The ride begins by following the marked climbing route meandering up a dry wash. The "climb" is barely perceptible as it slowly wends its way uphill, but when it comes time to go downhill, you'll realize that you have gained a modest amount of elevation. While you can pedal a much longer route in this area (see "Bearclaw Poppy -> Stucki Loop", mapped separately), the route mapped here is the famously popular hot lap through the lower flowy trails.

After completing the climbing trail, look for the signs leading you to the designated downhill section of Bearclaw Poppy.

The Bearclaw Poppy downhill is a true choose your own adventure mountain bike experience! This downhill "trail" is actually a maze of social trails that swoops and flows down the rollers and desert ridges. All of these trails will take you back to the Bearclaw Poppy trailhead, so put the map away, stop thinking about what trail to take, and just flow! You'll spot a few Y junctions where small trail signs indicate that one fork is more difficult than the other, but do your best to make your decisions on the fly so you can swoop and flow your way back down to the trailhead.

Generally speaking, the trails here are nontechnical, smooth, flowy, and just downright fun! There are one or two steep pitches on the nearby flanks of a mesa, including the famous Clavicle Hill, but those are well-marked and easily avoided.

This maze of unmarked trails is an intriguing mountain biking experience–one that undoubtedly some riders will hate but one that apparently many riders absolutely love. On any day of the week (during the cooler months), you'll see streams of mountain bikers pedaling up and down Bearclaw Poppy enjoying the swoop and flow of this desert mountain bike playground.