Gold Canyon Mountain Biking: How to Ride Phoenix’s Hidden Gem
The first time I mountain biked at Gold Canyon in Phoenix, Arizona I was not impressed. The loose, gravely trails felt more like horse tracks than fun singletrack, and while the surrounding landscape is beautiful, it didn’t feel quite as mountain bike-friendly as, say, Hawes or Brown’s Ranch.
But the more I wheedled my way around Gold Canyon, the more I grew to like it. Hoo Doo Trail is super unique and interesting (definitely some expert-only features) and the K-Trail is one-of-a-kind in Phoenix with its slalom berms.
While I wouldn’t suggest Gold Canyon for those just visiting for a day or two, it is a great place to check out if you’re looking for more great mountain biking outside of the ‘must-ride’ trail systems like Hawes and South Mountain.
In this post, I share everything you need to know about Gold Canyon mountain biking including the best trails to hit, route recommendations, and more. Let’s dive in!
Quick Tips
For mountain biking at Gold Canyon
TWW Take
Please note that these are my personal opinions – you may argue otherwise! And if so, state your case (politely) in the comments 🙂
Fun-ness Factor
Trail Variety
Average Difficulty
Should You Ride Gold Canyon?
What I like
What I don’t
Planning Your Gold Canyon Rides
Best trails to hit
The trails at Gold Canyon range from super fun to super not fun. If it’s your first time there, I highly recommend reading through this post to make sure you don’t spend your day on the super not fun trails.
Here are my top recommendations for mountain bike trails to hit at Gold Canyon:
- K-Trail (intermediate)
- Jodi’s Dream (intermediate)
- Diamondback (intermediate)
- Phantom (advanced)
- Hoo Do (advanced)
- Tech Loop (advanced)
Tip: To be honest, Gold Canyon isn’t the best place for beginners. If you’re new to mountain biking, I’d head up to Brown’s Ranch.
Route recommendations
- Gold Canyon Sampler (intermediate) – A good intro to Gold Canyon. It mainly features the K-Trail, which is kind of an iconic trail for Phoenix. I hated it at first, but then it kind of grew on me. It is quite unique. There are many options to add on to this route or you can opt for the longer and more technically challenging Tour de Tech below.
- Tour de Tech (advanced) – This loop links up most of the technical trails in the area including Hoo Doo, which is really cool, but definitely only for advanced riders. The route doubles back to do Cojones, which I haven’t done. From there, it links up the K-Trail, Tech Loop, and Phantom for a challenging, but fun ride.
Gold Canyon Trail Map
FAQs & Planning Tips
🚗 Getting there: The Gold Canyon trail network is located on the eastern side of Phoenix near Apache Junction. The trails sit at the foothills of the Superstition and Goldfield Mountains.
🅿️ Parking: The two main parking areas are:
- Cloudview/Lost Goldmine (no bathrooms or water)
- Large dirt overflow lot (no bathrooms or water)
The Cloudview lot fills up quickly, especially on weekends. The last time I was there, an entrepreneurial neighbor opened up his horse farm for parking for $10 a vehicle.
🎟️ Entrance fee: No fee to ride Gold Canyon.
🗺️ Navigating the trails: You definitely need some sort of navigational aid like TrailForks downloaded to your phone. The trails aren’t well marked and it’s easy to get turned around. You won’t get lost, but you’ll probably get frustrated.
💧 Water: There is no water at Gold Canyon. Bring all that you need with you and your pack essentials.
📅 How many days: I’d say one is sufficient, two if you really like it.
☀️ When to go: Winter (November through March) is ideal for mountain biking in Phoenix.
🚲 What type of bike to bring: A short or mid-travel full-suspension bike would be best. You could also get away with a hardtail.
⚡️ E-bikes: Class 1 pedal-assist e-bike are allowed at Gold Canyon.
🏕️ Camping: Lost Dutchman is a really nice campground not too far from Gold Canyon. There are trails around the campground, but I don’t recommend them… they get pretty torn up from horse traffic, as I found out from my Queen’s Ransom bikepacking adventure.
Need gear recs?
Head over to my gear closet! I’m always testing out new pieces of bike gear and if I really like them, they earn a place on this page.
My first ride at Gold Canyon didn’t make me fall in love with the trails there. K-Trail was kind of annoying on the first go, but I did grow to like the area and appreciate the trails after a while. They’re techy and challenging, so keep that in mind before you head out there.
Hoo Doo is definitely a must if you like more advanced riding!
Have you done any mountain biking at Gold Canyon? What did you think of the trails there? Did you do K-Trail or Hoo Doo? Leave a comment below!
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