Best Biking Trails in the Phoenix Valley

The League of American Bicyclists reported in February 2003, 21 million people riding bicycles. 42% reported doing so for the health benefits. 37% reported doing so for recreation. 5% reported doing so as a primary means of personal transportation. 54% of bicyclists report how local communities provide for safe bike riding.

Bicycling is significant in the Phoenix Valley of Arizona for sport and health. Bicyclists are in the street daily and in larger group packs on weekends. Community designers have demonstrated commitment to bicyclists in Phoenix with more than 20 trails in and around Phoenix.

This article presents five popular biking trails in the Phoenix Valley Area. Trails run from more than 20 miles in length to just more than five. Avid bicyclists find the Phoenix Valley a paradise for biking especially from October to end of March. Trails include the 21.2 mile Charles M. Christiansen Memorial Trail 100 in Phoenix, the 18.6 mile South Mountain Desert Classic Trail in Phoenix, the 15.6 mile Pemberton Trail in Scottsdale, the 7.7 mile The Mine Loop – Hawes Pass Area in Mesa, and the 5.5 mile White Tank Sonoran Loop in Phoenix.

The Charles M. Christiansen Memorial Trail 100, a mountain bike trail located in Phoenix is 21.2 miles long. Bike riders, walkers, and persons on horseback frequent this trail on the North Mountain Preserve. It is located in the middle of the city of Phoenix and surrounded by housing developments. Five trail heads feed into this single track.

The South Mountain Desert Classic Trail is more than 16,000 acres and 18.6 miles long. It is noted the largest municipal park on the planet. The park runs miles along the southern most tip of the city and separates new housing developments from Metro Phoenix. The trail runs along the southern face of the mountain with a winding single track. The trail is in the narrow corridor of desert foothills between the suburbs of Chandler and South Mountain. The run of the trail is a long and moderately physically challenging ride for the 20 plus miles.

The Pemberton Trail in Scottsdale, Arizona runs for 15.6 miles long. It is a single track running across the eastern facing slope of the McDowell Mountains east of Scottsdale. The trail is easily navigated in either direction but clockwise is recommended. It is noted both a fast and an easy loop.

The Mine Loop Trail of the Hawes Pass Area in Mesa, Arizona runs for 7.7 miles long. This is a mountain bike playground in an area where mining took place more than 100 years ago. The Mine Loop got its name from the unmarked mine shaft cyclists ride when carefully making their way riding the mountain mining trail. Miners prospected for everything but had no luck. The single track Loop Trail is under the protection of the Tonto National Forest.

The White Tank Sonoran Loop Mountain Bike Trail in Phoenix, Arizona runs 5.5 miles long. The trail is part of the White Tank Mountains comprising the western border of the “Valley of the Sun”. The White Tank Mountain Regional Park is the largest park in the Maricopa County park system at just over 41 square miles. The park is not fully developed for mountain biking but it is free of the popular weekend riding crowds. The trail sports a single track with a portion sporting a wider double track.

Bicyclists are at home in the Phoenix Valley. There are multiple trails on different mountain ranges for every level of rider from the amateur to the extreme rider. Avid bicyclists do not only find the Phoenix Valley a paradise for biking especially from October to end of March but the place to be for the thrill of the ride.