When you think of Lake Havasu in Arizona the first thing that comes to mind is watercraft, Seadoos, boats, and waterskiing.  But during the cooler months, a great weekend adventure is mountain biking at Sara Park. Sara Park is south of Lake Havasu on HWY 95 heading towards Parker.  The great thing about Sara Park is that there are no motor vehicles allowed on the trails. This is really nice because you will find Razrs and other offroad vehicles on almost every dirt road or trail outside of this park in Havasu.   

There are many great trails with most being beyond the beginner level.  They have one area that is a little easier by the dog park, but this area has also added a frisbee golf course so I am not sure how much longer there will be mountain biking on that side.  On the main trails like Watershed Loop and Beer Bottle, you will find a great mix of fast single track and lots of rocks and ditches. This is more intermediate to advanced riding, as there are quite a few steep descents; while short, the rocks can make this tricky.  You might even find a wooden bridge about 6ft off the ground out there.

I use an app called Trailforks.  This app will allow you to download the trails you want to ride and run them on your Wahoo or Garmin computer.  Some of my favorites are Cosmic, a very fast single track and Watershed which has a great mix of everything. Other trails to check out are Scratch, Mom N’ Pops, and Hike Naked.  

Get an early start if the day is going to be over 80 or you will need extra water.  The Havasu desert radiates heat. But riding from late November to February has been very pleasant.  There is a great group of riders and everyone has been very friendly. Watch for hikers as there are maybe many heading out to Sara’s Crack or out to the water. Don’t forget when in town there is a great bike shop and the owner is a rider. Havasu Bike shop.  He also coaches the local high school mountain bike team.

So the next time you think about going to Havasu but don’t want to mess with the heat, think about going during the winter.  The crowds are smaller and the breweries are a lot easier to get into. It’s a win win situation. You can take the bike out and get in a good ride before having a Blue Van at College Street.