Back to Gold Canyon Mountain biking again - incredible random slamin maniacal crazy maze of trails…read more Like a spiderweb, no kidding. It's a picture postcard day to snap a few photos of Sonoran desert plants with a back drop of gold and bronze mountain ridges. Can you dig it? Sly incredible blue and billowing clouds scattered throughout. Paint that if you are an artist! Due to the fact I've only ridden here a handful of times on my travelsI, I often stop at intersections and consult my Trailforks app for the best way to go. Do all the blue and green trails I can and some of the black diamond. Make sure you come back on the K trail. It's like a thrill ride at a Disney theme park! K trail promises big dips with big drops and big pops Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah! Solid Mountain bike riding skills, stamina and the lust to ride like your pants on fire - is a must!

Wow one of the best places ever…read more Seriously, get great trails great rocks, cool artifacts to look at, (but not touch;) !! Peridot Quartzite Agate Garnet schist Chalcedony

Not the most breathtaking views but it was a picture perfect day for a hike, and I wanted to see…read moresaguaro cacti. Some of the cacti were in the upwards of 30 feet tall. They look like stick figures with arms raised toward the sun in the fields. I took the four mile D trail "Over the Mountain Loop." It does not matter which direction if you are completing the entire trail, but I would go with the "start" direction if you only want to do part of the trail as it heads toward the side of the mountain with a better view. Multiple signs with mile count and QR code. Even though it was only 60 degrees, it was warm in the sun with a gentle breeze. Got to say hello to a horned owl nested in a cactus umbra. I would not have seen it except a fellow hiker who visits every year told me to look over the fence. Not a large parking lot and not any nearby alternatives, so be patient. A ranger was cutting off traffic from the trailer only parking, and she was recording license plates.

Such a great experience at Brown's Ranch! The volunteers (specifically Mary!) were so sweet to my…read morefriends and I when we showed up late morning on a hot day for a hike. She immediately warned us of the heat and how easily and quickly heat exhaustion can hit. She recommended we do the quick .5 mile loop and then come back to see how we feel. We completed this in about 15 minutes but saw some gorgeous cacti, butterflies, lizards, and other desert critters! We let her know we were up for more so she gave us another path to take and told us a specific marker to turn around at. This one definitely upped our heart rate and was more challenging. I wish we came sooner so we could have completed it in full, but we were wiped by the end of it with the heat. There is a building at the front of the trailhead with bathrooms, maps, and some of the animals that live in this part of the dessert. It was very informative!

This is a beautiful trailhead // park that the City of Scottsdale takes great care of. My friend…read moreand I decided to take a bank holiday hike up here very last minute. I had never been to this trailhead in all my years of AZ living (a surprise!) and really enjoyed it. There is plenty of parking for cars, off-roads and trailers. You're bound to see humans and four-legged friends all over. The trailhead has a nice ramada with a small office for their volunteers, and public bathrooms. They also have a historical timeline of the area and lots of maps (both large and printed) to help figure out where you wanna go. We spoke for a minute with one of the volunteers to decide on a trail that wasn't too crazy - we just wanted to be outside, not do a lot of climbing and enjoy the scenery. We got all of that, and some, taking the ~4mile Latigo and Chuckwagon Loop. As my saying still goes, no bad day on the trails...

Heck yes! Very well-maintained. No motorized vehicles allowed. Has bathrooms, water fountains, and…read morebike tools.

Hubs and I had been looking for an actual mountain bike park and found this place through another…read moreYelper. There is a nice hiking trail around the perimeter or through the park that is well maintained. It's more of a bike jump park with places for kids to get comfortable as well. We don't have any other of these parks that I know of around the valley so while it was smaller than expected it's the only one. The hike is easy and we would come back if we're in the area as it's about a 50 minute drive from home. Definitely happy we checked it out!

