Phoenix, Arizona · ride

Bike routes in Phoenix

The rides locals in Phoenix actually do, each with a route you can load.

Best months: November to April.

Bike routes in Phoenix, listed

1. South Mountain, Summit Road to the towers

   The city’s climb: Summit Road from the ranger station to the radio towers at the top.

   • Climb
   • 7 mi
   • 1,330 ft up
   • Moderate
   • Start: The ranger station at the bottom of Summit Road, South Mountain Park/Preserve
   • Water: A water fountain, restrooms and a vending machine at the ranger station at the start (PJAMM); nothing on the climb.
   • Watch: PJAMM: minimal shoulder most of the way, blind corners with nowhere to bail out on the descent, and a hole or two to watch for on the way down.

   Ride it with the group: Silent Sunday at South Mountain (Sundays, 5:00 am) →

   Route pageTo the start
   More about South Mountain, Summit Road to the towers

   PJAMM measures 7 miles and 1,330 feet at 3.2 percent. The road dips on the way up; without those bits it is 4.8 percent, and the steepest quarter-mile is 8.9 percent. Dobbins Lookout, at 2,330 feet, is the highest point in the park open to the public (City of Phoenix). Every Sunday, cars are stopped at the 1.0 mile marker from 5 to 10 a.m. On the 4th Sunday of the month the road is closed to cars all day, 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., and drivers park at the Activity Complex. The park’s entrance and parking hours are 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Valley Epic Rides’ Taco Tuesday group rides the park’s trails from Ahwatukee, on the far side of the mountain.

   Surface: Paved park road. PJAMM calls it adequate and says it is cracked in many places from heat.

   Watch: Outside the Silent Sunday hours cars use the road; PJAMM calls traffic minimal. Heat, May to October: summer highs average 104 to 106 F (PJAMM). On Extreme Heat Warning days the city closes the Holbert, Mormon and Hau’pal Loop trails, and the National Trail from Pima Canyon, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The list does not name Summit Road. Nothing on the climb; fill at the ranger station.

2. Rio Verde – Fountain Hills loop (around the McDowells)

   The loop around the north and east side of the McDowell Mountains.

   • Road
   • 50 mi
   • 2,750 ft up
   • Hard
   • Start: Safeway at DC Ranch, Scottsdale
   • Water: The Safeway at DC Ranch, at the start and finish.
   • Watch: The route page names no hazards. Heat, May to October: summer highs average 104 to 106 F (PJAMM). That is 50 miles with no water stop on the page, so start at first light and carry all your water.
   Route on RideWithGPSTo the start
   More about Rio Verde – Fountain Hills loop (around the McDowells)

   From the Safeway at DC Ranch it goes up Pima to Dynamite, over the hill to Rio Verde, then left on Saguaro all the way to Shea, per the route page: 50 miles and about 2,750 feet. The page’s note stops at Shea, so check the map for the way back. Saguaro Blvd runs through Fountain Hills past McDowell Mountain Cycles, where the shop’s no-drop road ride (Some Saturdays, 6:30 am) leaves, and past Fountain View Coffee half a mile north of it. You can also start in Fountain Hills: a 48-mile, 2,529-foot RideWithGPS loop through the same three towns starts there. The HonorHealth Tour de Scottsdale (April 10, 2027) runs its 54-mile route around the McDowells through the same three towns.

   Surface: Road. The route page names Pima, Dynamite, Rio Verde, Saguaro and Shea; it does not describe the surface.

   Water: The route page names nothing in between. Fountain View Coffee, 12645 N Saguaro Blvd in Fountain Hills, opens at 6 every day per two listings; call (805) 310-1544 before you count on it.

3. Gainey (the Scottsdale Cycling loop)

   • Road
   • 29 mi
   • 1,100 ft up
   • Moderate
   • Start: Gainey Village, southeast corner of Scottsdale Rd and Doubletree Ranch Rd, 8977 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85253
   • Watch: The route page names no hazards.

   Ride it with the group: Gainey Thursday (Thursdays, 5:30 am) →

   Route on RideWithGPSTo the start
   More about Gainey (the Scottsdale Cycling loop)

   The route of Scottsdale Cycling’s Gainey ride (Thursdays, 5:30 am), which clips in at the southeast corner of Doubletree and Scottsdale: 29 miles and about 1,100 feet, per the RideWithGPS page. The club’s Strava event names its five hills: Desert Cove, Via Linda, 136th St, 128th St and 124th St. Join the group, or ride the loop on your own any morning.

   Surface: Road. The route page does not describe the surface.

   Watch: The group starts in the dark most of the year, so bring front and rear lights. Heat, May to October: summer highs average 104 to 106 F (PJAMM). Start at first light and carry all your water.

4. Usery Loop and Salt River

   East Side Cycling’s RideWithGPS ambassador route through the East Valley’s desert.

