Imagine pedaling past towering saguaro cacti underneath immense cliffs of red ribboned rock while watching the sunset in a blaze of pink and orange. There’s good reason why Arizona is a popular tourist destination, and one of the best ways to explore this Southwestern state is on a bike. Arizona’s striking natural scenery, many national and state parks, and mild winters – at least in the southern end of the state – make it a hot biking destination.
Several Arizona tour companies offer biking tours in different corners of the state. While some trips are geared toward experienced cyclists, several are beginner-friendly. With added activities such as bird watching, hiking, rock climbing, and stays in regional inns and hotels, all provide the chance to experience the 48th state up close and personal.
Bike Escapades
Each winter, Bike Escapades operates the Desert Winter Sunshine Arizona tour. This seven-day adventure begins and ends in the southern city of Tucson. You’ll ride from 25 to 45 miles per day, exploring destinations such Saguaro National Park, the wild west town of Tombstone, and the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum.
The tour covers a range of terrain, from flat to rolling hills, and includes six nights of accommodation in inns, bed and breakfasts, historic guest houses, and ranches. Several meals are provided – including daily breakfast – and you can rent a bike or bring your own for a fee. If you need a break, just hop into the support van that follows you along the road.
Escape Adventures
There’s no place on earth quite like the Grand Canyon. Explore it by bicycle with Escape Adventures. This Las Vegas-based tour company provides offers two Arizona biking expeditions: Grand Canyon North Rim Introduction and Grand Canyon North Rim. Tours operate in spring, summer, and fall and follow the mountain bike trails that wind through Grand Canyon National Park.
Beginning bikers can take the five-day Introduction tour, which covers from 55 to 65 miles of backcountry trails per day. The Grand Canyon North Rim tour is geared toward intermediate or advanced bikers and covers from 105 to 145 miles each day. You’ll rough it in a Kaibab Plateau base camp, which features a porta potty and solar showers. All meals, support van services, bicycle maintenance, and the services of two guides are included, as well as a free T-shirt.
Sojourn Bicycling and Active Vacations
If you love biking but want to pack your Arizona tour with a range of other activities that don’t involve pedaling, take the Sonoran Sojourn in Saguaro National Park Tour from Sojourn Bicycling and Active Vacations. This six-day expedition leaves from Tucson and leads to Saguaro National Park, where you’ll meet a naturalist and take a hike into Sabino Canyon. As you ride through the Sonoran Desert, you’ll stop to ride horses at a luxury guest ranch, explore the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum, and browse the art and handicrafts at the Tubac Art Colony.
This tour is appropriate for a range of cyclists; you can choose to ride from 12 to 70 miles per day depending on your endurance level. The tour package includes lodging at luxurious resorts and guest ranches, all dinners, all breakfasts, and airport transfers.
Escapades Bike Trips for All Seasons
Escape Adventures
Sojourn Bicycling and Active Vacations