Destination: McDowell Mountain Regional Park, AZ

By Patrick O’Grady

Free-lance cycling journalists rarely own second homes in the Arizona desert, which frankly sucks come February in Colorado, when December’s dirty snowdrift squats unmelted in the back yard and the annual dose of cabin fever feels more like a bad case of the d.t.’s.

I could always catch a plane for Maui, I suppose. But since I despise airline travel and work only part time in an industry with all the long-term viability of a pint in my trembling hand, I try to keep my winter getaways cheap, which generally means throwing a bike and some camping gear in the Subaru and barreling off toward Fountain Hills, Arizona, home to McDowell Mountain Regional Park.

McDowell Mountain ain’t exactly the Loews Ventana Resort, but then again I ain’t exactly Radio Shackstrong, either. For $25 per night I can pitch a tent at the park’s developed campsite, which provides access to power, water, restrooms, showers, a picnic table, grill and fire pit. I fetch along my battered Coleman propane two-burner, a sack of backpacking pots, pans and utensils, and a largish cooler full of this and that for cooking my own meals. And as chief mechanic for the annual Team Mad Dog Media-Dogs at Large Velo training camp — to wit, myself — I also pack a toolkit, spare parts, cleaning kit and a work stand.

The routine is simple. I arise early, make coffee, have a snack and go for a 45-minute trail run. That accomplished, I eat something a little more substantial, police up the campsite, and go for a ride on whichever trails seem best suited to a pasty pair of legs that have been logging most of their kilometers indoors.

McDowell is perhaps best known among cyclists for hosting the final days of the Specialized Cactus Cup — a special racing track was built for the mountain bike stage race, and it continues to host races today — but I usually bring one of my cyclocross bikes because a steel ’cross bike is well suited to the majority of the park’s 50-plus miles of trails.

Unless the winter has involved heavy rain, the 15.4-mile Pemberton Trail is easily ridden on a ’cross bike, whether clockwise or counterclockwise (clockwise is easier as a long stretch with rocky bits comes as an ascent rather than a descent). If you want more mileage just crank out multiple laps, maybe throw in the Granite and/or Bluff trails for extra credit. The Scenic loop, just off the trailhead staging area, makes a nice run, as do the Granite, Bluff and Wagner trails.

If you prefer a mountain bike by all means sample the McDowell Competitive Track. It has three circuits — Long Loop, Sport Loop and Technical Loop — and while segments are doable on a ’cross bike, they’re easier, safer and more fun with suspension and fat tires. Then head back to camp for a shower, a bite of lunch and some light reading. I recommend Jim Harrison (“The English Major,” “Wolf,” “Legends of the Fall”), who also winters in Arizona, but further south, in Patagonia.

Come evening a stroll around the campground is indicated. Think of it as doing the paseo around a Southwestern plaza ringed not with teensy adobe casitas, but diesel behemoths towing Hummers towing boats towing motorcycles. Some folks just can’t get away from it all — mostly because they take it all with them when they leave.

You’ll meet other cyclists, though, locals and snowbirds alike, and so it’s not uncommon to have company come cocktail hour, if only a javelina or two. Bring your beer in a can and your wine in a box (glass containers are verboten in the park) and don’t leave your dirty dishes and food scattered about come bedtime (unless you really like javelinas).

Then stretch out in your bag with KJZZ on the earbuds, bag some Zs, and do it all over again the next day, and the next, and the next. …

If you go: McDowell Mountain Regional Park, Arizona

Weather: Bring some warm duds. As New Yorker Herbie Goldfarb learned the hard way in “The Milagro Beanfield War,” the desert Southwest is not always 85 degrees, especially in the early morning and late evening. Count on lows in the 40s and highs in the 70s during February and March.

Racing: Ready to race? If you like a little running with your riding, try the Desert Classic Duathlon, a 3.5-mile run/21-mile bike/2.7-mile run in late February. I’ve done it, and it’s fun, although running in a skinsuit without a bike on one shoulder feels … weird.

Bike Shop: Need some mechanical assistance? Pop by Bicycle Garage, 11857 N. Saguaro Boulevard. South Dakota expat Harlan Krueger has been twisting wrenches since the 1980s, is certified by the Barnett Bicycle Institute, and has been known to hoist a glass or two over pizza with visiting cycling journos and other unsavory types.

Eats: Sick of your own camp cookery? D.J.’s Bagel Café, 13693 North Fountain Hills Boulevard, is a pleasant, cheap lunch spot. There’s usually a copy of New Times available if you like a side of muck-raking with lunch. The Water’s Edge, 13014 N. Saguaro Boulevard, is a little fancier and a little pricier. Reservations are recommended.

Connectivity: If you must stay in touch with your Nigerian benefactors, get your wi-fi on at one of the Starbucks locations (16425 E. Palisades Boulevard or 16815 E. Shea Boulevard). The Safeway at 13733 Fountain Hills Boulevard has free wi-fi if you’d like to check e-mail while reloading your cooler. Smart-phone types may be able to do business from the park, but I’ve found AT&T’s cell service iffy there.

FILED UNDER: Destinations / News TAGS: Arizona / Destinations / McDowell Mountain Regional Park / Patrick O’Grady