Stage 3: GLORY

The Long Goodbye and the Ride to Glory

At a Glance

Route details subject to change pending permits, weather, natural distasters, force majeur, etc.

Start: Downtown Prescott
Finish: Downtown Prescott
Full Pint: 58.6 mi (94.3 km) / 5,582 ft gain (1,701 m)
Half Pint: 47.7 mi (76.8 km) / 4,720 ft gain (1,439 m)
*Note: Full Pint and Half Pint Routes share the same start and finish

Important Times

  • 7:30 AM: Rider Briefing & Staging – Downtown Prescott

  • 8:00 AM: Stage 3 Start – Downtown Prescott

  • 4:00 PM: Course Closes/Max Time

Stage Story

If the first two stages were the march out, Stage 3 is the march home. But victory here is not handed over.

GLORY starts under Thumb Butte’s watch as you climb into the forest shadows before breaking out into sun-baked ridgelines. This is the high country, and you’ll push deep into the wild.

The feeling of victory will start to creep in as you coast the final descent into the streets of Prescott. As the courthouse square comes into view – the same ground where Buckey once rallied his men – you roll into the finish.

Not with a whisper, but with the full weight of the campaign’s three days behind you. GLORY.

Route Breakdown

Shared Start: Into the Pines

From downtown, you’ll roll west along Gurly Street into the Thumb Butte corridor. Early on, Trail 367 offers a taste of gentle singletrack before you exit onto Copper Basin Road. It’s fast, flowy, and full of surprises.

Divergence: Two Ways to Earn It

Around mile 23/km 38, the Full Pint and Half Pint routes split.

Full Pint heads deeper into the remote Arizona wilderness on Power Line, Z3 Ranch Road, and FS336. Expect steeper pitches, rugged terrain and silence broken only by the sound of your breathing and your dusty drivetrain.

The Half Pint cuts south via Webb Ranch and Woolsey Spring, rejoining the Full Pints later in the journey.

Shorter, yes. But still no gift.

Checkpoints

Checkpoint 1: Skull Valley (~34 km / 21 miles)
Checkpoint 2: Tonto Road (Full Pint: ~63 km / 39 miles; Half Pint: ~46km / 29 miles)

The Long Goodbye

After the routes merge, riders make their final charge down Javelina Trail #332, rolling dirt and tight corners that deliver you back to the edge of Prescott. From there, a paved approach with just enough twists to keep things interesting sets up your return to courthouse square for GLORY.

What to Expect

Surface Mix

  • Full Pint: ~65% gravel/FS roads, 20% trail/doubletrack, 15% pavement

  • Half Pint: ~55% gravel, 25% trail/forest, 20% pavement

Effort Profile

  • Full Pint: Sustained climbing and true remote rugged western riding

  • Half Pint: Faster mid-section, less vert, but still wild

Pro Tips

  • Navigation matters when you’re this far out in the western frontier – watch for course signs and course markers

  • Expect temperature swings from cool shaded sections to hot, exposed sun

  • This is your chance for GLORY – leave it all on the trails! 

Ride Like Buckey

Buckey’s statue stands just beyond the finish.

And in his honor, you’ve ridden the Rough Rider the way it was meant to be ridden: with grit in your teeth, grind in your legs, and the kind of glory that doesn’t just hang on a medal.

The campaign is over. The story is yours.

GRIT. GRIND. GLORY.

Stage 3 Full Pint Map:

Stage 3 Half Pint Map:

The medal doesn’t matter. What matters is the final roll into town, knowing you’ve ridden the Rough Rider the way it was meant to be ridden.

You rode like Buckey.

 

*All distances and elevation gain are approximate and will vary depending on the watch, app, or measuring device that you use. 

*Due to ever-changing wildlife restrictions, wildfires, weather-related trail closures, and other unforeseen limitations, the following information is subject to change at any time before, during, or after the start of each stage.