Red Mountain/Hawes Loop Trail system near Phoenix

[Brewhaha]

We took the fam down to Phoenix for the week between Christmas and New Years and found a couple trails to ride. A local rider recommended the Hawes Loop system and gave us some sketchy directions. So we headed for the trails. The first challenge was getting to the trailhead. It seems that developers are encroaching more and more on the riding area with high-dollar, gated communities so it makes it a little tricky to get to the trails. We ended up taking a gonzo-gnarly hike-a-bike trail for about a mile that was starting to make us question our decision. Luckily, we found a saintly local (just as we hit the rideable, downhill, fun section) who basically guided us through the system. He had entered the system in a much better place and avoided the hike-a-bike section. From then on it was absolutely fantastic. This system is really one of the premiere rides around the area. You are riding right through giant cactus of all kinds and it is a kick. Arroyos, saguaros, chollo, narrow hillside trails, and lots of sun. There are trails for all skills levels and (we learned later) several access points to match skill level as well. Here are some pics for your enjoyment.

[Sombeech]

Looks like some cool singletrack down there.

[chromehead58]

so how about some directions..i have been down that way a lot, and you are right, the locals there, it is like they are directionally challenged. I found a couple of rides there, but none of the ones that they all told me were the best..this one looks like a great ride. So nice pics, now tell me how to get there!LOL

[Brewhaha]

I've done alot of searching for directions since we rode the trail. This is, by far, the best map of the trail system out there.

http://www.globalbikesbikeshop.com/C..._HAWES_MAP.pdf

When I do this trail again (and I will do it again) I will do it in one of two ways:

1) Park at Walgreen's (on Thomas and Power) then ride the Power Rd Trail north and/or the highway (the trail is slightly more fun) to the official TH (near the "P" on Power). One could also park at Power Rd. TH parking lot near the TH but it is very small and there seem to be many reports of theft because it is isolated. Besides, the trip from Walgreen's to the TH is slightly downhill and a good warmup.

Once on the trail I would ride east and south on Hawes (slowly climbing) until I hit the Saddle Trail. From the intersection of Hawes and Saddle there are several choices depending on your time frame and skill level. Some things to know: a) Saddle from S to N has alot of fun, flowing downhill; b) Ridge from E to W also has some great flowing downhill sections as well as some moderately tech stuff near the end; c) the northern half of Saddle and the southern portion of Saguaro are also flowing ups and downs; d) the gnarliest section is the northernmost section (ridden almost always east to west) of Saguaro; e) the eastern half of Hawes is very fun downhill ridden east to west; f) the easternmost portion of Microwave Tower and all of Hawes Loop are virtually unridable but are a beautiful hike; g) I don't know anything about Desert Pass, Twisted Sister, Granite, or Wildhorse; h) you should exit the system at the Power Rd. TH and ride back to Walgreen's.

2) I believe that the best way to ride the system (where you do most of your climbing on pavement and most of your trail riding is downhill) is to park at Walgreen's and ride through the neighboorhoods to the Desert Pass Trail if open. If not, take the hike-a-bike Hawes Loop trail (just enjoy the scenery while you are pushing your bike along). Ride down Hawes Trail and then turn up Saddle and ride the loops you wish. Then, exit at the trailhead on Power and ride back to Walgreen's (slightly uphill) on the road/Power Rd. trail.

Lastly, take the map and notice that the trail signs often refer to their Train No. (shown in the key on the map) rather by name.

FYI, our route was to ride from Walgreen's to Hawes Loop (very well marked TH), then hike our bikes (we didn't expect to have to hike and some in our group got upset because of it; however, if you already know that there is a hike at the beginning and that the trail will eventually turn wonderful then it shouldn't be that bad) basically all the way until we hit the Microwave Tower Trail. From there the riding was amazing: down Hawes (E to W), up Saddle (also mostly downhill) to Ridge, all the way E to W across Ridge (mostly downhill, some moderately tech stuff near the end), then back to the TH and slightly uphill on Power Rd Trail back to Walgreen's.

We met some people who said that the absolute best way is to access the system via Desert Pass and then you get the best of everything.

Hope this help and isn't too confusing.