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Bike ride through Central Phoenix
With the weather being so nice for this time in June, I thought I'd go for an early morning bike ride through central and north Phoenix.
Here's my ride. It's a Specialized Hardrock mountain bike with hybrid tires. I think it's a mid 1990's model. http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4910.JPG Here's where I'm going. I'm starting at 5th Avenue & Culver and heading clockwise. I think it's around 40 miles round trip. I'd recommend it if you're looking for a good bike trip around Phoenix. http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB.../s512/Map.jpgG Kenilworth Elementary School. A few notable Arizonans attended classes here including Barry Goldwater, Margaret Hance, and John Talton. http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4911.JPG There's a pedestrian overpass on the south side of Kenilworth that will get you over 7th Avenue. It's also a good perch to cheer on any friends who are running in the PF Changs marathon. http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4912.JPG View of DT Phoenix from the pedestrian overpass: http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4913.JPG 15th Avenue & McDowell. This place reminds me of a scene in Coming To America: "See they're Winchells. I'm Wishells.." http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4914.JPG Heading north on 15th Avenue. The City of Phoenix recently changed 15th Avenue from a four lane road to a two lane road with bike lanes and a center turn lane. This was good because the only other nearby north/south streets with bike lanes in the central city are 23rd Avenue and 12th St. http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4915.JPG A nice little rose garden along 15th Avenue. http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4917.JPG Encanto Park. It's turning 75 years old this year. I think it looks pretty good for its age. http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4918.JPG Wildlife at Encanto Park. http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4919.JPG http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4920.JPG Encanto Park clubhouse. http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4921.JPG The 18th green of Encanto golf course. The 10th hole tee box is in the distance. http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4923.JPG Crazy Jims on 15th Avenue & Indian School. I eat here sometimes. http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4924.JPG The 1st hole tee box at Palo Verde golf course (near Maryland & 15th Ave) It's another City of Phoenix golf course with mostly par 3s. http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4929.JPG Just across the street from Palo Verde (the west side of 15th Avenue) is a few old farm houses. I heard a rooster crow as I rode by. http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4930.JPG http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4932.JPG A church located on the NWC of Maryland & 15th Avenue. Maryland is between Bethany and Glendale. The street doesn't cross I-17, but there is a nice pedestrian overpass where Maryland terminates at I-17. http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4933.JPG A home with a little horse ranch out front. You can barely make out the horse. http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4935.JPG A view of 15th Avenue north of Northern. http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4937.JPG Royal Palm Park on the east side of 15th Avenue between Northern & Dunlap: http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4939.JPG 15th Avenue terminates at Dunlap. So I'm taking that service road in the left of the picture to connect to the Arizona Canal. And no, Dan Quayle isn't running for congress. His son, Ben, is. I looked it up. http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4940.JPG Riding west along the Arizona Canal towards 19th Avenue. The Diversion Channel runs parallel with the Arizona Canal on the north side. It's called the ACDC canal.... which sounds cool. http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4941.JPG It's time to head north on the Cave Creek Wash. The trail branches north at the Rose Mofford Sports complex between 19th and 25th Avenues. http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4942.JPG This picture of the diversion channel reminds me of that scene in Terminator 2. You know, where the liquid metal terminator is chasing John Connor's motorcycle in a semi.... and thinking of Terminator 2 reminds me of Guns N Roses "You Could Be Mine." I'll spare you all and not add the youtube link. http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4944.JPG The Rose Mofford Sports Complex along the Cave Creek Wash trail. http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4945.JPG One of the cool things about the Cave Creek Wash trail (and the Arizona Canal) is that there are tunnels and/or underpasses that will get you by the main streets without having to deal with traffic. They are like freeways for bicyclists. This is the Peoria Avenue tunnel. http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4949.JPG There's trails on both sides of the wash. However, the Peoria and Cactus underpasses are on the west side. http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4951.JPG A park just before Thunderbird. http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4953.JPG A bridge to get to the east side of the Cave Creek Wash. http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...2/IMG_4954.JPG The view from that bridge (looking south). There was a lot of water in here after the heavy rains in February. http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4955.JPG The trail now takes us underneath Thunderbird Rd. http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4957.JPG Cave Creek Golf Course. It's the third City of Phoenix golf course on the route today. I've never played it. http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4960.JPG After riding through the golf course, the bike path terminates at 19th Avenue. You need to ride north on 19th avenue for a tenth of a mile or so before you reconnect to the trail. The City of Phoenix planned to build (or is planning) a really expensive pedestrian bridge across 19th Avenue here to eliminate the brief trail gap. I think the HAWK street crossing system, similar to the one used in Melrose on 7th Avenue, would be as effective and far less expensive. http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4962.JPG This is the point where the two washes connect near 19th Avenue & Greenway. One option is to head northeast, underneath Greenway, where the trail eventually connects to Union Hills. However, I chose to follow the path/wash that parallels Greenway heading east. http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4963.JPG The view from along the trail: http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4964.JPG Moon Valley Park. There were a lot of spots to practice pull ups here. http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4967.JPG At this point of the ride, I was pretty hungry. So I called my wife and asked her to meet me at U.S. Egg near 3rd St & Greenway. It's famous for its Protein Pancakes. I opted for the Sonora Breakfast burrito instead. http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4973.JPG The exterior of U.S. Egg: http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4975.JPG After U.S. Egg, I went north on Central and connected with Union Hills. I turned east on Union Hills. There's not much