Biking Prescott AZ
Mountain Biking in Prescott AZ offers a variety of rides, terrains, and places to explore. If you're planning a weekend of cycling in the Prescott area, the big question will be what to pick, and what to miss out on. If you're staying here longer term, you're in luck. There's plenty to do, and no shortage of trail options for your adventure!
Peavine Trail
The Peavine Trail is part of what we call Rails to Trails as the original “trail” was built by the Santa Fe Railway. The Peavine can be accessed from the trailhead parking area or via Watson Lake Park located on hwy 89 in the Granite Dells. Both have a $3 parking fee(FREE on Wednesdays). The trail is around 6 miles long with the first section running along the eastern side of Watson Lake. The trail is welcome to bikers, hikers, and horseback riders. It’s not a very strenuous trail and is mostly flat which allows for hikers and bikers of all ages to enjoy. Don’t have a bike and wanting to cruise down the trail? Check out Prescott Ebike and rent an electric bike for an hour or two or the day.
The Whiskey Row Off Road
Mountain Bikers know of the Prescott area well. Thanks to the high profile "Whiskey Row Off Road," which takes place here every year, serious mountain bike racers are very familiar with all that the area has to offer. Late Spring of each year thousands of riders descend on the city in order to test their metal on the 50+ mile loop ride.
You don't have to be a racer to give the course a try. And you don't have to do it all in a day.
The Prescott Circle Trail
The newest addition to the area's trail system connects some of the major outdoor recreation locations together. From Granite Basin to Thumb Butte, over to White Spar and moving up to Goldwater Lake, then across to "P Mountain," and down to the Granite Dells, and finally back to Granite Basin. The Circle trail offers a wide variety of trail types and terrain to make for an epic one day or two day ride!
Hundreds of miles of trails
If you're not looking to try out The Whiskey Row Off Road's race course, and you'd rather not circumnavigate the whole city, that's okay. With many side trails, spur trails, and other loop opportunities you can find biking opportunities all around the City of Prescott. The locations noted above regarding the circle trail offer short rides and long rides alike. As we said at the beginning of this page, your toughest job will be figuring out what to ride first!
Riders for the Whiskey Row Off Road Mountain Bike Race at the ready!
Biking along the Peavine Trail
The Prescott Circle Trail
- The Circle Trail -
Prescott's Newest Addition For Outdoor Enthusiasts
The City of Prescott is an amazing area to live and visit. For years the city has boasted some amazing outdoor recreational opportunities. From Granite Basin's Forest Service lands, to Thumb Butte, to Goldwater Lake's city park, and over to the Granite Dells with Watson and Willow Lake city parks, the city is surrounded by amazing locations to spend a day! With trails surrounding the entire city, is it any wonder that at some point someone would have the idea to tie many of these locations together?
The Circle Trail now interconnects some of Prescott's outdoor icons. It's more than a 50 mile circuit around the city, and passes through forest service land, private land, and city owned property as well. Visitors looking to spend some time following the trail will be delighted with the varied landscapes offered around the city, and they'll also enjoy Prescott's year round mild temperatures.
From Granite Basin through to Thumb Butte, and beyond toward Goldwater Lake and eventually to "P" mountain, trail users will find themselves in dense pine forests. They'll also get to see some scenic water features at both Granite Mountain and Goldwater lake.
Heading north from "P" mountain visitors will delight with the views of the Granite Dells, and Watson and Willow Lake city parks. Just an FYI, Willow Lake is also known as "Heritage Park." The terrain and elevation changes going through the Granite Dells is a little easier than the jaunt through the mountains offered by Granite Basin and Thumb Butte. And the granite formations are incredibly scenic.
From Watson and Willow, trail users will cross along Embry Riddle Aeronautical University toward Granite Mountain, and Granite Basin. No matter where you start from, or how far you go, the trail offers a great variety of terrain, offering you options for a day on a section of the Circle Trail, or for a few days circumnavigating the City.
You don't have to do it all in one day!
Remember, you don't have to push out 50 miles in a single day. You can explore Prescott AZ at your own pace. Mountain bikers could easily complete the circuit in a day, long distance runners too. But this isn't a race. The trail offers days of enjoyment, and leads you to some incredibly scenic areas. Why not take the time to absorb it all, and give yourself a few leisurely days circling the City of Prescott? Better yet, explore Prescott and all it has to offer over a few days!
The Latest Biking Related Posts from Explore Prescott
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Add Something New To Your 'Things To Do In Prescott' ListJuly 8, 2022How about taking a ride on an electric bike(Ebike)? The Peavine Trail is scenic and unique with many residents taking advantage... -
Lynx Lake - Prescott, AZMay 7, 2021Explore Prescott took a trip over to Lynx Lake to make a virtual tour of the North Shore and South... -
Mountain Spirit Gallery Virtual Tour - Prescott ArizonaOctober 25, 2020Prescott’s Historic Whiskey Row is home to many interesting businesses. From restaurants to jewelers, Art Galleries to famous bars, the... -
2 sections of the Circle Trail you can skipSeptember 20, 2017Continuing with our series on sections of the Prescott Circle Trail, we decided to do something a little different. We’ve... -
5 mile sections of The Prescott Circle Trail - Goldwater Lake to White Spar CampgroundSeptember 14, 2017Continuing our series of segments of the Prescott Circle trail, today’s post brings you along the 5 mile segment from... -
5 mile sections of The Prescott Circle Trail - Peavine to Willow LakeSeptember 11, 2017The Prescott Circle Trail is over 50 miles in length. While completing it in a single day is possible for... -
The Peavine Trail Prescott AZ - Bike, Hike, Run, and RelaxSeptember 3, 2017Follow the red arrows to see the ride we did this morning. Located in the Granite Dells next to Watson Lake... -
A Hike on the Constellation Trail - Prescott AZSeptember 1, 2017With so many trails to hike, bike, run, climb, and ride horses along, one of the big issues for this... -
Granite BasinApril 21, 2017Granite Basin – National Forest Service From almost anywhere in town the majestic Granite Mountain can be seen in the background. ... -
Watson Lake ParkApril 21, 2017The Granite Dells look changes from day to day based on weather and time of year. You never know what... -
The Prescott Circle TrailApril 21, 2017The Prescott Circle Trail is a relatively new venture in the City of Prescott. Well, new to the public that...