Hawes Wild Horse

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Mesa, AZ, US

Route Overview

East Side Cycling

Mountain/Road Biking

10 mi.

1,031 ft.

A nearly 10 mile route through desert hills composed of singletrack, grand views, and good advanced beginner-intermediate riding.

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Route Details

This is a mountain bike route that introduces you to the Hawes trail network and provides a fun 10 mile out and back (for 20 miles total) or a loop if you choose to take the highway back to your car.

The route starts at Power and Thomas roads and of course the Walgreens on the corner has a parking lot, I think they prefer bikers to park in back.  Crossing the road you will go over a canal with water, and then an empty floodway and just before you get to the first house/wall on the left @slice[an inconspicuous trail goes to the left along the fence on the side of the floodway](d,217.5,1800.28). You will ride along a pleasant trail that works it's way through desert trees that make a tunnel in some spots ever running between the floodway and the wall behind the houses until you cross an east/west floodway and shortly after you go through a fence and turn east.  You are now in the Hawes system.

@slice[In a third of a mile or so you will come to a trail junction](d,1841.65,2122.36) where you will go left on the lower Hawes trail where you will ride through a @slice[flowy trail in and out of small washes around the hill](d,2122.36,2661.99).  Soon you will come to another trail junction and you want to take the right fork to take the Saguaro trail.  @slice[The flowy trail continues in and out of washes and up a short hill until you get to what the locals call the 4 way](d,2712.33,3644.36).  You will continue straight on the Saguaro trail winding through the Cacti and brush to get to the bottom of the @slice[steepest climb on the route](d,4521.98,5239.13).  It is the climb up to the Twisted Sister/Big Rock trail intersection.  This is the most technical part of the ride and admittedly is a lungbuster.  It is no shame to walk parts.
After the trail finishes the big climb it winds around to a saddle where there is a trail junction.  Straight is the technical section of the Saguaro trail and is not for beginners.  @slice[You will go right onto what locals call Twisted Sister](d,5444.36,6426.97).   There are a few spots that most people have to walk but 90% of it is rideable until you get to the fun part where the "Twisted Sister" moniker comes from. @slice[It is a quick flowy trail curving gracefully in and out of Cacti and Bushes.](d,6467.62,8032.03)  Watch your knees,  Cholla balls are very agressive once you touch them.

Near the bottom you will cross a wash and if your speed is sufficient will shoot up the other side to where the @slice[Wild Horse Trail](d,8135.66,13214.61) connects.  Heading east instead of north and down to the road,  you will ride on a nice not too technical trail that slowly climbs up to Usery Pass.  The trail gets it's name from the herd of wild horses that lives in the area.  Eventually you will come to what was once known as the @slice[NRA pit](d,13317.74,13746.57) and was a large area full of features built by downhill bikers until the forest service bulldozed them.

If you follow your GPS you will come to the @slice[Upper Wild horse trail](d,13895.39,15310.95) which will take you on a mildly technical trip through the hillside up to just below the pass.   At this point you could take the road up and over the pass and turn right on McDowell with another right on Power to get you back to your car, or you can go back the way you came and maybe try a few of the other Hawes trails.

Getting onto upper wildhorse can be tricky as a lot of the downill trails are still there so it can be a bit of a maze,  but the main trail continues to get more established the longer time passes.

# Important Reminders

Carry more water than you think you need.  The desert air is dry and even if you aren't sweating you are losing water just by breathing.

*Tubeless tires are highly recommended as all the plants are evil and want to strand you out there.*

*Carry a spare tube even if you have tubeless in case of a sidewall failure in the rocks.*

During summer it's better to ride really early or after dark.

Don't ride beyond your abilities.  Much of this route is advanced beginner but some is intermediate - advanced,  when in doubt, walk it.

A pair of needle nose pliers or a comb come in handy for pulling agressive Cholla cacti off of various body parts which might contact them.  They call it teddy bear cholla but it ain't soft and furry.

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Hawes Wild Horse

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