San Tan Mountain Park
UPDATE: SAN TAN PARK IS ALL DOUBLETRACK
There is no singletrack left in the system. They widened the corridors and added more lanes… The map below is now obsolete.
See San Tan Park Blog Entries for stories from my exploration days in the San Tans.
San Tan Park is located in the south east valley. The park has a budding trail system that is getting better and better. Park management is working to bring more mountain bike friendly trails in to the park and local riders have formed the QCRO to help with trail advocacy.
The San Tans trails have been know in the past as sandy and wide with very little singletrack. That is all changing. I’ve been riding out there regularly for a couple of months about a year and have ridden some fine singletrack.
Even though the trails are all pretty very tame, not very technical or steep, they are far from boring. Singlespeeders and hardtail riders will might enjoy the moderate trails while speed junkies can test their skills flying through pristine Sonoran desert. Sorry downhillers, there’s nothing for you yet…give us a couple of years and we’ll hopefully have some techy ridgeline trails for you.
The views of Rock Peak and the Malpais Hills are the only reason enough to get out there.
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| From San Tan Malpa… |
Trailheads/Parking
Skyline: $1 ride-in fee. There’s a small unimproved dirt lot with space to park along the side of the road too.
Phillips Main Park Entrance: $6 drive-in, $1 ride-in fee. No Parking signs posted from park out ¼ mile along the road outside the park. The main entrance has a visitor’s center and facilities. San Tan Park is also home to the Nathan Martens Arizona Memorial honoring fallen soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Trails
San Tan Trail: The San Tan trail has seven distinct legs. It is one trail with many personalities.
Rite of Passage: The San Tan trail from the Skyline TH over Goldmine mountain a “rite of passage” into the park. Only truly adventurous climbers enter from here. It’s a 1.1 mile climb. See First Ride in San Tan Park for details of this climb.
San Tan North: After the drop in to the park out of the rite of passage, San Tan meets with Goldmine then follows a wide jeep road until it meets with Moonlight. It’s fun, it’s fast and it’s wide.
San Tan West Singletrack doubletrack: From the Moonlight junction San Tan turns into wide singletrack doubletrack as it makes its way around a mountain. This is a fun lame trail. Small No ups and downs even a few no switchbacks.
San Tan West Doubletrack: This segment drops south at the Hedgehog junction and quickly turns into doubletrack until it meets up with the Malpais Wash junction.
San Tan South Singletrack Doubletrack: Awesome rolling singletrack doubletrack that runs East-West until it drops into Rock Peak Wash.
San Tan East Singletrack Doubletrack: A singletrack doubletrack climb to the saddle. Still loose in spots, needs rain and riding, but still very fun.
San Tan East Wash/Doubletrack: North of Saddle the San Tan is a sandy wash with tiny stretches of rideable trail until it meets with Hedgehog. From the Hedgehog junction it’s fast doubletrack back to the main park entrance.
Moonlight: This is very nice doubletrack that climbs gently for just over a mile to the San Tan West singletrack doubletrack.
Hedgehog: Great mile of singletrack doubletrack trail that connects off the San Tan West trail.
Malpais: Scenic yet sandy. A nice trail if it weren’t for about 2 miles of sand in various stretches. This trail has potential if some MTB friendly re-routing were to take place. If you’re up for adventure at least ride out to the junction at the Malpais wash just passed the saddle. There is was some nice singletrack buried in there, but it is was short lived.
Goldmine: Nothing special. Doubletrack leg that meets the north San Tan trail.
Rock Peak Wash: All sand. MTB re-route desperately needed.
Best Singletrack Doubletrack Options
CCW. Moonlight-San Tan Loop-Hedgehog. Then CW: Hedgehog-San Tan-Moonlight.
CCW: Moonlight-San Tan-Hedgehog. Then CW: San Tan Loop-Moonlight.
Download: MTBikeAZ San Tan Park TOPO Map (PDF 1.3 MB) Updated February 25, 2008
