Ride: Arizona Day Trips

For those of you in a state where the riding is still possible, here are some rides that rank well with other motorcyclists. Most are 4 - 6 hours depending on your speed. Might just be me, but if I end up sleeping in my own bed after a day of riding, I'm staying off the Interstates and city streets, so I've tried to focus on scenic highways.

• Corondo Trail Scenic Byway (East Central) - it's about 123 miles one way. Starts in Morenci and ends in Springerville. It's scenic and has plenty of twisties (over 400 switchbacks), over a mile of elevation change and may be one of the best roads in the U.S. to ride according to biker accounts. You can find a very good description of the route on RoadNotes.com as well.
  
• Petrified Forest National Park (East Central) - this route is pretty straight forward, so a map is probably most used on your "to-the-entrance" and "from-the-entrance" routes, so you're on your own there. It will cost you $5 to ride through the park. For a review of the ride, check out Road Runner magazine. Since I'm a big fan of the magazine, I would recommend subscribing. It has great rides, is a small business trying to make it in today's magazine industry, and they seem like a great group of folks who just love to ride. I've subscribed or four years and have never been disappointed.
  
• Pioneer's Highway (South East) - at just over 200 miles, you'll pass the Biosphere 2 and Tom Mix memorial. Twisties, scenic vistas, and open pit mining on Hwy 177. Mine tours available.
• Catalina Highway (South East) - A 40 mile stretch from Tuscson to Summerhaven, this is a favorite with motorcyclists. Elevation goes from 3,000 to 9,000 feet via switchbacks and curves.
  
• Apache Trail & Tortilla Flats (South East) - Leave Apache Jct. and head north to Roosevelt Dam. Last 30 miles of the 50 mile ride are on a dirt road. Probably one of those rides you want to put into the middle of another day trip as a nice scenic aside. To check out a riders review, head over to Pashnit.com.
• Bagdad to Wickenburg (West Central) - a 123 mile ride through mountains, farmland, dessert and the little town of Prescott. Limited cage encounters, but make sure you gas up in Bagdad or you won't be encountering much of anything after a while!

I haven't been able to find too many well documented rides for the northern portion of Arizona. When I do, I'll add a post.