I had a last minute trip to Scottsdale and had no plan of doing anything outdoors. Fortunately, I…read morefound Sonoran Outdoor Adventures and was able to book online easily. Marek met us at Brown's Ranch Trailhead with our fat tire bikes, helmets, water and snacks. Safety was a top priority and Marek made sure our bikes were the right height for us. We booked the sunset tour and I am so happy we did. Marek was so informative and shared a lot of history and information about the area we were in. I had never explored a desert setting and I have to say it is breathtaking! The entire time I felt like I was on a fake movie set - YES it's that beautiful! Marek took lots of pictures and even recorded a few videos. Hours after our tour he sent us a custom mini video with pictures and videos of our tour. If you have time for a bike tour please do not hesitate to book the Sunset tour with Sonoran Outdoor Adventures. We chose the beginner level for our tour and although it was a lot of peddling, we survived! Can't wait to do it again!

Good location--the reserve is beautiful and huge. Excellent introductory experience (we were…read morebeginners), tour was tailored to our interest and skill level. Tour guide, Levi, was excellent, and very knowledgeable about history and plants/animals do the desert. Would definitely recommend.

Very nice hiking trails with great views. I only hiked, not biked but my brother said the trails…read moreare great for biking. The trails are not paved. You're in the desert. I went in November and the weather was perfect.

GREAT place for any skill level of mountain biker or biker! I recommend going up North Star and…read morethen shooting it down into the hurl, and then starting over again

Mike was a fantastic guide for my solo hike. He not only took me on a fun, beautiful hike, he also…read moretook some extra time to suggest some interesting places to visit while on my visit in Scottsdale. I highly recommend Wild Bunch.

The guides were great and catered the experience to our abilities and desires. It was a super fun…read moreexperience for the whole family.

As a true patron of the Hawes trail system, ridge is a must for each ride. With rocky descents and…read moretough climbing, it brings something to the table for everyone. However, if you're new to the area or just new to mountain biking you may want to steer clear of this trail until you have had a bit of dirt under your tires. At 1.8 miles long, Ridge is one of the most difficult and exhilarating trails that the "Hawes" System has to offer. As most of Hawes is a cross country style of riding, many people decide to venture onto this trail without true knowledge of what they are getting them selves into. The start of Ridge gets into some slight downhill on the edge of the mountain with an open face to your right side. This adrenaline rushed ride can be bombed through, our picked at methodically, as there are many jagged rocks waiting toss you off the edge. While the red rock begins to disappear, the climb to the tip of Ridge Trail begins. At the peak, there are stunning views showing Red Mountain and all of the Salt River area. Personally, I enjoy riding this trail early in the morning or in the evening as the sun hitting the mountain is a stunning sight. However, enough of the scenic talk, back to the trail. As you tires begin to rotate faster you'll find yourself bombing through tight corners and steep rocky descents making your heart rate shoot as if you were climbing a mountain. Although, what goes down must come up. At the end of your wild roller coaster ride you drop into a wash, which turns into a river after large storms, and begin the treacherous climb back to power road. This is were roadies tend to prevail leaving mountain bikers, especially us single speeders, in the dust. If you haven't been out the the Hawes Trail system I would highly suggest a trip. Try to avoid it on Saturday mornings as many hikers seem to favor doing this trail backwards which leads to some awkward encounters as you almost plow through them (not that I have ever experienced one of these moments). Whether you are a seasoned rider trying to test your skills, or a beginner who wishes to improve their technical riding give Ridge trail a try, you'll be happy you did.

Went on a hike with my partner and our dog the other day. We had high hopes but were pretty…read moredisappointed. We hiked all the way to the top of the mountain and we just felt it was a little depressing. It's not the most aesthetic trail by any means. It's right near some power plant which gave it an industrial vibe. The mountain was a straight incline on concrete. The very top was the best part, but I'm in no rush to hike here again.

We were able to hike but there really was no more. Like hiking on gravel, not the best AZ has to…read moreoffer

Great experience! The Jeep was super cool and our tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable. We…read morereally enjoyed everything about the trip! Only heads up is that if you are in the back row, it's difficult to hear the guide because of the wind noise. Would be nice to incorporate some type of audio so everyone could hear all the interesting facts.

Kennedy was very knowledgeable and made it a great experience! Great break from the resort…read moreactivities for my wife and I