The Ride the Arizona Divide is a 450 mile loop that explores the various sections of the 270 mile Arizona Divide. The Arizona Divide determines where Arizona’s rivers, streams, and creeks flow. Extending from just west of Flagstaff along I-40 it meanders east across the state following the Mogollon Rim for 325 miles ending near Alpine Arizona.
The rivers and creeks on the north of the divide (Chevlon Creek, Clear Creek, Little Colorado River and the Puerco River) flow into the upper Colorado River while the rivers and creeks (Black River, San Francisco River and the Blue River) south of the divide flow into the Gila River before it joins the lower Colorado near Yuma. The total flow of water from these systems more than offset the 36% allotment we receive from the Colorado River Compact!
The Ride the Arizona Divide visits many historic towns including Heber, Show Low, Greer, Alpine, Blue, St John’s, Snowflake, Woodruff, Holbrook and Winslow. The northern part of the route traverses through the high desert commanding sweeping views in every direction, a stark no man’s land where people and structures are scarce. The southern section of the course is heavily forested, the heart of the White Mountains where you can expect to see wolves, bears and elk.
The course itself is 75% dirt and gravel roads. Completely passable with a 2wd vehicle.
To obtain an up to date gps file for any of the routes listed below please send an email to ridingazgravel@gmail with the route name in the subject line. If you like the content of this page or the free routes featured on this website and want to say thank you can buy me a coffee!
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/azgravel
AZ Gravel Rides route descriptions, pictures, maps, gpx etc. should never be copied / shared for commercial use without prior written authorization from AZ Gravel Rides. If you share our routes via social media, GPX or similar we ask that you give credit back to AZ Gravel Rides. All routes are rated using the Arizona Gravel Road Rating System, category 1 (easiest) thru category 5 (hardest). For a detailed description of each category and examples check out: azgravelrides.com/arizona-gravel-road-rating-system
The Ride the Arizona Divide route relies on the support, advice and encouragement from a variety of companies that help us maintain this route and provide resources to help plan this adventure for others to enjoy. We encourage you to support the companies that choose to give back to the community by supporting this adventure!
Supporting sponsors:
Redshift Sports
McDowell Mountain Cycles
