Let's Ride: Shredding the Phoenix Mountain Preserve
Words and Photos by Chief Cyclery
In the middle of Phoenix, a city of over 3 million people, The Phoenix Mountain Preserves are an oasis from the urban sprawl and cookie cutter houses that make up the greater Metropolitan Area. I have a love/hate relationship with the city I call home, but the preserves are definitely a highlight.
The Preserves cut through much of the city and make up many miles of multi-use paths. They range from technical mountain bike trails to smooth Gravel Grinding. Nestled between Shaw Butte and the North Mountain is the western most part of the Charles M. Christiansen Trail 100. This is my most visited trail head for mountain biking in Phoenix and has multiple options for different loops. The trail is rocky and bumpy with short punchy climbs that pop in and out of the trail but can mostly be avoided depending the vibe of the day.
This day the trail took me under the 7th Street and I stayed mostly on the Trail 100 until looping around Trail 25 and back home for a nice punchy ride. The Route was 16+ miles with just over 1,000ft of climbing
See the ride route on Strava