on Union Hills worth mentioning except that it has large bike lanes in some spots. I think my Mini could fit in the bike lane. Here's the Paradise Valley Golf Club which is right next to PVCC. http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4978.JPG Approaching SR51. Once there, I'm turning south. http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4980.JPG There's a stretch of pedestrian overpasses between Union Hills and Greenway. These are good ones in that they don't make you ride up and down switchbacks to get to and from the bridge. http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4981.JPG The bridge at Bell Rd. http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4985.JPG What the bridge looks like inside: http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4986.JPG After Bell, the path switches to the west side of SR51. I used this bridge in between Bell & Greenway to get to the other side. http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4988.JPG A view from inside the bridge: http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4989.JPG Boojum Tree Hidden Garden (seen from the bike path) It hosts weddings and the website makes it look like there's a rain forest inside. http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4990.JPG http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4991.JPG After Greenway, the trail switches back to the east side of SR51. This time though, you go under SR51 (and Thunderbird Rd shortly thereafter) in a tunnel that looks like this: http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4994.JPG I left the bike trail at 36th St and headed south. 36th Street has a bike lane. Roadrunner Park is a park near the intersection of 36th St & Cactus. It hosts a farmers market every Saturday AM. I haven't actually checked it out yet, but I know it generates good crowds. http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_4997.JPG 36th Street ends at Mountain View. I turn east on Mountain View and connect with the Dreamy Draw bike path. It begins at 32nd St & Mountain View. Here is the view from the trail. It runs parallel to SR51. http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...2/IMG_5000.JPG A view of the mountain preserve along the Dreamy Draw bike path. http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5001.JPG I take this bridge to cross an on-ramp where Northern intersects SR51. http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5006.JPG Heading south on Dreamy Draw Dr. http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5007.JPG http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5008.JPG Aunt Chilada's! I went to a few happy hours here when I was in my 20s. They now have a Saturday and Sunday brunch from 10am-2pm. I didn't stop for the $7 Three Amigos shots. http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5009.JPG Dreamy Draw Rd. ends at Glendale. I turned west and reconnected with the Arizona Canal and headed northwest towards 12th St. This is the view from the tunnel beneath 16th Street. http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5016.JPG I exited the canal at 12th St and headed south. For a brief stretch, 12th St doubles as the Phoenix Sonoran Bikeway (PSB). The PSB runs from the Carefree Highway & Cave Creek Road all the way down to South Mountain. I've biked the whole way, but never in the same day. To read more about the PSB click here:http://www.azbikeped.org/images/SonoranBike.pdf http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...2/IMG_5018.JPG I turned right on Maryland. The PSB continues along Maryland to 3rd Avenue. Here are some of the nice places along Maryland in between the 7s. http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5020.JPG http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5021.JPG Murphy's Bridle Path (on Central & Maryland) http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...2/IMG_5024.JPG The Olympus Condominiums... which I think look cool. http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5027.JPG Elevation Phoenix http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5028.JPG The PSB continues south where 3rd Avenue meets Maryland. In my opinion, the neighborhoods between Maryland and Missouri are some of the nicest in Phoenix. Here's some of the houses. I was jealous of everyone's lawn. http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5029.JPG 3rd Avenue ends abruptly (between Maryland & Bethany), but there is a nice pathway to reconnect you to it. http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5033.JPG Nice homes: http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5036.JPG http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5038.JPG There is a pedestrian bridge over the Grand Canal. http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5045.JPG Vicelord John strongly recommends this hotel to out of town visitors. For the record, my wife and I spent a night here once and we thought it was fairly nice. Unfortunately, the rooftop bar was closed at the time. http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5047.JPG A view of midtown from 3rd Avenue. http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5048.JPG St Joseph's Amazing dot org (I'm headed West on Earll Dr to get to 5th Ave - the southbound portion of PSB continues there) http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5049.JPG I like the 50's era apartments on Earll. http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5051.JPG My daughter was born at St Joseph's Hospital two months ago. http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5052.JPG Cruising down 5th Avenue through Willo. http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5054.JPG Now, instead of going home, I thought I'd do a brief downtown Phoenix construction update. First up, the Court Tower: http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5058.JPG One Cityscape photo: http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5069.JPG New landscaping at the Chase Tower. I wouldn't call it lush, but it's an improvement over what was there. http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5072.JPG The streetscape along 1st Street near ASU DT. That reminds me. I was not expecting to see the old Ramada Inn/Sahara still there. A small section along Taylor St. was demolished, but the rest of it is still standing. http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5075.JPG This is my favorite view of downtown: http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5077.JPG Roosevelt Square was painted recently: http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5078.JPG I'm going to wager that the Pita Jungle will open in August. I see that they are applying for some liquor licenses. http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...0/IMG_5081.JPG I'm home. I own a kegerator. It offers the perfect post-ride beverage. To quote Ferris Bueller, “It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend you picking one up.” I'm drinking Four Peaks Hop Knot in case you're wondering (because I'd be). http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3vRXRsn0YWA/TB...2/IMG_5082.JPG |
Thats a crazy long ride! Is that all the photos you took? If you took a bunch more you ought to make a photo thread and post it in the main area, those few look promising :D
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damn nice tour and pics and information, thanks! For as straight and relatively boring the grid of phoenix's street/transportation system is, there really are some unique trails and tunnels and connections a biker can take.
