Usery: You might find it scenic but boring. The only trail worth riding imo is a CW loop of Pass Mtn. It gets you off the desert floor (way off on the backside) and offers really scenic views of Bulldog Canyon on the N.E. side. Be warned, this ride is only ~9 miles but offers a bit of everything from relatively easy desert floor chugging along to long rock gardens best hit at speed and a quite steep decent from the high point. If you are up for that it's a nice addition to riding at the Hawes area. Overall I don't think it rates as super difficult but it has it's moments and those moments are not for the timid or novice rider.

 

Thanks eatdrinkride, I look at the Pass Mtn loop as an option.

 

Pass Mtn.?? Good grief, no. Not based on the OP's post. Skip Usery all together.
Hawes has exactly what you're looking for @Mtodd Park at the Usery OHV staging area at the south end of Maricopa Madness trail. Ride Maricopa Madness north, Wild Horse to Scorpion. Then Bush Lite East to Bush Lite West. Take Wild Horse to High Noon, then the short connector to Stinger Loop West & East and back to High Noon via short connector. Finish on Wild Horse and either ride up Lance's Trail or go back up Maricopa Madness to your car.

Gold Canyon has more rocks, but is incredibly scenic. There are a few punchier climbs, but still fun. To avoid all the hikers at the Cloudview Trailhead, stage your ride from the SW corner of Kings Ranch Rd. & Baseline. Ride Baseline east a couple of blocks, then turn left, north, on Blackhawk Rd. There's a gate at the end. Continue north on the trail, then join Lost Goldmine heading east. Depending on your fitness, bike handling skills, you may walk a short section on one of the climbs. Take a right on Cougar trail, then out to Gold Canyon trail and go left. Stay generally south on the short dirt road connections, then left at the 'T'. Look for singletrack straight ahead, this is Old Horse Trail. Take the 2nd left on K-Trail, then the next left on Vortex. Stay left at the next junction, then stay left as you pass by Gila Monster (You'll be coming back to this point momentarily) crest the short hill and take in the views. Go back down the short hill and take the left on Gila Monster trail. Follow it around, cross a dirt road and begin Diamondback trail. This trail ends at a dirt road. Across the road is K-Trail, take that heading east. You'll cross one dirt road, drop into and out of a wash to another dirt road. See Trailforks here. You can either stay on K-Trail or add a 2 mile loop back to this same area by riding Jodi's Dream. K-Trail does a series of dips in/out of a wash here. You'll eventually reach another dirt road. More options. If you've about had your fill, stay on K-Trail all the way back to Vortex, then exit to Old Horse Trail and back on Gold Canyon trail to the entrance trail & gate. Else, you can add another loop on Phantom to get more rock features, exit via Secret trail over to K-Trail and back to the start as mentioned above. Sounds like a lot, but it's really just a nice CW tour of the Gold Canyon trails.

 

Wow, thanks for your extremely detailed suggestions.
Your loop at Hawes is similar to the one I was considering.
Thanks for the Gold Canyon route, there are a lot of options there so it’s great to get some expert advice.

Thanks again,
Todd

 

If you’re considering Pass Mtn, I’d watch a video first.

 

Based on your criteria, do NOT consider Pass Mountain.

Schilling’s Hawes suggestion is spot on. There are some other variations at Hawes of the lower-angle variety, but that’s as good as any.

 

I should of added a Twisted Sister to Big Sister loop if you want to up the fun factor before heading back on Wild Horse at Hawes. Only adds about 2 miles.

 

I’ll check that out.
Thanks again for your post, I mapped it out on trailforks and it’s exactly what I was looking for as far as mileage and climbing.

 

no no on Pass mountain unless you do an out and back and stay on the west side. East side is true technical chunk

 

Thank you everyone for the pass mountain loop warning, it doesn’t sound like it fits what I’m looking for.


Does anyone have a suggestion on where to rent bikes near Tempe or Hawes / Gold Canyon?
Last time I was in town we rented bikes from the REI Co-op Adventure Center, which is too far north for where we’re going this time.

 

If you're in the area, don't overlook the White Tanks. It's pretty remote for the Phoenix area. You probably won't see anybody else, and I'll bet the waterfall is running right now.

 

looks cool, maybe I'll go west next year and check it out.
Thanks for the tip.

 

Hello all,

I’m looking for some local trail advice for an Arizona mountain bike vacation for my wife and I.
We’ll be staying in Scottsdale the first week in February and biking for two days.

We’ve been to Brown’s Ranch and McDowell Mountain Park and had a great time.
This time we’d like to check out Gold Canyon and Hawes, or maybe Usery, or something else in that area.

We’re looking for scenery and not a lot of climbing/tech.
Ideally we’d like to do a very scenic 15 mile loop with 1000 ft of climbing or less.

So, if anyone has a Trailforks route/ridelog that would be suitable, please share them.
Or, if you want to just share specific can’t miss trails, that would also be appreciated.

Thanks for your time,
Todd

@Mtodd How'd it go??

 

Trip was great, we’ll probably do another trip next year.
Hawes House had the bikes all ready to go when I arrived, I would definitely rent from them again.
Riding at Hawes was nice, easy trails, nice scenery.
Gold Canyon was a beautiful place to ride, very rocky on some trails like Gila Monster.

Thank you everyone that took the time to respond to my post.

 

I guess I'm masochistic... I've always enjoyed the Pass Mtn loop when I've ridden it. Heck, I've done it several times on a slack steel hardtail. Guess I prefer my trails like my peanut butter, extra crunchy?

 

Lots of folks like Pass Mountain. But it clearly is not what the OP was asking for.