At 8 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, a field of gravel racers will leave the 200 block of North Cortez Street behind a police leadout and head west on Gurley Street toward Thumb Butte. That is the road Hassayampa Village residents take home. The Capital Canyon Club's own directions send drivers west on Gurley and Thumb Butte Road, then left onto Hassayampa Village Lane and right onto Golf Club Lane to the gate.
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, and downtown will feel it. Still, the change that reaches this neighborhood most directly comes the next morning, on the stretch of pavement between the Courthouse Plaza and the Thumb Butte trailhead. Saturday's street closures sit in other parts of town. The race's last day runs right past your turn.
The final stage uses your road out of town
The Rough Rider is a new three-stage gravel race, launching in 2026 and based in Historic Downtown Prescott, with routes through the Prescott National Forest. The organizer lists it for October 30 through November 1, 2026. Its third and final day is called GLORY, and the Stage 3 route page describes the opening miles plainly. Riders "roll west along Gurly Street into the Thumb Butte corridor," climbing on pavement until it turns to gravel on Thumb Butte Road, then connecting into Copper Basin Road.
From there the field disappears into the backcountry. Around mile 23 the long course splits off onto Power Line, Z3 Ranch Road and FS336, and the short course heads south via Webb Ranch and Woolsey Spring. The first checkpoint is at Skull Valley, about 21 miles in. Riders come home down Tonto Road, cross Iron Springs Road, and take the old Santa Fe rail trail back to the edge of town for what the organizer calls "a parade finish back to downtown Prescott." The long course is listed at 58.6 miles with 5,582 feet of climbing, the short course at 47.7 miles.
For anyone driving Gurley or Thumb Butte Road that morning, the useful detail is in the race FAQ. Roads stay open to traffic, and riders are required to yield to vehicles and follow traffic laws. The schedule gives the timing. The start is at 8 a.m., finishers arrive back on North Cortez between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., and the course officially closes at 4 p.m. So a Sunday drive toward Thumb Butte between 8 and 9 a.m. likely means passing climbing riders on the way up. A late-morning trip downtown means sharing Gurley with finishers coming the other way.
The organizer marks both the schedule and the routes as preliminary. It notes that routes can change for permitting or safety, so check the stage page the week of the race.
Four days, three stages, one Halloween
The race arrives Thursday and builds toward the west side over the weekend. Here is how the days line up against the City's Halloween plan.
| Day | What is happening | Where | West-side effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Oct. 29 | Rider registration, social and 6 p.m. opening briefing | Fairweather Social Club, North Cortez | Busier evening downtown |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | Stage 1, GRIT, 9 a.m. start | Camp Wood, Williamson Valley Rd at West Camp Wood Rd | Far north of Thumb Butte |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Stage 2, GRIND, 8 a.m. start; Halloween closures from 1 p.m. | North Cortez start, south on Hwy 89, return by Senator Hwy | Gurley stays open both ways |
| Sun., Nov. 1 | Stage 3, GLORY, 8 a.m. start | West on Gurley, Thumb Butte Rd, Copper Basin Rd | Riders on the Hassayampa corridor |
Friday's stage stays out on Williamson Valley Road. It starts and finishes at Camp Wood, heads west, and uses Walnut Creek Road and Walnut Creek Cutoff Road on the way back. Saturday's stage leaves downtown south on Highway 89 and picks up gravel at Ponderosa Park. It climbs through Turkey Track, Indian Creek, Wolf Creek Road and Big Bug Mesa Road toward Walker and Potato Patch, then comes back by Senator Highway. Sunday is the only stage that heads west into Thumb Butte country.
Saturday's closures land east and south of your route
The City of Prescott's Halloween release, issued October 14, says the City has "taken extra precautions for public safety since Halloween falls on a Saturday this year," and expects heavier vehicle and foot traffic. The plan focuses on two neighborhoods.
Mt. Vernon Ave and Senator Hwy. Traffic control goes up at 1 p.m., with a hard closure by 2 p.m.
