A Mountain Biker’s Guide to Phoenix, AZ: My Favorite Desert Riding!

Phoenix Mountain Bike Trail Map

Phoenix is HUGE. It can literally take almost two hours to get from one side of the city to the other. Make sure you have an idea of where the trails you want to ride are and plan accordingly so you don’t spend unnecessary hours in the car.

The trail networks I recommend and cover in this post are:

• Hawes
• Brown’s Ranch
• McDowell Mountain Park
• South Mountain
• Gold Canyon
• FINS
• Cave Creek
• White Tank

There are a lot more trails and networks around Phoenix, but these are the ones that have the best mountain bike trails (IMO).

Plan your rides!

1. Start at Hawes

Hawes is hands-down my favorite place to mountain bike in Phoenix (and pretty much every local’s favorite place). It has the best trails, the best views, the best social vibe, and the best variety for all levels of riders.

If you have only 1-2 days to explore the singletrack around Phoenix, definitely go to Hawes.

The lower trails are great for beginners and families while the trails higher up on the ridge line will test intermediates (Red Mountain Rush is a must!). If you’re an experienced rider, Sunset Ridge and Boulderdash are amazing, but they are definitely expert-only.

2. Bring your XC legs to Brown’s Ranch

Brown’s Ranch is my second favorite place to mountain bike in Phoenix. This might be surprising to people who know me because Brown’s Ranch is very much cross-country riding.

However, even though I don’t consider myself an XC enthusiast, the trails at Brown’s Ranch are super fun. They’re fast and flowy and most of them have fun rocks and features to play on.

Plus, there are almost endless opportunities to put together a great ride. Brown’s Ranch is huge with dozens of miles of singletrack to explore. You can easily find yourself 20 miles in with another 10 to go back to the car if you’re not careful.

But don’t let that scare you off – there are plenty of opportunities to put together shorter or beginner-friendly routes. Brown’s Ranch is definitely a must.

3. Take it easy at McDowell Mountain Regional Park

McDowell… if you’ve heard of anyone talking about Phoenix mountain biking, you’ve probably heard McDowell mentioned. Truthfully, I don’t like it. It’s very cross-country with not a whole lot of fun or interesting (in my opinion) things going for it.

True, it’s home to some pretty famous Competitive Tracks that draw racers far and wide, but these loops are nowhere near the best loops in Phoenix. The one thing I do like about McDowell (actually two things) is that [one] it’s a great place for beginner riders or families and [two] the camping there is awesome.

If you have more than a few days in Phoenix or you’re riding with kids/newbies then sure, check it out. But if not, I’d say focus your singletrack mind elsewhere.

4. Get your DH on at South Mountain

South Mountain is home to two of Phoenix’s most iconic trails: National and Desert Classic.

National is famous for its tough climb, awesome downhill, and tons of natural features like drops, chutes, rock gardens, and rollers. It’s one of my favorite trails and I ride it at least once when I’m in Phoenix.

Desert Classic is the complete opposite. It’s flat, meandering, and (mostly) buff desert singletrack. But it’s great for those who prefer cross-country riding or those just starting out.

The other trails on South Mountain are hit-or-miss. Some are hike-a-bikes (like Telegraph Pass) and others are sand pits (like Pima Wash). Most mountain bikers who head to South Mountain stick to either the National Trail or Desert Classic.

5. Get off the beaten path at Gold Canyon

The first time I rode Gold Canyon I hated it. But then it started to grow on me. The trails there are less popular and less ‘manicured’ than other trail networks in Phoenix, but they are pretty unique and worth checking out. I’ve actually returned to Gold Canyon a handful of times now to ride, including on my Queen’s Ransom bikepacking adventure.

It’s important to note, though, that not all trails here are good for mountain biking. Some are best left for the horses and hikers. K-Trail is ‘the’ trail to do. It weaves in and out of a wash kind of like a slalom course. It’s unique. My favorite trail here, though, is Phantom with its tricky rock tech – my fave!

If you’re a very experienced rider, head up to Hoo Doo and Cajones for some technical climbing and rock slabs.

6. Fantasy Island North Singletrack (FINS): A Local’s Secret

Fantasy Island North is kind of like the red-headed stepchild of the Phoenix mountain biking scene. It’s definitely a local network that probably started out as bootleg mountain bike trails and slowly got more and more established. I believe now it has been adopted by Estrella Regional Park.

I really like the trails at FINS. They’re quirky, hard to navigate, interesting, very challenging in places, and also (mostly) fun.

Trying to follow a pre-planned route here is nearly impossible, but it’s not a huge place, so you can cover ground quickly and ride most of the trails in one day. If you’re looking for something different and unique, I highly recommend it!

7. Do the classic loop at Cave Creek Regional Park

I spent a surprisingly awesome day mountain biking at Cave Creek Regional Park. This park has a small network of trails compared to the other networks nearby (like Brown’s), but the classic route is a 20-ish-mile loop that I really enjoyed.

Spur Cross Trail (which is actually in Spur Cross Conservation Area) is really beautiful with huge saguaro cacti and a backcountry feel. The trails closer to Cave Creek are also pretty fun, especially the descent down Overton and the unique terrain on Slate.

While I wouldn’t say Cave Creek has the best riding in Phoenix, I do recommend the Cave Creek Classic Route for anyone looking for a big day out on the bike.

8. Practice your hike-a-biking skills at White Tank

White Tank Regional Park does have some flowy desert singletrack, but to be honest, it’s just meh compared to the other trail networks I’ve ridden. The real reason to ride White Tank is the type-two fun ride up Mesquite Canyon and down Willow Canyon. I rode this loop with a few friends and while there was some cursing on the way up, I actually really loved it. It’s so beautiful!

This ride isn’t for the average mountain biker, though. But if you like a challenge and you don’t mind doing some hike-a-biking and technical maneuvering, you’ll dig it. It’s a once-a-year (or once-a-lifetime) kind of adventure. I recommend it but don’t hate me if you try it 🙂

Other trail networks to explore

There are several other mountain bike trail networks I didn’t mention because I haven’t ridden them yet:

• Estrella Mountain Regional Park
• Pirate Trails I did ride these trails and ended up bailing. Maybe it was the day, but I was not having fun.
• Phoenix Mountain Preserve

As I continue my exploration of Phoenix mountain biking, I’ll keep updating this post. In the meantime, if you have any insights on the riding at any of these places, leave a comment and let us know how they are!