   • Road
   • 27 mi
   • 1,500 ft up
   • Moderate
   • Start: Thomas Rd and Power Rd, Mesa (the Walgreens on the corner)
   • Water: The only drinking water on the route is at the top of Usery, near the visitor center, after most of the climbing (East Side Cycling).
   • Watch: Kong is a steep downhill early in the ride.
   Route on RideWithGPSTo the start
   More about Usery Loop and Salt River

   North on Power Rd past Red Mountain, down the steep hill locals call Kong, and along the Salt River. Then up Little Kong, about a mile at 5 to 6 percent, and 4 miles at a steady 5 to 6 percent over Usery Pass. It finishes with a descent to McDowell Rd and a short climb up Hawes through Las Sendas: 27 miles and about 1,500 feet. A side trip goes out to the Cliffs just below Saguaro Lake. The author says people have parked behind the Walgreens at the start; ask first.

   Surface: Paved road. The author says it has a good shoulder for the most part.

   Watch: An older Bikemap route along the Salt River on Bush Highway (about 13 years old) warns that boaters use Bush Highway heavily. Heat, May to October: summer highs average 104 to 106 F (PJAMM). There is no water until the top of Usery, so start at first light and carry enough for the river and the pass.

5. Indian Bend Wash path (the Scottsdale Greenbelt)

   An 11-mile path through Scottsdale’s greenbelt of parks, lakes and golf courses (City of Scottsdale).

   • Path
   • 11 mi
   • Easy
   • Start: Chaparral Park, Scottsdale (one of the path’s trailheads)
   • Watch: TrailLink says underpasses take it under almost all road crossings, so expect a few at street level.
   Route pageTo the start
   More about Indian Bend Wash path (the Scottsdale Greenbelt)

   More than 24 underpasses and bridges carry it past the big streets. TrailLink measures 12 miles from Venturoso Park in Phoenix to E Curry Rd in Tempe, with trailheads at Chaparral Park and Eldorado Park in Scottsdale. This is the ride for the evening you land: almost no cross traffic, and you can turn around anywhere. The Bike Lane’s social rides (Some Saturdays, 9:00 am) use the greenbelt and the canals, each ride with its own start.

   Surface: Concrete multiuse path (TrailLink), with more than 24 underpasses and bridges (City of Scottsdale).

   Watch: It is shared with walkers and runners. TrailLink says to watch for flying golf balls where the path passes the tee boxes. Scottsdale’s path rules: keep right and leave the left side for passing. Heat, May to October: summer highs average 104 to 106 F (PJAMM). Neither the city’s page nor TrailLink names a water fountain.

6. Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt loop (to Tempe Town Lake)

   • Path
   • 52 mi
   • 1,000 ft up
   • Hard
   • Watch: About 6 miles are on a state road.
   Route on Komoot
   More about Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt loop (to Tempe Town Lake)

   Komoot’s 52-mile loop joins the Indian Bend Wash greenbelt to other paths and roads: past Taliesin West and Camelback Park, down to Tempe Town Lake, and on to a viewpoint over the Salt River. About 1,000 feet of climbing, per Komoot. Much of the way crosses streets on underpasses and overpasses. It is the long day on this list, and most of it is away from cars; it is a loop, so start wherever you are staying along it.

   Surface: Paved throughout. About 32 of the 52 miles are bike path; about 8 are road and about 6 are state road (Komoot).

   Watch: Komoot does not say which. Heat, May to October: summer highs average 104 to 106 F (PJAMM). It is 52 miles and Komoot names no water stop, so start at first light and plan your refills before you go.

7. Trail 100 (Charles M. Christiansen Memorial Trail)

   Phoenix’s in-town mountain bike trail runs across the Phoenix Mountains Preserve.

   • Mountain bike
   • 11 mi
   • 850 ft up
   • Moderate
   • Start: Dreamy Draw Park, off SR 51 at Northern Ave
   • Watch: Rocky with loose pebbles (Singletracks).

   Ride it with the group: Night Rider Series @ Trail 100 (Wednesdays, 6:30 pm) →

   Route pageTo the start
   More about Trail 100 (Charles M. Christiansen Memorial Trail)

   MTB Project measures 11.3 miles with 860 feet up, rated intermediate/difficult. Singletracks names the trailheads: Dreamy Draw Park (the main lot), Tatum Blvd at the east end, 7th Ave at the west end, and Mountain View Park. For shorter rides there is MTB Project’s West Side Trail 100 Loop (10.9 miles, 743 feet, from the Central Ave lot in North Mountain Park) and Trailforks’ 5.3-mile intermediate loop on the east side.

   Surface: Singletrack: mild to moderate, with some steep, short climbs (MTB Project). Rocky, with loose pebbles (Singletracks).