- Vernon Ave closes from Sheldon St. through Senator Hwy up to Haisley Rd.
- Side streets close too: Willis St. and Goodwin St. from Pleasant St. to Virginia St., Carleton St. from Pleasant St. to Mt. Vernon Ave., and Oak St. from Virginia St. to Mt. Vernon Ave.
- There is no vehicle access to Senator Hwy at Summit Pointe Dr. or Palmer Pl. W.
Country Club Dr. and Park Ave. Traffic control goes up at 2 p.m., with a hard closure by 3 p.m.
- Country Club Dr. closes from Park Ave. up to Coronado Ave., including access at Moreland Dr., Aspen St., Perry St. and Vista Dr.
- Park Ave. stays open to traffic, but there is no parking on Park Ave. from Gurley St. to W. Leroux St.
Roads reopen when the Prescott Police Department decides it is safe. The City also states that Gurley St will remain open to eastbound and westbound traffic. Your route between downtown and Hassayampa Village Lane stays open through the evening. The Park Avenue parking ban is the one rule that comes close to the west side. If you were planning to park there and walk to Country Club Drive, plan on being dropped off instead.
Saturday's race and Saturday's closures share one stretch of road. Stage 2 comes home by Senator Highway, its riders finish downtown between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., and the course closes at 4 p.m. Senator Highway's Halloween traffic control starts at 1 p.m. If you drive south that afternoon, expect both. For closure alerts, the City points residents to the Genasys Protect app and Recreation Services at (928) 777-1121 x4501.
Thumb Butte on race morning
Sunday's route runs past the trailhead closest to home. The Forest Service's Thumb Butte page lists day-use hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. from September 1 through November 30, and a $5-per-vehicle day-use fee, free on Wednesdays. Thumb Butte Trail #33 is 2.1 miles and mostly paved, according to the Forest Service's South Thumb Butte map. On November 1 the gate opens one hour before the race starts downtown. An early hike puts you on the trail before the field reaches the parking area, and leaving at mid-morning likely means a quiet road back.
Past the recreation area, the same map says Thumb Butte Road turns to dirt about half a mile west of the parking lot. Arizona Highways describes the gravel connector there as Thumb Butte Loop Road, FR 373, which meets Copper Basin Road. That loop has its own fall project. On September 1, the Prescott National Forest announced aggregate-surface work on 1.5 miles of NFSR 373. The Forest Service said the road would stay open as much as possible but warned of brief delays, and it gave no end date. If a Sunday drive around the loop is on your list, the same road may hold race traffic and road crews that weekend.
Where the weekend gathers downtown
When riders finish, everything happens on North Cortez Street. The race's socials, briefings and awards are at the Fairweather Social Club, which Experience Prescott describes as a bar and live-music venue that also hosts private events. It is open daily from noon to midnight, and a December 2024 profile in 5enses said newcomers are welcome to walk in. The race calendar puts a Halloween Social there Saturday from 3:30 to 6 p.m. On Sunday there is a post-race social and lunch from 1 to 4 p.m., with stage and overall awards on North Cortez at 1:30 p.m.
A few blocks away, the Elks Theatre at 117 E. Gurley St. lists a 7 p.m. screening of "Hocus Pocus" on Friday, October 30. On Friday, October 23, it lists "Shadows of the Night: The Fallen Women," also at 7 p.m. That Friday, the race stage itself runs far to the north at Camp Wood.
After the race leaves town, Gurley Street hosts its next big downtown morning on Wednesday, November 11. The Veterans Day Parade has pre-parade activities at 10:30 a.m. and steps off at 11 a.m., under the theme "Remember the Past, Serve the Present, Inspire the Future."
Thumb Butte Road leads to Hassayampa Village Lane, and on November 1 it also carries a new race on its last day. If you're thinking about how your home's setting on that corridor shows up in its value, Cheryl Fernandez can walk you through it over coffee once the riders have gone. Request your personalized home valuation and get a Hassayampa-specific read on what your address is worth today.
