The ride begins with a steep, ledge-filled ascent from the river on the Camp Elevation trail. But don’t be lulled into a sense of complacency: the climbing is never over on this ride. Instead, you’ll constantly be punching up and down short, steep climbs and descents for the entire 17.6-mile length, adding up to 1,768 feet of elevation gain and descent. While that might not sound like much, it’s how the elevation is gained that will punish you: in short, steep bursts.

You’ll be returning on the Camp Elevation trail and Camp Elevation Extention (also known as “Ramsour”), so use the ride out to scope the features. Camp Elevation Extension, in particular, features several formidable rock rolls and tech features where scouting the line is highly recommended.

After ripping through the easy, yet entertaining Sausage Link and Bacon Bits trails, you’ll reach the main course: Unchained. Unchained is now widely regarded as one of the most technical mountain bike in the Arkansas Valley. This brutal stretch of singletrack is home to all manner of technical obstacles, such as chunky rock gardens, awkward ledge drops, step down drops, and big rock rolls. A couple of the rock rolls found on this trail are so steep, you could be forgiven for thinking you’re riding in British Columbia!

Let it be known: Unchained is not for the faint of heart.

If you make it through unscathed, pedal Django to Fistful of Dollars, and then hop back on the Camp Elevation trails to retrace your steps. Be sure to nail the tough challenges on the way back that you might have skipped earlier in the ride!