Two Different Kinds of Riding
Scottsdale's biking scene splits cleanly into two categories, and most visitors end up doing one or the other rather than both on the same trip. The paved, mostly flat paths -- the Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt and the Arizona Canal Trail -- are built for cruising, commuting, and easy sightseeing, and work fine on a rental cruiser or hybrid bike. The McDowell Sonoran Preserve's dirt trail network, concentrated in the north around Brown's Ranch, is a genuine mountain biking destination with singletrack, washes, and rocky sections that call for a mountain bike and some trail-riding experience. Knowing which kind of ride you want before you show up will save you from renting the wrong bike.
The Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt
The Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt is Scottsdale's signature paved path, running roughly the length of the city and linking a chain of parks, lakes, and golf courses along the way, including stops like Chaparral Park, Indian School Park, and the McCormick Ranch area with its Marguerite Lake. What makes it stand out for cyclists is the number of grade-separated underpasses built where the path crosses major roads, which means long stretches where you're not stopping for traffic lights or dodging cars. The path also connects south toward Tempe Town Lake, so a longer ride can extend well beyond Scottsdale's own borders if you want the extra mileage. It's flat, shaded in patches, and about as low-stress as riding gets in the Valley -- a solid choice for families or anyone who just wants an easy loop.
The Arizona Canal Trail
The Arizona Canal Trail runs along the canal that cuts through the Scottsdale area and is the better pick if you want your ride to double as sightseeing near Old Town -- it passes close to public art installations and gives easy access to the streets around the <a href="/scottsdale/blog/scottsdale-old-town-guide/">Old Town</a> gallery and dining district, including the area near the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. It's another flat, paved option, and it's easy to hop off the canal path onto city streets if you want to combine a ride with lunch or gallery-hopping.
Mountain Biking the McDowell Sonoran Preserve
For actual mountain biking, the McDowell Sonoran Preserve is the destination, and Brown's Ranch, at the north end of Alma School Road, is the main trailhead for the preserve's northern trail network. This area -- which also includes the Granite Mountain and Fraesfield trail zones -- is known for smooth, flowing singletrack over hardpack and decomposed granite, with gentle grades and generally good visibility, making it approachable for beginner and intermediate riders while still offering enough mileage and terrain variation to challenge experienced ones. Ride lengths range from short loops to genuinely long days -- some of the connected routes in the preserve stretch well into double-digit mileage for riders who want to link trails together. Access to the preserve is free with no permits or day-use fees required, and trailheads like Brown's Ranch have parking, water, and restrooms. Trails are shared multi-use paths, so bikers yield to hikers and horses. For more on the preserve generally, including hiking-focused trail picks, see our <a href="/scottsdale/blog/mcdowell-sonoran-preserve-guide/">McDowell Sonoran Preserve guide</a> and our broader <a href="/scottsdale/blog/hiking-in-scottsdale/">hiking in Scottsdale</a> guide.
E-Bikes and Rules Worth Knowing
E-bikes are common on Scottsdale's paved paths, and Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes are generally permitted on the multi-use greenbelt paths, though Class 3 (higher-speed) e-bikes are typically not allowed on the same shared paths -- check current City of Scottsdale rules before bringing one, since local policy can be updated. On the preserve's dirt trails, e-bike rules are separately governed by the preserve's own multi-use trail policy, which is also worth checking directly before you ride if an e-mountain-bike is part of your plan.
Timing Your Ride
Heat is the real limiting factor for biking in Scottsdale for a big chunk of the year. In the cooler months, roughly November through March, riding is comfortable at almost any time of day. From late spring through summer, plan rides for early morning, and treat any midday ride -- paved path or preserve trail -- as a heat-safety situation: carry more water than you think you need, and don't push a long preserve ride in peak summer heat. Our <a href="/scottsdale/blog/scottsdale-in-summer/">Scottsdale in summer guide</a> has the fuller heat-safety picture if your trip lands in the hot months.
Renting a Bike
Bike rental shops operate around Old Town and the greenbelt corridor, offering everything from cruisers for the paved paths to mountain bikes suited for the preserve trails -- availability and exact rental locations shift over time, so check current options close to your visit rather than assuming a specific shop is still operating in the same spot.