Beardsley

I really love the Lake Pleasant trails. Beardsley Trail is the first of a series of trails you can link up from the Aqua Fria Trailhead off Hwy 74.

You begin by descending into the Aqua Fria river bottom where the trail is shrouded by trees and shrubs. You'll cross a couple of easy bridges one of which is completely shaded by a thick canopy of tree branches. A couple of gates will slow you down a bit but once you cross Old Lake Pleasant road it's pretty smooth sailing from there with only one gate left a bit up the trail.

One thing I find peculiar is the elevation graph makes this trail look very easy. I'm not saying the climbs are hard but they seem a lot steeper than what's depicted, but hey, I know these maps don't lie! Many ups and downs, some pretty rocky areas but I definitely recommend this trail. Keep riding north on Wild Burro then onto Pipeline Canyon for additional fun and views.