Ride to the Towers - A Phoenix Tradition

 

Photo Credit: Andy Lenartz, South Mountain Park

Riding to the towers on top of Phoenix's South Mountain Park is a local tradition. It is a solid climb, covering over 15 miles round-trip from the Park's Visitor Center to the recently remodeled Gila Valley Lookout, which is the closest point to the towers accessible by bike and the traditional end to this ride. Over these miles, you will climb about 1,600 feet. 

From the top, you can take the road back down or use several downhill trails for a mountain bike ride. This also makes for some great long shuttle rides across the park.  Or you can attempt South Mountain repeats, those taking it a level beyond Adventurish do multiple laps up the mountain. 

One of the best times for this ride is Silent Sundays at South Mountain, when the park roads are closed to motorized traffic, only visitors on foot, non-motorized wheels, or horses are permitted until 10am on Sundays. There is an expanded version on the 4th Sunday of the month, when the roads are closed the entire day.

The only road into the interior of the park is accessed through the main entrance off Central Avenue on the north side of South Mountain. To participate in Silent Sunday, you can park at the Activity Complex lot. Located across from the Visitor Center, this is a massive lot with plenty of parking. On the 4th Sunday closure, you cannot drive further than this point. On other Silent Sundays, you can drive approximately one mile into the park to access some smaller trailheads.  

While there, make sure to check out the newly remodeled Visitor Center with updated exhibits, interactive maps, and extensive history of the park and surrounding area. Whichever type of experience you choose, you will have participated in a local tradition! 

 

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