Introducing Scottsdale's new Bike | Pedestrian | Equestrian maps featuring multiuse paths, unpaved trails, and on-street bike lanes. Scottsdale's multifaceted trail system is a fun and convenient way to get around the city. From a leisurely bike ride along the world-famous Indian Bend Wash to a horseback ride in the McDowell Mountain Range, we've got you covered.

Scottsdale's Indian Bend Wash (IBW), Crosscut and Arizona Canal network of shared use paths provide fully accessible local and regional connectivity.

Indian Bend Wash (IBW) - Greenbelt

The IBW - Greenbelt was built in 1974 as a flood control basin, however, most of the year it serves as a gathering place hosting more than 1.4 M annual visitors. The lushly-landscaped greenbelt connects parks, lakes, golf courses, city libraries, and more. The path includes 24 grade-separated crossings allowing users to enjoy uninterrupted travel by avoiding major street crossings. The 11-mile path runs from Scottsdale's WestWorld to Tempe's Town Lake.

Arizona Canal Paths

At almost 70 miles long, the Arizona Canal path is one of the longest multi-use paths in Maricopa County. The path runs along both sides of the Arizona Canal and connects Scottsdale to Peoria, Glendale, Phoenix, and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. One of the highlights of this path is Scottsdale's Soleri Bridge and Canal Plaza entertainment and event venue.

Crosscut Canal

The Crosscut Canal path intersects with the Arizona Canal path near Indian School Rd. and 64th St. in southern Scottsdale. At 4.5-miles, the path runs along the canal bank through residential areas and offers connections to Scottsdale's popular Old Town shopping and entertainment area. The path ultimately winds its way through the Papago Park recreation area and ends in Tempe.

Scottsdale's neighborhood trail system provides valuable recreation and transportation opportunities for city residents and visitors. Our unpaved trails serve as transportation links between schools, neighborhoods, McDowell Sonoran Preserve trailheads, parks, places of employment and other areas of interest. Trails are a place for residents and visitors to spend time with friends and family in the beautiful Sonoran Desert in a peaceful and protected setting.

Scottsdale has 160 miles of trails with an additional 150 miles of trailways planned for future construction. Oversight of neighborhood trails is the responsibility of the city's Transportation and Streets Department. Trails exist in city right-of-way or on easements dedicated to the city on private property. In some locations, properties that hold public easements are owned by homeowners associations while others are owned by individual property owners; maintenance of these trails is the responsibility of the adjacent property owners.

List of Unpaved Trails:

Florence Ely Nelson Desert Park - a desert botanical nature trail George "Doc" Cavalliere Park - a ¾ mile loop trail Mescal Park - a 1 mile loop trail for hikers and horseback riders Nature Park - a nature trail that runs along the Arizona Canal Stonegate Equestrian Park - a nature trail

Trail Resources

Scottsdale's McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Scottsdale residents and visitors use the city's trail system for the same reason - to enjoy the outdoors and beauty of the Sonoran desert. Please help the city maintain our trail system by obeying all signs and acting responsibly when traveling on the trails.

The universal rule of trail courtesy is for all trail users to yield the right-of-way to horses, and for bicycle riders to yield to all other types of users. When approaching a person on horseback, speak in a soft voice to alert the horse and rider of your presence.

You can be fined up to $250 for driving a motorized vehicle on an unpaved trail in the city of Scottsdale. The city prohibits the use of motorized vehicles, including ATVs and motorcycles, on Scottsdale's trails and in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

Maintenance of a city trail is a lot like maintenance of a city sidewalk. Most Scottsdale property owners already maintain the public right-of-way in front of their home.

Most of Scottsdale's trails are regularly maintained and are kept in good condition however, some trails require maintenances. The city finds out about trails in need of maintenance a variety of ways including routine trail inspections by Transportation and Streets and Code Enforcement staff and citizen reports of unkept trails via Scottsdale EZ.

Request Maintenance or Report a Trail Issue

Maintenance of unpaved trails in the public right of way is the responsibility of the adjacent property owner. Property owners with unkept trail sections are notified by the city and asked to remedy the situation within a specified timeframe. All unpaved trails should meet the following guidelines:

• Maintain the trail width and tread
• Trim plants and trees
• Shrubs should be trimmed to allow a two-foot side clearance from trail edges
• Mature height of vegetation within 3-feet of the trail edge shall not exceed 3-feet in height
• Trees should be trimmed to allow a 10-foot height clearance above the trail, with 12-foot overhead clearance desired
• Remove thorny or spiny plants within three feet of trail edges
• Remove weeds and invasive grasses
• Remove litter and debris
• Prevent erosion from drainage off the property, including discharged water from pools and spas

The city appreciates your commitment to the ongoing maintenance of our trail system. The trail system is part of the voter-approved General Plan 2035 and city council adopted 2022 Transportation Action Plan.