Scottsdale's Sonoran Desert by Mountain Bike, at Your Own Pace
A private three-hour ride from a McDowell Sonoran Preserve trailhead, with trails picked after the guide sees how you ride.
This ride is only for the people you book with. One booking takes one to five riders, and the operator says no one you did not book with is added to your group.
You start at Pima Dynamite Trailhead, one of the trailheads of Scottsdale's McDowell Sonoran Preserve, and ride for three hours. The guide checks each rider's skill and shows everyone how to handle the bike before choosing which trails to take. The listing promises rolling Sonoran Desert, towering cacti and a mountain backdrop.
The card below books the three-hour version of the ride. The price is per rider. A group of four pays four times the single rate.
3 Hour Sonoran Desert Private Guided Mountain Bike TourThree-hour private guided ride from Pima Dynamite Trailhead, with bike, helmet, gloves, water and snacks included.www.viator.comThe Guide Sees You Ride Before Picking a Trail
The listing spells out the order. The guide evaluates each rider's skill level, trains everyone to use the bike safely, then selects the trails.
First-time riders describe a short lesson before setting off, and one wrote in April 2025 that the group practiced some moves in the parking lot first. One experienced rider who went in November 2021 wrote that the guide still went through riding technique and how to get through the hard parts.
The operator lists the bikes as front suspension with disc brakes. Its booking notes add a dropper seat post.
A City Preserve That Keeps Its Own Hours
Pima Dynamite is one of the trailheads of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, which the City of Scottsdale puts at more than 30,500 acres and over 230 miles of trails shared by hikers, bikers and horse riders. Entry is free, and electric bikes are not allowed anywhere in it.
The preserve is open from sunrise to sunset, and the city sets opening and closing times for each trailhead through the year. Rides start between 8:00 AM and 2:00 PM, so even the latest start finishes at 5:00 PM, before the preserve's earliest closing time of the year, 5:20 PM in early December. The city's advice for hot weather is to come early in the day. One rider who took a 2:00 PM ride in June 2021 wrote, "I didn't realize booking a 2pm tour was going to be extremely hot."
Reviewers also mention stops where the guide points out the desert plants along the trail.
Bike, Helmet and Water Come With It, Shoes Do Not
- A mountain bike, helmet, gloves and a backpack
- Water, a water bottle, sunscreen and snacks
- A local guide
That is the listing's list of what is included, and its description adds cold drinks at the end of the ride. Closed-toe shoes are the one required item you bring yourself, and hiking, walking or running shoes all work. The operator's booking notes also recommend eye protection and, depending on the weather, one warm layer.
Getting to the trailhead is up to you. The operator says riders handle their own transportation, and this booking has no hotel pickup.
Who This Booking Fits
- Every rider on this listing has to be an adult between 18 and 75
- The booking form asks for each rider's height, and the operator's own minimum is five feet
- Cancel at least 24 hours before the start for a full refund; inside 24 hours there is none
- If the ride is called off for bad weather, the listing offers another date or a full refund
The listing asks for at least a moderate level of physical fitness and does not recommend the ride for travelers who are pregnant or have spinal injuries or poor cardiovascular health. Those flags apply to this booking. Within them, the operator says it takes riders of every skill level, from beginners to experts, and picks trails to match.
📍 Meet at Pima Dynamite Trailhead, 28777 N Pima Road, Scottsdale. From Highway 101, the listing says to take Pima Road north, pass Dynamite and continue about an eighth of a mile; the entrance is on the right.
The guide texts a link to the exact meeting spot the day before. At the trailhead, look for a red four-door lifted Jeep. The city lists parking, restrooms, shade ramadas and water at this trailhead.
After that, the guide's job is finding the stretch of desert that suits the way you ride.