   Watch: The west end near the 7th St lot gets a lot of hikers (MTB Project). A Trailforks review says parts of the Fence Line trail on the east loop are hike-a-bike over boulders. Heat, May to October: summer highs average 104 to 106 F (PJAMM). On Extreme Heat Warning days the city closes the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail and associated trails 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; that list does not name Trail 100. No page names a place to get water, so carry it all.

8. McDowell Mountain Competitive Track (Long Loop)

   • Mountain bike
   • 8 mi
   • Moderate
   • Start: Four Peaks Staging Area, McDowell Mountain Regional Park, Fountain Hills
   • Water: Four Peaks Staging Area: water, restrooms with showers, and a bike wash rack (county map).
   • Watch: Ride it one way only.
   Route pageTo the start
   More about McDowell Mountain Competitive Track (Long Loop)

   Maricopa County’s Competitive Track in McDowell Mountain Regional Park, about 14 to 15 miles of trail in all (15 by the county’s web page, 13.7 by its map), has three loops. The 7.9-mile Long Loop is, in the county’s words, designed for the average rider and enjoyed by all skill levels. The 3.0-mile Sport Loop suits intermediate and advanced riders, and the 2.7-mile Technical Loop is for experts only. All three start and finish at the Four Peaks Staging Area. McDowell Mountain Cycles’ night ride (Tuesdays, 7:00 pm) and its Ladies Mountain Bike Ride (Some Mondays, 7:00 am) both leave the Four Peaks lot; the shop rents mountain bikes and delivers them to the park.

   Surface: Mountain bike race track, ridden one way as marked. Don’t ‘improve’ it, per the county.

   Watch: Slower riders yield to faster ones. The Technical Loop is experts only, with steep climbs and technical descents. The county says to carry plenty of water, check conditions, and tell someone your route. Heat, May to October: summer highs average 104 to 106 F (PJAMM). Fill up at Four Peaks before every loop.

9. Tempe Town Lake loop (Rio Salado path)

   Tempe Town Lake is 2.5 miles long, with paved paths on both banks.

   • Path
   • 7.5 mi
   • Easy
   • Start: Tempe Beach Park, Mill Ave. and Rio Salado Pkwy., Tempe, AZ 85281
   • Water: Restrooms and water fountains at Tempe Beach Park, Mill Ave and Rio Salado Pkwy, open 5 a.m. to midnight (City of Tempe). No other fill-up is named on the loop.
   • Watch: Shared with walkers, runners and families.
   Route pageTo the start
   More about Tempe Town Lake loop (Rio Salado path)

   Tempe Tourism puts the full loop at 7.5 miles, from McClintock Dr on the south side to Priest Dr on the north, with the Mill Avenue bridge, the Elmore Pedestrian Bridge and the Rural Road bridge to cross on. It is flat apart from short dips where the path goes under bridges (TrailLink), so it’s the Tempe ride for the evening you land. The Rio Salado Pathway goes on for 19 paved miles, from just south of downtown Phoenix east to Mesa (Tempe Tourism). The north bank meets the Indian Bend Wash path to Scottsdale (TrailLink), and a social ride from R.T. O’Sullivan’s in Scottsdale (Tuesdays, 7:15 pm) comes down it to the lake and crosses on the bridges.

   Surface: Paved concrete and asphalt (TrailLink). Tempe’s multi-use paths are at least 10 feet wide (City of Tempe bikeway map).

   Watch: The lake paths are open 5 a.m. to midnight (Tempe Tourism). Short drops where the path passes under bridges (TrailLink). TrailLink says most of the Rio Salado path has no shade except under the freeway interchanges. Heat, May to October: summer highs average 104 to 106 F (PJAMM). Ride it early or after dark in summer, and fill up at Tempe Beach Park.

10. Brown’s Ranch, The Long Way Around (McDowell Sonoran Preserve)

    • Mountain bike
    • 18 mi
    • 700 ft up
    • Moderate
    • Start: Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, McDowell Sonoran Preserve, north Scottsdale, 30301 N. Alma School Pkwy, Scottsdale, AZ 85262
    • Water: The City of Scottsdale lists water and restrooms at the Brown’s Ranch Trailhead.
    • Watch: The City of Scottsdale says the Brown’s Ranch Trailhead is closed for improvements, with a reopening expected in late October 2026.
    Route pageTo the start
    More about Brown’s Ranch, The Long Way Around (McDowell Sonoran Preserve)

    A loop through the north end of Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve: north from the lot on Brown’s Ranch Rd, east along the top of the preserve on Hawknest, then 136th St. Express, Turpentine, Whiskey Bottle and Chuck Wagon back to the start. MTB Project measures 18.1 miles and 689 feet, with an average grade of 1 percent and nothing steeper than 5. Riders rate it easy to intermediate, there’s a signpost at every junction, and it climbs the same either way round. It makes a good first dirt ride, and the many trails at Brown’s Ranch let you cut it shorter.

