PLACES TO RIDE - ARIZONA
Places to ride in Arizona. Sadly our two favorite venues, Speedworld & Grinding Stone, have closed over the years, but we sure are grateful we got to enjoy them while we could (along with Moto Grande, Moto Land, Canyon MX, ET Motopark, Verde Valley, and a few others). Below are some photo's and info that we hope you enjoy.
Stay young, have fun, PLAY!
Stay young, have fun, PLAY!
ALTO:
Located just outside of Prescott, in the nicely treed, cool high country, and just under a 2 hour drive from the Phoenix area. From I-17 (North or South) take the Prescott exit, Hwy 69, heading west. Follow Hwy 69 into downtown Prescott, the road will turn into Gurley St. Follow Gurley St for about 1/2 a mile and turn right on Grove Ave. Follow Grove Ave for about 1.25 miles, it will turn into Miller Valley Rd. Turn left on to Iron Springs Rd and follow for 5.5 miles. The Alto OHV Forest Service entrance will be on your left. Shortly after you enter, there is a self-serve day use fee area and camping info. The day-use fee is $5 per car load.
BOULDER:
Out near Peoria, great for all ages....
ET MOTOPARK:
** Verify info before heading out, it's been a while since we last rode here. Quads are no longer allowed at ET, so we don't know have current info. Located in the East Valley, right on the edge of Apache Junction; take highway 60 east to the Ironwood exit and head south on Ironwood for about 5 miles, you shouldn't miss it. Big Bikes and Quads are $25 per rider and $15 or $20 for kids under 80cc. There is a main track (south track), a vet track (north track), a pee-wee track for the really little guys & gals, and a mini track for the advanced or bigger pee-wees. The bikes have access to the main and vet track, while the quads now only have access to the vet track. Although the vet track is a pretty good, there are a few things that could be done to make it a good vet track. Unfortunately it's not unusual to see someone being air-vacced out, from the vet track, and it's almost always a bike rider. The vet track had some serious work done to it and it is getting better over the years. There is only one gnarly/long double on the track that could easily be made into a table or scaled down to really make this track a good one for all levels of riding, but we like the double because it gives us an advantage over some of our friends that we ride with. Vet riders and beginners/novice riders will have a good time on the Vet track. We saw a few quads out there that were really airing it out (clearing the triple), and they may intimidate the novice rider, but the quads aren't allowed on the main track, where the serious racers could really perfect their skills. The youth (80cc) track appears longer and wider, for the size of the quads and bikes on it, than the vet track... and the kids get to kick the quads off the only track they're allowed on, for their 50-80cc sessions. It's pretty lame shelling out more money than the youth riders and having to share a track with them (when they have one just for them). There are a total of 4 tracks, 3 of them are open to the bikes and the quads get to share the other one. That's pretty much our only pet-peeve about the facility. Mostly because a lot of youth bike riders get hurt on the Vet track and then the track is closed to everybody until the helicopter or ambulance arrives. We've seen a lot of kids go down over the years, and most could probably be prevented if they weren't allowed on a track that is beyond their abilities. The Beginner track (50-60cc) looks very mellow for the little riders, the kids always look like their having a blast. Parents should caution their young beginners to watch out for the kids that cut the track though. For hours, races, and more info check their site www.etmotopark.com.
SYCAMORE CREEK:
Located just north of Fountain Hills. Follow the 87 north (Beeline highway) towards Saguaro Lake. You’ll go past the Saguaro Lake turn off, get in the left lane, take the next left (crosses over median-road thru bushes) and at the stop sign you’ll see the entrance across the southbound lanes of the highway, just slightly to your left. Follow the entrance in and find some shade. There are usually quite a few riders out here early. There are a lot of good trails and a wash that people like to rip up and down. We want to see it after it rains. Located near Saguaro Lake and has quite a few trails to venture on. We've been out here a few times with both our quads and our truck. The trails are nice, clean, and very scenic. To get here take Highway 87 (the Beeline) north of Fountain Hills towards Payson. Follow the signs to Saguaro lake, and turn into the boat staging area (before you get to the lake), just head straight back into the dirt. There are no fees to ride here.
Speedworld (Surprise, AZ) was our favorite from 2000 to 2012. So sad it closed down. We also miss Grinding Stone (Fountain Hills) for it's amazing natural terrain track.
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