This time,
we head east on Mormon Lake Road away from Flagstaff. This route is similar to the Saturday ride, except that there are
not always bike lanes in this direction – but traffic is light so it should not be a problem. This route has heavy forest and
has a couple of big climbs, one of which we call “Widow Maker”! We will ride from Mormon Lake Lodge to Happy Jack
Lodge, which will be our halfway/turn-around point. You can refresh your drinks here and there are restrooms. The
great descent that you encountered on the way out turns into the “Widow Maker” climb on the way back, so be
prepared! Again, if we get any non-riders who want to volunteer, we will setup a rolling SAG stop, otherwise, no SAG.
Page 2
PMBC Club Ride in Flagstaff, AZ – July 17 – 19, 2015
Figure 3: Map for Ride 3 on Sunday
Meals:
There are several options for meals during the weekend. There is a full service restaurant at Mormon Lake Lodge, or you
can make the 28-mile drive into Flagstaff and patronize one of the many restaurants. Alternately, you can bring your
own chicken, steak, or burgers, go to Bob Litchfield’s camper, which is ride HQ, and throw them on the grill. He has a full
kitchen with grill and is always cooking!
Saturday evening PMBC will be sponsoring dinner. It will be cooked at Bob’s camper in the campground and all are
welcome to eat and hang out. The meal will be spaghetti & ravioli, meatballs, garlic bread, and salad. Some soft drinks,
water, and iced tea will be available, but you may want to BYOB. Cooking begins around 5 PM. You are also welcome to
bring a side dish or desert and share with everyone.
Miscellaneous:





Bob has Blu-ray and DVD players along with two flat screen HD TV’s so there may be movie watching after
dinner, or like last year, light up the bonfire, and just hang out. All are welcome.
Additionally, DirecTV is available from Bob’s camper so we can watch the Tour de France right there at the
camper.
Evening drives right around dusk is the best time to spot elk and deer.
For some afternoon activities other than bicycle riding, Mormon Lake Lodge has horseback riding available and
fishing in the local pond.
There are a few hiking trails around, and the forests are full of service roads that are great for ATV riding, so if
you have one, bring it.
Directions:
There are two easy routes out of the valley to get to Mormon Lake Lodge. The simple way from Phoenix is to take I-17
north all the way to Flagstaff. Just as you approach Flagstaff, take exit 339 onto Lake Mary Road, and head right/east. It
should be about 26 or 27 miles to Mormon Lake Road West Side, which will be on the right. Take the second Mormon
Page 3
PMBC Club Ride in Flagstaff, AZ – July 17 – 19, 2015
Lake Road. Either road will get you there – the first one takes you around Mormon Lake, and the second one takes you
more directly to the lodge. This should take you about 3 hours from Tempe.
The other route would be to take Hwy. 87 or the Beeline Highway up through Payson, Pine, and Strawberry, and then
when you get to the Happy Jack area, turn left onto Lake Mary Road. Stay on Lake Mary Road for around 28 or 30 miles
and then turn left onto Mormon Lake Road. The lodge will be down a mile or so, on the right. This route should also take
around 3 hours from Tempe.
Optional Rides:
For those who want to do some different rides other than Lake Mary Road, here are a few options. You will have to drive
to the ride start for these rides.
Optional Ride 1: Snowbowl Climb from Flagstaff
Page 4
PMBC Club Ride in Flagstaff, AZ – July 17 – 19, 2015
Optional Ride 2: Sunset Crater and Wupatki Loop
Page 5
PMBC Club Ride in Flagstaff, AZ – July 17 – 19, 2015
Optional Ride 3: Lake Mary Road starting in Flagstaff out to Mormon Lake Lodge and back to Flagstaff
Anyone staying in Flagstaff instead of at Mormon Lake Lodge, who wants to ride beautiful Lake Mary Road but wants to
ride from where they are staying, can simply start their ride on Lake Mary Road in Flagstaff and ride out to Mormon Lake
Lodge, turn around, and head back in to Flagstaff. This will be opposite of what the club ride will be, and we will pass
each other out on the road in opposite directions – be sure to wave!) It will be more fun if you join us for the club ride.
Page 6