That four-mile uphill grind that encompasses the Heart Trail on the north-east side of Mount Elden passes at a couple of junctures the now-decommissioned old (or, original) Heart Trail, listed on the newest maps as El Viejo Corazon.
Ay caramba!
Just looking at sections of the Heart emeritus path brings back painful memories of face plants and stumbles and hypoxic episodes. Muy mal.
In a way, though, it’s fortuitous that you can get glimpses of the old Heart – its jagged rock gardens, its steep incline, its heartless technical footing – because it serves as a reminder not to bitch (OK, not too much) about the current Heart Trail’s seemingly endless switchbacks and that cruel hook around the three-mile mark on the climb when you think it’s finally going to flatten out but instead are greeted by another sharp turn and yet more ascent.
It could be worse, in other words. Be happy that the new Heart has been carved into the mountain side three years ago and now is a go-to trail for runners seeking vert and mountain bikers bombing downhills.
So let this be a piece praising the trail work that forged a new route. Yes, it’s longer, much longer, but the footing is exceedingly better and the overall experience quite pleasant and easily runnable.
There are two ways to get to the lower start of the new Heart; both are accessed using the Little Elden Trail (also part of the Arizona Trail). You can start at the Sandy Seep Trailhead off of Highway 89 and travel about two miles to the junction, or you can park at the Little Elden Springs pullout on FR 556, and run a mellow 1.5 miles to Heart’s start.
All told, you’ll either run 12 miles (via Sandy Seep) or 11 (via Little Elden Springs) on the out-and-back.
Of course, once you get to the upper terminus of the Heart Trail, there are scores of options to extend the run. You can make a left on the Sunset Trail and keep climbing 1.6 miles to Elden’s summit, or you could make a loop out of the run and turn right on Sunset and trot down to the Little Bear Trail, which eventually hooks back up to the Little Elden Trail. That loop is 16.1 miles.
On this day, though, I figured an 11-mile out-and-back would be just enough torture for my deteriorating carcass.
Just looking at the maps make it clear new Heart Trail is much longer than Viejo, with what looks like some switchbacks early on before intersecting with the Viejo at about the midway point before climbing a ridge and then going way north and hooking back on what looks like an extreme switchback before it heads back south to the junction with the Sunset Trail.
Credit for the fresh tracks go to the diligent workers at the Flagstaff Biking Organization, the volunteer Trail Faeries, and, for the heavy lifting, workers from the American Conservation Experience.
Full disclosure: I only ran the original Heart once, in 2019. I recall it as being really rocky, really steep and really hard, with four extreme, zig-zaggy switchbacks in the final push to the top. In the years since, I’ve had no compulsion to do it again. Yes, I face-planted and, yes, I went hypoxic.
But in speaking with Flagstaff Biking people, I’d been assured that the New Heart was smoother and saner — if longer and with more elevation gain. These were tradeoffs I was more than willing to make. I wasn’t sure how much longer it would be, because distances on maps don’t always jibe with actual trail shoes on the ground.
If you leave from Sandy Seep, getting to the New Heart takes longer than reaching Viejo. You begin the same way, with that gradual climb up the mellow Sandy Seep Trail for 1.3 miles. Viejo beckons in another 0.2 of a mile on the Little Elden Trail, but with the realignment, you never get to see the boulder-strewn start of the Viejo. That’s because the right (north) turn onto the New Little Elden comes just before that. The redone Little Elden is a joy, swooping around a hillside and rolling along — a big improvement over the sandy slog on the old route. The downside to some, I suppose, is that it takes an extra 1.5 miles to get to the start of the New Heart.
If you leave from Little Elden Springs, it’s about a mile shorter with not as much climbing.
Believe me, even the extra mileage going via Sandy Seep is worth enduring.
The first mile of the New Heart is a gentle uphill that is hardly taxing, compared to the immediate climb and rock-garden dodging at the start of Viejo. You can exhale and enjoy the expansive views, dotted by alligator junipers that have sprouted and dominated since the 1977 Radio Fire ravaged the pines. You get unobstructed views of the Elden ridge; just don’t dwell on the fact that, eventually, you’ll have to climb to the top of it.
At two miles, you reach something of a plateau where old and new intersect. This provides a stark contrast. New Heart, well-manicured, swoops around and glides up and around the hillside, whereas Viejo goes, essentially, straight up, with rocks making the going rough.
Here’s the thing, though: Viejo goes only about another mile, albeit steep and rocky and zig-zaggy, before it tops out at Sunset. The New Heart? Well, it’s another two miles to the same spot. That’s because you traverse that “hook” — a long, steady climb of a switchback north, before turning abruptly and continuing to climb south and then north again.
Any presumption that the New Heart is “easy” is disproved in that last mile climb. The views on East Flagstaff and Doney Park down below can distract you, sure, but it’s uphill nonetheless. The footing, thankfully, is smooth and well-packed, considering it’s a singletrack hugging the hillside. There are some rocks, but that’s to be expected. It’s not bad at all.
At last, you reach the junction with Sunset, the high point of the trek. Here are the final numbers, if my GPS watch can be trusted:
El Viejo Corazon: 2.4 miles, 1405 feet of elevation gain.
New Heart: 4.1 miles, 1,745 feet gain.
I know there are hardcore maniacs out there, grizzled old-school vets, who prefer the challenge of the old Heart. Have it, folks. My guess is you’ll have the trail (such as it is) to yourself.
Me? No way I was stepping foot on Viejo. Far as I’m concerned, it should be eased into a peaceful retirement. Viva Nuevo Corazon!
The New Heart Trail
Trail Options: 16.1 miles (via Sandy Seep); 14.5 (via Little Elden Springs). Take Sandy Seep Trail or Little Elden Trail to the New Heart Trail to Sunset Trail to the Little Bear Trail to the Little Elden (Arizona) Trail, back to Little Elden Springs or Sandy Seep. 11 miles: Take Sandy Seep to the realigned Little Elden to the New Heart Trail to the junction with the Sunset Trail. Retrace steps back to either the Sandy Seep or Little Elden Springs trailhead.
Driving Directions: For Sandy Seep: From Flagstaff, drive north-east on Highway 89 to a sign denoting the Sandy Seep Trailhead. Make a left and park in the dirt lot. For Little Elden Springs: Take Highway 89 to FR 556 (signage for Little Elden Horse Camp), turn left and drive two miles to the pullout.
Highest Elevation: 8,770 feet.
Leave a Reply