good choice on the keg. |
Oh wow I hadn't seen that Roosevelt Square repainting, that looks awful. The off white they had before fit with the architectural style and with the character of the neighbor. That red is gross.
I agree on the favorite few of Downtown though. :D |
How long did this take you to compete? Your thread makes me want to go out and buy a bike. It's definately an interesting view of Phoenix. Pretty cool!
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Man, that was terrific! Not only the time devoted to actually riding but stopping to photograph, upload, caption and post. Really, nice.
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Great pics! One of the thing i like about Phoenix is that there's probably no other major city in the country where you have horse property basically within a mile of LRT. As central Phoenix continues to urbanize in the future the juxtaposition will become even more striking.
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Thanks for the comments guys. I'm glad you enjoyed the tour. I love exploring metro Phoenix on a bicycle. I've seen a bunch of neighborhoods and streets that I never would have seen in a car. I'll try to do another bike ride photo tour in the fall.
Tito - On my road bike, I would normally complete this route in 2.5 to 3 hours. However, with the stop for breakfast and all of the pictures, it took me about 6 hours. A good resource to locate bike paths, streets with bike lanes, and bike routes is the MAG Regional Bike Map. It was last updated in 2008, so there's been a few changes since then. For the most part though, it's pretty accurate. Here's the link: http://www.mag.maricopa.gov/detail.cms?item=4643. You can also order color copies of the bike map. It is free and MAG mails it right to your home. |
great pix and info. that was fun! thanx!
Wide World of Maps also makes and sells 2 Metro Phx Bike maps (1 for the east side, one for the west.) |
Nicely done. Bravo! :)
--don |
An awesome bike ride on a sunny day, breakfast burrito from US Egg, an ice cold pint of hop knot, sounds like an ideal day. :cheers:
Thanks for taking the time to share photos! |
how long did it take you?
Oh and I want my name taken off the Clarendon!! lol and I like the way Roosevelt Square looks now it stands out. |
Cool. Phoenix looks fairly flat. Is that true? 40 miles is a good ways. What was the temperature like? Nice bike by the way.
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This city was made for bikes. I frequently will rent a mountain bike in Tempe, and ride around Tempe, then a short hop over to some mountain trails. Being from the Southeast, it's a welcome change.
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Digging this old thread back up, I finally rode this route (sort of) as I'd wanted to since you first posted it.
I went north on Central from Washington to the Arizona Canal and went west to Skunk Creek, took that path north to Union Hills, then went east. I then took the 51 path to 36th and then through squaw peak park and dreamy draw to Arizona Canal and back over to Central. It was a nice little ride only about 50 miles and I really appreciate you briging that 51 path to my attention, it's fantastic. I even made the stretch from Union Hills and the path all the way to 32nd and Mountain View a Strava segment. Here's the route I took: http://app.strava.com/rides/3993225 Can't believe it took me almost two years to get around to doing this... |
:tup: Good job. With your route mapped, it shows you just how sprawled the metro area is since you covered a good amount riding. Incredible.
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VLJ,
Strava.com looks like an awesome site! I just downloaded the app Maprika for iPhone. Haven't tried it out, but looks similar to strava. |
Leo, I'm not sure about Maprika, but I'd used Mapmyride, ridewithgps, ridetoaster, and a few others. Strava is, by far, the best one. The data it keeps, the comparison with other riders, and the monthly challenges and competitions they do make it a very interactive program, I truly love it.
By far though, the coolest feature, is the "segments" which pit everyone who passes over that stretch of road against each other. |
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