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Arizona in February

FLHXDAN

Member
Has anyone ridden 288 from 260 to Miami? Is it a good road? I am in Phoenix until the end of the month and looking for great rides. Have been vacationing and riding in the area for several years, but have never taken this route.

Looking for ideas on other great day rides from phoenix.
 
We have a good number of Phoenix area members, including our own famous moderator - The Tank. Someone should be able to help you out!
 
Like Tank said, northern AZ can get iffy in February. The Salt River Canyon is a great ride (60 North) to Show Low, but you need to watch the weather carefully. This past weekend would have been great, as the temps were in the high 60s, but there could be rain/snow this weekend. Your best bet is to stay south in February. A nice Tombstone/Bisbee run would be perfect. Or ride to Miami/Globe, then to Roosevelt lake, and over to the 87, go up to Payson to eat, then back down to Phoenix. Remember that the Renaissance Festival is going on on the weekends, and the 60 to Miami can back-up. I believe there is a big antique show in Miami this weekend, which is fun. There is also a big Ferrari car show in the valley this weekend, not to mention the Arabian Horse show, so watch the traffic in Scottsdale. Just be glad you are in Phoenix in the winter.
Doc
 
Dan, welcome to the Phoenix area.

+1 on what Doc and Tank said. I'd avoid the Young Rd, #288, but some additional options are:

1. Wickenburg then loop north and east up Yarnell Hill (great breakfasts at the Ranch House in Yarnell) to Prescott then home via I-17. Look for the green frog rock just east of Congress.

2. Wickenburg then South on the Vulture Mine Rd. to I-10. The mine itself is worth a stop or you can hike to the top of Vulture Peak.

3. East to Tortilla Flats on #88, then five miles past on pavement and two miles of graded road to the paved overlook. Will give you a solid experience of what our unpaved roads are like. Breakfast and lunch are good at the Flats.

4. Ride the back road which follows the Gila River from I-10 south to Gila Bend and the Maricopa Rd/#238 through Mobile to Maricopa.

5. If time allows, head south and catch Kitt Peak west of Tucson for the telescopes and view from the mountaintop. Bisbee, Tombsone, Patagonia are all interesting, and the grasslands demonstrate what Arizona used to be like before overgrazing stripped the grasses, and the dam building dried out the land. In Patagonia, eat at the Velvet Elvis or in Amado. Skip the place with the cow horns.

6. The #88/#188 loop past Roosevelt Lake is a great ride. Suggest turning south on #88 at the big blue bridge to the overlook at the end of pavement. Tonto NM is also interesting and there is a picnic place just before the visitors center. We typically eat a sack lunch there, overlooking the lake.

Good luck and enjoy.
 
Thanks for the advice and ideas about rides. I have taken some of these trips and when the weather gets better next week, I will take them again. They are great rides.

Thanks
 
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