Today, Valorie Bradley was talking about the Ramblings of a Tucson Runner, noting how nice it is to live in Tucson if you are into running. Certainly Phoenix and Tucson share this in common.

But where Phoenix has a bit of a leg up on Tuscon is in the quality and number of the mountain biking trails we have here. I’m an avid mountain biker myself, having ridden many of the best places in the western United States. Places like Lake Tahoe, Moab, and Mammoth Mountain come immediately to mind as awesome places to ride a mountain bike.

But Phoenix cannot be overlooked. We have some truly world class trails, most notably the National Trail at South Mountain. This trail brings mountain bikers from across the globe to test their skill. For some, riding National becomes a true addiction, as they come back nearly daily to attempting to ride each and every section “clean”.

A great thing about Phoenix is that you can ride nearly every day of the year. The Monsoon pokes a few holes in that, but for the most part, we’ve got clear, sunny skies, making this a biking mecca. Cyclists are out in force year round, even in the heat of the summer. The typical summer ride is either very early in the morning, or under the lights after the sun sets. Either way, the key is hydration. And once fall hits, and over night lows are consistently in the 70’s, there are no barriers to riding every single day.

Throw a dart at a map of Phoenix and you’ll find a trail within a few miles, so picking a place to live, if you are into mountain biking is a cinch. But for some really special locations, that are reasonably affordable, where you can be on a trail in under a mile, consider neighborhoods like Ahwatukee/Foothills in Phoenix near South Mountain, McDowell Mountain Ranch in Scottsdale near the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, Las Sendas in Mesa near the Hawes Trail system, and anywhere near Piestawa Peak (aka Squaw Peak) in North Central Phoenix.

Lastly, if you are new to the valley, and are looking for a riding buddy, just give me a jingle. Or, drop by MTBR’s Arizona forum and let the gang there know. You’ll have 10 people offering to hook up with you before the days over.

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