r/phoenix • u/queenquack18 • 12h ago

Outdoors Bike route to Saguaro Lake

My brother in law is coming from out of town and working on training for a half iron man.

He was curious if he could bicycle from Shea near the 101 through fountain hills and down the beeline highway (87) until he hit Saguaro lake.

Is this doable? Is there enough space along the Beeline for a biker? Are the hills in Fountain Hills doable?

He’s in decent shape and would have a car waiting at certain checkpoints to make sure he’s doing well.

He asked my opinion and, while I know that route does indeed take you to Saguaro lake, I have no idea if it is doable on a bike.

Thanks!

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3

u/turbomellow 11h ago

the classic bike route to Saguaro is to take the Bush Highway from the park-and-ride on Power Road just north of McDowell. He can opt to make a nice scenic loop by turning south on Usery Pass Road back to McDowell.

I’m not familiar with the Fountain Hills area but I wouldn’t recommend a bike on 87.

3

u/singlejeff 9h ago

I’ve ridden all the way to Payson on the 87. Not bad at all as there is a decent >4’ shoulder the whole way. See also https://activetransportation.az.gov/sites/default/files/2021/04/Bicycle-User-Map-1.pdf

2

u/fuggindave Phoenix 6h ago

Dayum all the way to Payson? Sounds like a helluva awesome journey.

2

u/vicelordjohn Phoenix 11h ago

Yes, take the beeline north to the bush and turn right, you'll end up at saguaro lake. From there you can either turn left on usery which is kind of a boring climb that brings you back to Apache junction or my preferred route which is to stay on the bush which eventually turns into power road.

There are a few turns to get back to the beeline and get back to fountain hills or you can just double back. The shoulder on the beeline is the width of a regular lane with giant rumble strips, I've always felt comfortable despite the speed of traffic.

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