Biking in Phoenix in July

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Biking in Phoenix in July
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flag Badgerpoo
Posted: Jun 30, 2022 at 3:45 Quote
Hi folks, I'm from the UK but will be visiting Phoenix in July (Yes I know this is the exact worst time to do this) but would like to get out biking while I'm there. Give the temperatures will be silly, where could I reasonably drive to that would be worth a visit?
flag freerider11
O+
Posted: Jun 30, 2022 at 5:08 Quote
Badgerpoo wrote:
Hi folks, I'm from the UK but will be visiting Phoenix in July (Yes I know this is the exact worst time to do this) but would like to get out biking while I'm there. Give the temperatures will be silly, where could I reasonably drive to that would be worth a visit?

I was down in Phoenix in May. Mid day temperatures even at that time were 100F+ (38C), and riding in those temps was difficult (pretty sure I suffered from heat stroke and dehydration for a couple days). Remember there is basically no shade on the trails there so you feel the full heat from the sun. I'd suggest riding either really early in the morning (like crack of dawn early) before it heats up. Or ride at night (bring lights). Not sure if you'll have access to a vehicle, but your other options are to travel about 2 hrs north to Sedona which is generally a little cooler than Phoenix. Or about 2 hours southeast to Tucson and ride some of the trails higher up on Mount Lemmon where it's significantly cooler than the desert down below. Watch out for rattlesnakes (saw a few when I was there) and bring some tweezers on your rides for plucking out the cactus spines that you'll inevitably brush up against on some trails!
flag lucythefin
O+
Posted: Jul 1, 2022 at 23:38 Quote
A 2ish hour ride to Sedona or Prescott is your best bet to get out of the Phoenix area heat and to a bit cooler and higher elevation. Though I would still recommend starting your ride earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon. Of course Sedona will have all the popular and famous trails known to mountain bikers. You could also make sure you have a good bike riding light and actually ride some Phoenix area spots starting at about 6pm. Daylight usually doesn't run out in the summer until 830ish pm, so you can get a good 2 hour ride in the evenings and if you run out of daylight you can still finish your ride in the dark. Best place to ride then would be Hawes in the East Valley, Mesa area, especially the trails on the East side of the mountain which should have shade at that time.
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