Desert Biking and Cycling

Where To Go

Below is a list of links to DesertUSA articles and information about park biking trails.

Arizona

Arizona Places To Go
Biking at Lake Powell/Glen Canyon NRA - The backcountry and primitive roads of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area are a great way to enjoy the scenery of the Colorado Plateau.
Wupatki National Monument - Biking at Wupatki is restricted to the Loop Road. The 36 mile route includes a lot of interesting things to see however: Bonito Park, for a view of Sunset Crater Volcano, Sunset Crater Visitor Center, Bonito Lava Flow Pull-out, Cinder Hills Viewpoint, Painted Desert Vista, Wupatki Visitor Center with access to the major pueblo, and the Doney Mountain Viewpoint.
Road Bicycling in Northern Arizona - Arizona carries a special appeal for cyclists because of the diverse array of landscapes. Moreover, the state, with more than 80 percent of its countryside belonging to the public, offers dozens of blue-line highways with hundreds of scenic miles of cycling.

California

Mountain Biking in Anza Borrego Desert State Park - Anza-Borrego Desert State Park offers the mountain biker a wide variety of trails for all experience levels.
California Places To Go
Mountain Biking Trails in Joshua Tree National Park - Paved roads in the park are narrow without paved shoulders. Curves, boulder piles and Joshua Trees restrict the vision of bikers and motorists. The unpaved roads in the park are safer for bikes and offer many opportunities to explore the area.

Colorado

Colorado Places To Go
Great Sand Dunes National Monument -With so few roads and so much sand there is not much opportunity for bicycling in the monument. Mountain bikes are permitted on the Medano Pass Primitive Road, but soft sand makes it more of a walk than a ride. All trails in the monument and adjacent to the U.S. Forest Service wilderness are closed to bicycles. A bike trail is planned near Zapata Falls for the future.

Nevada

New Mexico

Texas

Utah

Arches National Park - While the Moab, Utah area is famous for mountain biking, it is permitted only on paved roads within park boundaries. Numerous areas outside the park offer some of the best mountain biking anywhere.
Biking at Capitol Reef National Park - Bike routes at Capitol Reef range from the easy to moderate Scenic Drive route to the more difficult Cathedral Valley Loop and South Draw Road trips to the very strenuous Boulder Mountain/Utah Highway 12 and Burr Trail Road/Bullfrog Road/Utah Highway 24 Loops.
Canyonlands National Park - Canyonlands is famous for its mountain biking terrain, especially for the White Rim Road in the Island in the Sky District.
Moab - Spectacular scenery and world-class hikes within a short distance from Moab, mountain biking over the area’s highly polished rock formations, “slickrock,” holds an irresistible lure for some people.
Utah Places To Go

The Desert Environment
The North American Deserts
Desert Geological Terms

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