    Surface: Singletrack, 90 percent of it (MTB Project): hard-packed desert dirt, with a few crossings of old lava flows. MTB Project says nothing on it is technical.

    Water: There is no water on the loop itself (MTB Project); the parking areas along the way have portable toilets. Fill up at the trailhead, and carry it all.

    Watch: Check the city’s preserve page before you go. About 2.5 miles out, turn right at the signpost. Don’t take the narrower unmarked trail straight ahead, or any unmarked trail (MTB Project). The trails are shared: give way to horses and to hikers, downhill gives way to uphill, and say something before you pass (MTB Project). E-bikes are banned in the preserve (City of Scottsdale). The preserve is open sunrise to sunset, and its gates open about 30 minutes before sunrise. The city expects triple-digit heat almost every day from about May through September, warns about rattlesnakes, and says to turn around when half your water is gone. Heat, May to October: summer highs average 104 to 106 F (PJAMM).

11. Bartlett Dam Road, up from Bartlett Lake

    The climb out of Bartlett Lake, in the Tonto National Forest 20 miles east of Carefree.

    • Climb
    • 9 mi
    • 2,000 ft up
    • Moderate
    • Start: The Cove and Oar House, Bartlett Lake (PJAMM’s start)
    • Water: The Cove and Oar House at the bottom is a general store and restaurant, and there are restrooms at the marina (PJAMM).
    • Watch: PJAMM calls the traffic light but fast, with a passing lane on the first part of the climb.
    Route pageTo the start
    More about Bartlett Dam Road, up from Bartlett Lake

    PJAMM measures 9 miles and 2,004 feet at 3.9 percent, from the store at the lake up toward Horseshoe Dam, topping out at 3,682 feet. The Forest Service sends you from Carefree out Cave Creek Rd (FR 24) to the Bartlett Rd (FR 19) junction, then 13 paved miles to the lake. Check PJAMM’s map for where its 9 miles turn off toward Horseshoe Dam before you plan the way home.

    Surface: Paved. PJAMM says the road is good and kept up for traffic to the lake and marina; it turns to dirt about half a mile past the top.

    Water: The Forest Service lists the commercial marina at 20808 E Bartlett Dam Rd, Carefree, (480) 221-0503. It lists no drinking water at the reservoir. No page names water between Cave Creek Rd and the lake.

    Watch: No page describes the shoulder. The Forest Service says the lake’s day-use parking can fill on weekends and holidays in the busy season. Heat, May to October: summer highs average 104 to 106 F (PJAMM). The store at the lake is the only water any page names, so carry plenty from Cave Creek.

12. Seven Springs Road (FR 24) to Bloody Basin Road

    The dirt road north into the Tonto National Forest, where Cave Creek Rd becomes Seven Springs Rd (FR 24).

    • Gravel
    • 30 mi
    • 3,350 ft up
    • Hard
    • Start: Cave Creek Rd at the Bartlett Lake turn-off (FR 19). Gravelmap suggests parking in the clearing by the ranger station there.
    • Water: None you can count on.
    • Watch: Remote: for about 8 miles north of Seven Springs Campground there are no services, and you may see nobody (Gravelmap).
    Route pageTo the start
    More about Seven Springs Road (FR 24) to Bloody Basin Road

    Gravelmap’s route runs 30 miles one way, past Seven Springs to the Bloody Basin Rd junction, with 3,330 feet of climbing. Its author puts the out-and-back at over 6,000 feet. Two riders who left comments say a mountain bike suits it better; one rode it on 40mm gravel tires and found it very tough, especially going down.

    Surface: Gravel 54 percent, dirt 32 percent, pavement 13 percent (Gravelmap). Graded to smooth hardpack in winter; loose, choppy washboard in summer. The Forest Service says the last 9 miles of FR 24 to its Cave Creek Trailhead are all-weather gravel.

    Water: The Forest Service lists no drinking water at its Cave Creek Trailhead, in the Seven Springs area 20 miles north of Carefree. Past Seven Springs Campground the only water is the creek (Gravelmap). Gravelmap says to carry 200 ounces or more per person for a day ride.

    Watch: The Forest Service says the gravel part of FR 24 is narrow with blind curves, and cars use it. Just south of the campground the route crosses the creek. It’s usually a few inches deep and ridable, but take care in the rainy season (Gravelmap). The route page dates from 2016, so ask the Tonto National Forest about the road before you go (602-225-5200, the supervisor’s office). Heat, May to October: summer highs average 104 to 106 F (PJAMM). Gravelmap says to start before 5:30 a.m. in summer.

Checked October 3, 2026. Roads close, trails wash out, and the numbers are the route page’s. Ride your own ride.