Arizona Mountain Bike Ride
Windgate Pass Loop Ride
McDowell Sonoran Preserve, Phoenix, Arizona

Ride Synopsis:

Description:

This was the first time I'd been out to sample the trail system in the relatively new McDowell Sonoran Preserve near Scottsdale, although we've been rock climbing in the area for a lot of years. This is a beautiful area for one so close to a huge metro area like Phoenix and we are incredibly lucky that it was saved from the rampant development, graft, and other questionable politics that seem to flourish in Arizona. I think future generations will profess many thanks that this area has been set aside for preservation and recreational opportunities as they do now with the Phoenix Mountain Preserves.

The trails are rocky, as expected, but not overly so, and it's not all that technical of a ride. You do need to be able to push your bike over rocks now and then, so don't expect it to be smooth riding. But South Mountain, it is not, other than you get the fun of climbing up, and up, and up. Physical demands of riding in this area seem pretty high if you get off the basic trails in the flats and up into the hills.

Logistics:

You can park in a couple of places; the Basha's Grocery Store lot just west of the Thompson Peak Parkway/Bell Rd. intersection offers a reasonably populated option and you don't have to worry about the lot being full. There is a small dirt lot at Bell Rd. and 104th Street, but I would expect that lot fills up on weekends and other busy times. You can always try the lot and fall back to Basha's if needed. If there are some available, maps are stashed in a metal box on a pole near the gate on the north side of the lot as you hit the trail. From the 104th St. Trailhead, ride north through the gate. DON'T turn right for the Levee Trail! Keep going north on the 104th Street Spur (dirt). Half a mile from the parking area, you swing east (right) and go another 0.32 miles to a "T" intersection with the Gateway Loop Trail. Go left here and continue on that trail, passing a left turn intersection for the Horseshoe Trail. Stay on the Gateway Loop for about 1.4 miles at which point the Gateway Trail is a right turn and the Windgate Pass Trail is straight ahead. From here, just grunt up the Wingate Pass Trail for a little over 2 miles to reach Windgate Pass (sign). Skip all the side trails (Desert Peak Trail, Inspiration Point) on the way up there. You will be very busy steaming uphill, so make sure to pay attention. There are many options from Windgate Pass. For the purposes of this description, turn around and head back down the same way you came.