Best gravel riding in Arizona in winter

[litcrazy]

I’m back for more travel advise. Our son is coming home for his winter vacation, so we’ll save Granada for another year. Having looked into it, it’s high on our dream list.

We’re now planning a 4-5 trip to Arizona right after new year’s. We love Sedona’s mountain biking, but my wife prefers gravel so I want to find a place with good gravel.

Is there good January gravel riding near Sedona or does it get too high and this snowy on the gravel routes?

Should we just plan on Tuscan and/or Patagonia for winter gravel? I’ve heard good things….

Somewhere I’m missing?

I’d love to hear from the Arizona folk

[lorenbike]

I lived in Tucson and loved the entire region. I mostly rode Mtb or road, but did a bunch of local gravel riding near mount lemmon and Redington pass. Tons of riding near Patagonia but I never road much of the gravel options there. My favorite off road riding was pretty much any of the AZT north or south of Tucson. Enjoy, winter is dreamy there and I miss it so much!

[Likes2ridefar]

I sent a pm offering to chat.

I missed January first read, so edited. It is cold and short days in Jan so I’d stick to low elevation near phoenix or Tucson. I’m partial to phoenix but am familiar given I live here. Both offer plenty! Mornings can be very cold and once the sun is out a few hours it is usually lovely. Ideally you can cherry pick ride time and begin very late morning or best in the afternoon.

[Likes2ridefar]

Resources for routes…I’ve done many of them so feel free to ask..

https://azgravelrides.com/
https://dirtyfreehub.org/routes/arizona/wolf-creek-az/

[aaronffs]

Originally Posted by Likes2ridefar

Resources for routes…I’ve done many of them so feel free to ask..

https://azgravelrides.com/
https://dirtyfreehub.org/routes/arizona/wolf-creek-az/

both of these two websites have good AZ route recommendations

I will say you can get bored of patagonia really quickly, has to be one of the most overrated riding spots i've ever experienced

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by aaronffs

both of these two websites have good AZ route recommendations

I will say you can get bored of patagonia really quickly, has to be one of the most overrated riding spots i've ever experienced

Agreed, it wouldn’t be a destination choice for me. It is too remote and there is nothing to do…not great for long, dark nights. Sonoita maybe as a day trip since it’s close to Tucson. Great vineyards there for some tastings!

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by litcrazy

Should we just plan on Tuscan and/or Patagonia for winter gravel? I’ve heard good things….

I haven't ridden there -- full disclosure: I sold off my gravel bike when I moved to AZ full-time! -- but all of my friends who do ride gravel rave about the gravel riding in Patagonia.

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by Bob Ross

I haven't ridden there -- full disclosure: I sold off my gravel bike when I moved to AZ full-time! -- but all of my friends who do ride gravel rave about the gravel riding in Patagonia.

The only drawback is it could be pretty chilly…but it could be beautiful too! Same with Prescott,,,could be cold or beautiful.

[djg21]

Originally Posted by litcrazy

I’m back for more travel advise. Our son is coming home for his winter vacation, so we’ll save Granada for another year. Having looked into it, it’s high on our dream list.

We’re now planning a 4-5 trip to Arizona right after new year’s. We love Sedona’s mountain biking, but my wife prefers gravel so I want to find a place with good gravel.

Is there good January gravel riding near Sedona or does it get too high and this snowy on the gravel routes?

Should we just plan on Tuscan and/or Patagonia for winter gravel? I’ve heard good things….

Somewhere I’m missing?

I’d love to hear from the Arizona folk

I’ve did the Spirit World 100 in Patagonia last year. The gravel was great, and the terrain pretty spectacular. It will be very cold in the morning, but will warm up as the day progresses. Unfortunately, I had to defer my entry this year, but i’m looking forward to 2025. Let me know if you head to Patagonia. I will be out there over the winter.

Patagonia is a small town, and isnt a lot to do apart from outdoor activities.

[sparky33]

The gravel riding out of Patagonia is excellent. Beautiful, remote, nicely maintained dirt roads. The town is modest but has a few good spots. January may be chillier than the mild weather I had there in late October a few years back.
Heidi and Zander are the resident gravel experts and run The Cyclist's Menu from Patagonia. You might reach out to them for advice on January weather and conditions.

[Likes2ridefar]

Jan vs October is a significant difference, it’s 105 right now and close to normal. In January it’ll be 70s, maybe high 60s. Since Patagonia is higher elevation it is about 15 or so degrees less than here.

I’ve been there in November (thanksgiving weekend) and it’s around freezing in the mornings and maybe hits 50s or 60s peak. The town is close to shut down. Most Everything was closed when we were there.

[Hilltopwalters]

Leaving a comment so I can find this thread when I head back out at the end of December. I was born and raised there and didn't get into cycling until about a year before I left. Usually just bring my road bike but I'll be bringing my Ti all-road/gravel/single speed mile muncher this time as well.

[Likes2ridefar]

there aren’t many truly gravel roads in Arizona. I can only think of a few I’ve seen around Flagstaff, Alpine, and a beautiful truly gravel loop in organ pipe national monument down south near Mexico.

That said there are seemingly unlimited dirt roads which you can access leaving both tuscon and my area in Scottsdale without touching a road with traffic. You could then conceivably ride or bike pack anywhere in the state on dirt rarely encountering traffic.

Highly recommend 40mm or larger tires with tread. The loose top surface here can feel sketchy without tread down the center. Bigger the better, imo, because you never know what you’ll encounter and the terrain changes from smooth hardpack dirt to sand and then technical, very rocky more like giant single track better suited for a full suspension bike in a matter of seconds at times!

[lorenbike]

Originally Posted by Likes2ridefar

there aren’t many truly gravel roads in Arizona. I can only think of a few I’ve seen around Flagstaff, Alpine, and a beautiful truly gravel loop in organ pipe national monument down south near Mexico.

That said there are seemingly unlimited dirt roads which you can access leaving both tuscon and my area in Scottsdale without touching a road with traffic. You could then conceivably ride or bike pack anywhere in the state on dirt rarely encountering traffic.

Highly recommend 40mm or larger tires with tread. The loose top surface here can feel sketchy without tread down the center. Bigger the better, imo, because you never know what you’ll encounter and the terrain changes from smooth hardpack dirt to sand and then technical, very rocky more like giant single track better suited for a full suspension bike in a matter of seconds at times!

This, I quickly learned in Tucson that for most ‘gravel’ roads I’d rather be on my hardtail with flat bars than a drop bar bike with 40mm tires.

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by lorenbike

This, I quickly learned in Tucson that for most ‘gravel’ roads I’d rather be on my hardtail with flat bars than a drop bar bike with 40mm tires.

I’ve a full suspension mtb with faster XC tires I frequently use now for dirt road riding. It’s faster in most conditions than the gravel bike and is way more comfortable.