ATV Riding in the Arizona Desert from Phoenix: Guide + Experience — Adventures with Pinny (2024)

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This spring we spent a day ATV riding in the Arizona desert just outside of Phoenix. It was an exhilarating experience that I would recommend to any outdoor adventure enthusiast.

Not only the fun of off-roading through the rugged desert trails but also the sheer beauty of Arizona’s alien landscape has me dying to go on another trip.

For those who may not know (I admit that I didn’t know), ATV stands for “all-terrain vehicle”. You may have heard of an ATV as a four-wheeler or quad, made for off-roading and having fun. And just as I didn’t previously know what ATV stood for, I didn’t imagine just how much fun it would be to ride one!

So I wanted to create a guide + experience post for others like me who may be interested in doing this but aren’t sure what to expect or how to go about it.

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Where to go ATV riding in Arizona

In the Tonto National Forest near the SuperstitionMountains lies the Montana Mountain Loop trail, the off-roading trail that we drove during our trip to Arizona.TheMontana Mountain Loop Trailis a popular43.8 miletrail for SUVs and ATVs. About a 2-hour drive from Phoenix, the trail makes a perfect day trip from the city. The trail took us all day from morning ’til dark to traverse, but our group did take a ton of breaks to enjoy the desert views.

If you have the time to complete the nearly 44-mile loop, I would definitely recommend the Montana Mountain Loop Trail. The landscape and views were stunning. And much of the trail allows you to easily pull off, park, and wander the desert as you wish. It was hard not to constantly stop with so many incredible sights along the trail just begging to be explored(and have their picture taken).

There are a ton of other ATV and off-roading trails around the Arizona desert. Check out the links below for a list of other riding areas and trails.

Links

Arizona State Parks designated OHV riding areas
Best Off Road Driving Trails in Arizona – AllTrails
Arizona Off Road Trails – AZ Offroading
Montana Mountain Loop Trail

How to go ATV riding in Arizona

There are two main options on how to go ATV riding in Arizona if you do not already own an ATV: rent an ATV or book an ATV tour.

Renting ATVs

If you decide to rent an ATV to use, you’ll need a truck that can hook up to a trailer in order to haul the ATV(s) and transport them into the desert. Our group did this by renting the ATVs and hauling them to the trailhead, but we were with people who have done it before and knew what they were doing.

Had we not been with experienced ATV riders of the area, we could have figured it out. Do you know how to drive a truck with a trailer attached? Do you know how to research what trail you’d like to ride (hint: we useAllTrails)? And do you know how to drive a motorized vehicle and how to change a tire, just in case? If so, you’ll be just fine with this option.

Guided ATV Tours

If you’d rather have more of the details taken care of for you, you could go with a guided tour. It is nice to have the stress of renting and transporting the ATVs off of your shoulders. But this option will cost more. There are many guided ATV tours available out of Phoenix and around Arizona.

Links

Top ATV rentals and tours in Phoenix – Yelp
ATV rentals in Phoenix – Google
Best 4WD, ATV & Off-Road Tours in Phoenix – TripAdvisor

What to bring ATVing in the desert

• Eye protection. The ATVs will kick up a lot of dust that will want to go straight into your eyes. It is the desert after all! Sunglasses did the trick for most of the day (we love our Ray-Ban sunglasses) but think about if you’re going to be there after dark and maybe bring some clear safety glasses too.

• Face protection. Something like a bandana to wrap around your face under your eyes, again, to protect from the dust. I didn’t have any face protection and wish I had! Throughout the day I had gritty sand in my mouth – yuck.

• Clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. Did I mention the dust yet? Yeah, your clothes will get COVERED in dirt and grime after a day ATVing in the Arizona desert.

• Hair tie, if you have long hair.

• Hiking shoes/boots. If you plan on getting out of the ATV and exploring at all. Which I think would be hard not too! The landscape of this area is just begging to be explored with its rocky paths and cactus-covered hills. Peter and I both have Oboz Bridger boots.

• Sweater/jacket. Depending on the time of year you go. When we went in early spring, the air was warm in the sun but quickly became a brisk wind when you’re speeding down the trails in an ATV.

• Gloves. Depending on the time of year you go. Again, the air was brisk in the fast-moving ATV during early spring. But maybe in the summer heat this wouldn’t be an issue?

• Plenty of water. You’ll be driving for hours if not all day, in our case. The dry, dusty desert air and wind whipping at your face will be sure to make you thirsty.

• Snacks. Again, you’ll be out for hours if not all day. Bring snacks and/or pack a picnic for lunch.

Our ATV Riding Experience

Knowing that we wanted a full day of riding in the desert, that we needed to pick up the ATV rentals we had reserved, and that the drive to the start of the Montana Mountain Loop Trail was about 2 hours away, we needed to start the day early. So we got up around 6am in Pheonix.

At the trailhead, we met up with our group (family friends from the area), parked the truck, and unloaded our ATV rentals. Once we were each set up with water, snacks, warm gloves, and eye protection, we set off down the trail.

As the trail wound through the desert valley it slowly began to incline. It was clear that we were beginning our ascent of the Montana Mountain. The trail became tighter and hugged the edges of the mountain hills as we continued our drive upwards.

This portion of our ATV adventure was just as nerve-wracking as it was fun. If you stopped paying attention for even a moment you could find yourself driving off the edge of the trail and down the side of the mountain.

At the top of the mountain trail we stopped for lunch. It was actually several degrees colder at this elevation, but the blustery wind could also have been to blame. We circled our ATVs around a pull-off area and built a small fire to fend off the cold.

While we were parked, Peter and I took the opportunity to put the drone into the air and get some cool shots. Peter also took this opportunity to play with his ATV and see how quickly he could take some turns… And I took pictures.

On the way back down the mountain, someone in our group ended up getting a flat tire. Luckily our rentals had come ready with spares. While we were changing the tire, we had several passerbys offer to help. So many friendly people in the ATV community it seems. But it was a quick fix and we were off again.

I think that I actually enjoyed the drive down the Montana Mountain more than the drive up, as it was easier to take in the impressive views that lay before us.

More driving and another stop. Why so many breaks, you may be wondering? Well, your butt does start to hurt bouncing up and down on these bumpy dirt trails for hours on end. And dry, dusty air makes you thirsty, and drinking water makes you… need breaks. Also, the views were just too beautiful to not take photos of. Especially as the sun was beginning to set and cast a fiery glow across the desert landscape.

Here is a picture of me looking tired and windswept enjoying the golden hour light. Note: a full day of ATV riding will make your hair a knotted mess if you don’t tie your hair back. Lesson learned! It seriously took forever to brush out and wash that night.

By now it was getting dark but we still had a ways to go before completing the 44-mile Montana Mountain loop and reaching the parked trucks at the trailhead. This meant we would be ATV riding into the night.

Watching the sun set and slowly dim into darkness as we drove along the last leg of the trail was bittersweet. Our adventure would soon be over.

Would you go ATV riding in the Arizona desert?

Are you planning an outdoor adventure in Arizona? Tell me in the comments! Or let me know if you have any questions about my experience ATV riding in the desert. I would be happy to help if I can. Make sure to pin this guide for later using the Pinterest images below and share it with your travel buddy using the social share icons. Thank you for stopping by!

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