Thousands of miles of narrow, rocky, sandy singletrack trails lace the state of Arizona from north to south and east to west. Arizona has it all: from rugged backcountry trails to urban networks, from sandy desert to high alpine aspen groves. If there’s a type of mountain biking that you love, you can find it here.
When we first wrote about the best trails in Arizona in 2016, we said that the state has flown under some mountain bikers’ radars compared to other western states like Colorado and Utah. In the intervening nine years, it’s safe to say that perception has changed. Popular destinations like Sedona have become absurdly popular with riders, hikers, and tourists alike, and the Sedona Mountain Bike Festival launched in the intervening years. While cities like Tucson have long been popular winter training grounds, it now seems like every single pro rider worth their salt migrates to Tucson to train over the winter.
New trail development across the state has elevated numerous destinations. The Hawes trails have transformed from renegade lines to the best MTB trails in Phoenix. All-new trail systems like Bean Peaks in Prescott are adding modern flow trail flavor to the state’s offerings. And top destinations like Flagstaff, Tucson, and Payson continue to build new trails to expand on their classic singletrack.
It’s never been a better time to be a mountain biker, and that applies doubly in Arizona.
1. Hangover, Sedona
The Hangover Trail has become a household name in mountain biking culture due to its extreme exposure, technical maneuvers, and jaw-dropping beauty. This iconic line wraps around one of Sedona’s vaulted red rock monoliths, traversing exposed ledges before plunging straight down the side of the red rock face.
“This is easily the spookiest trail I’ve ever ridden,” wrote Singletracks contributor John Fisch. “The combination of technical challenge and high consequence for failure, all situated among some of the most beautiful scenery on the planet, makes for a unique and moving experience. All but the top 1/10 of 1% will dismount, probably more than once, but it’s so worth it. Even when entering with a good dose of confidence, you will likely exit with an even bigger dose of humility. If you can keep the fear factor from overwhelming the fun factor, it’s definitely a 5-star experience.”
Sedona is such a fantastic destination that there are several other trails that could easily make this top five list. In fact, we could almost choose five Sedona trails, call them the “Best in Arizona,” and not be lying. However, in order to keep this list diverse, consider Hangover a nod to everything in Sedona. Other key Sedona trails that deserve honorable mentions and are more than worthy of being ridden include Hiline and The Hogs (the Broken Arrow Trail System).
Full Article: “When Bandit Trails Go Legit: The Hangover Trail, Sedona’s Crowning Jewel“
2. Bug Springs ⇾ La Milagrosa, Tucson
The Full Lemmon Drop is one of the most epic mountain bike shuttle runs in the United States. Starting on top of 9,157-foot Mount Lemmon, this route connects the best trails in the region into a massive 29-mile ride from mountain summit to valley floor. However, trying to complete the entire route is certifiably brutal: riders will still have to climb 3,700 vertical feet along the way, for a total of 10,000 feet of descending (6,300 feet of net elevation loss).
It’s an all-day adventure for even the most fit and technically adept riders.
For a more achievable ride, the bottom half of the route, extending from Bug Springs to La Milagrosa, is a fantastic day ride for advanced mountain bikers. The elevated rock slabs on the Bug Springs ridgeline are unbelievably beautiful and entertaining to ride. The final descent down La Milagrosa is brutally technical, earning its double black diamond rating. But compared to some of Arizona’s uber-gnarly trails, there’s a certain flow to La Milagrosa that lets you know that bikers have been riding this route for years and fine-tuning the lines… even if they’re still pretty damn difficult!
3. Hawes Trail System, Mesa
Since our original Arizona trail roundup was published in 2016, the Hawes Trail System in Mesa has risen to prominence as the best mountain bike network in the greater Phoenix Metro Area. This expansive trail system features purpose-built mountain bike trails ranging from easy and flowy to brutal double black diamond gnar — and everything in between. From the top of the ridge, the views of the mountains rising to the north and the desert immediately below are breathtaking.
Intermediate riders (and even quite a few beginners) will have a fantastic time ripping the mellow Big Sister flow trail. Black diamond riders can’t go wrong with Red Mountain Rush — a flowy ridgeline descent mixing in technical features. And for true double black diamond gnar, Boulderdash is a must-ride.
But these are just the highlights. A seemingly endless array of trails drop off the ridges and circle around the base. No matter which trail you choose, it’s almost impossible to go wrong with a ride at Hawes.
4. Arizona Trail
The Arizona Trail (AZT) is a non-motorized singletrack trail that runs 800+ miles across the entire state — north to south. While some portions of this trail are closed to mountain bikes (most notably, the stretch through the Grand Canyon), the vast majority is open to knobby tires — and in general, the singletrack is fantastic!
The AZT alignment is home to a plethora of iconic day rides, including out-and-back routes, point-to-point epics, and fantastic loop combinations thanks to other nearby trails. If you’re looking for an iconic day ride on the AZT, Tim Racette, Executive Director of the Mountain Bike Association of Arizona (MBAA), recommends the Picket Post segment.
In addition to endless day ride options, the AZT is also home to a bikepacking race every spring with two different distances: either 300 or 800 miles.
Unlike the Continental Divide Trail, the AZT already offers a continuous singletrack experience from border to border. Even still, the trail keeps getting better: reroutes in recent years have improved the bikeability of several previously brutal sections and have even increased the total length of the trail.
Full Article: “The Arizona Trail Race is Still Self-Supported and as Hard as Ever“
5. Bean Peaks, Prescott
“Bean Peaks is a gravity park filled with jump trails that’s accessed by good ‘ole sweat equity,” writes Tim Wild. Unlike other Arizona trail systems that have dabbled in flow trails, Bean Peaks stands out with a dedicated network of purpose-built, directional trails ranging from beginner to advanced. While Hawes and Flagstaff also offer some flow trails, Bean Peaks’ gravity-forward design is unique in the state.
This new trail system just opened in 2024 and, thanks to its unique trail offering, it is quickly becoming one of the most acclaimed riding destinations in Arizona. 6.5 miles of singletrack was opened during phase one, and phase two is currently under construction. Once complete, Bean Peaks will boast 32-35 miles of singletrack.
Full Article: “More flow trails are under construction in Arizona’s groundbreaking Bean Peaks trail system“
Your Turn: There’s no way that a top-5 article can cover all of Arizona’s best trails, so tell us your favorite trail in the comments below 👇
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Feb 5, 2016
17 minutes ago
Feb 5, 2016