Arizona's 5 Most Popular Trail Networks According to Trailforks Data

The American Southwest is chock full of bucket list locales, and perhaps no single southwestern state is home to more of them than Arizona. The 6th largest state in the country by area, Arizona's vast geography lends itself to a surprisingly diverse set of trails and trail networks for a place most often associated with cacti and dry desert landscapes. From the mixed and evergreen forests of Flagstaff, to the stunning red rock canyons of Sedona, to the massive "sky islands" of Mount Lemmon and everything in between, The Grand Canyon state is a veritable playground for mountain bikers and the trail associations who call it home know it.

We wanted to see which networks in Arizona were the most popular, and so we headed to our sister site Trailforks to get the intel. Trailforks is a trail management system for riders, builders and associations and it aims to provide the very best tools to inventory, maintain, promote and showcase trail networks. By using the Trailforks ridelog feature, we were able to take a look at which trail networks across the state are the most ridden. While this is an accurate representation based on user input, this is not a list of favorites per se. It is a direct reflection of Trailforks usage, and if you want to ensure that your own riding has an impact on lists like this, you can do so by connecting your Strava account to Trailforks, or by simply using the tracking feature in the Trailforks app itself. This information can make for some spirited conversation, but more importantly can be leveraged by trail associations in their advocacy efforts.



This area was formerly known as Pima/Dynamite, and was incorporated into the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. It's a multi-use network that is also popular with hikers, runners, equestrians as well as mountain bikers. The trails are remarkably different than the rest of the valley. The vast majority of the trails are buff smooth, with very few on-trail obstacles. There are plenty of spiky flora just off the trail, which probably represents the biggest threat to you and your bike. There is also very little elevation change in the area. The steeper climbs tend to be very short and punchy, and the longer climbs are easy and gradual--most well below 5% grade. The trails tend to climb from south to north. All of this adds up to a great place for beginners, kids, and anyone looking to build their skills. It is also a great single-speed destination for riders looking to avoid hike-a-bike. These trails are looked after by the Desert Foothills Mountain Bike Association.

Brown's Ranch mountain biking trails





South Mountain is the premier trail network in Phoenix, AZ, the largest city in the state. At more than 16,000 acres, South Mountain Park/Preserve is one of the largest municipally managed parks in the nation and consists of three mountain ranges - the Ma Ha Tauk, Gila and Guadalupe. Additionally, the roadways throughout the park are a favorite for bicyclists. It utilizes 1,400 vertical feet of relief from its highest point to its lowest, and features over 116 miles of multi-use trail for riders, equestrians, and hikers. The Gravity Riders Organization of Arizona have their advocacy efforts focused on both South Mountain as well as the Phoenix Mountain Preserve.

South Mountain Park mountain biking trails





Hawes is a stacked loop system of trails east of Scotsdale, AZ. It is currently home to 28 miles of mostly XC trail with an additional 7 miles planned per the Hawes Trail Alliance master trail plan. The trails are built on land that was previously used as a construction road for buried fiber optics from the radio towers. The trails utilize a maximum vertical relief of 1,200 feet and while many of the trails are undulating and can be technical in nature, there is an increasing number of sustained descents and features throughout the network as well.

Hawes mountain biking trails





McDowell Mountain Regional Park offers over 40 miles of hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding trails. Park Trails range in length from 0.5 miles to 15.3 miles and range in difficulty from easy to strenuous, with a maximum available elevation gain/loss of 2,300 vertical feet from the highest point to the lowest. The trails are primarily XC oriented and there is connectivity via dirt to neighboring Brown's Ranch just north of here. The Desert Foothills Mountain Bike Association advocate for and steward these trails among many others in the greater PHX region.

McDowell Mountain Regional Park mountain biking trails





Sedona isn't often broken down into specific trail networks by those who pay it a visit, and it gets plenty of visitors every year. Instead it's often simply referred to as Sedona, and rides here are often a combination of any number of given trail networks due in large part to its interconnectivity. Oak Creek is the southernmost trail network in Sedona, with 45 miles of riding spread out among 41 different trails. The year-round rideability coupled with stunning vistas in every direction can make for a busy place, but the Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition are hard at work advocating for all cycling in Sedona and the Verde Valley.

Village of Oak Creek mountain biking trails