Biking the Scottsdale Greenbelt: A Guide to the Indian Bend Wash Path

Sep 11

The Scottsdale Greenbelt is one of the best places in the Valley for an easy recreational bike ride.

Instead of spending your entire ride next to traffic, you can follow the Indian Bend Wash through parks, lakes, neighborhoods, golf courses, public art, playgrounds, restaurants, and some of the greenest parts of Scottsdale.

The Greenbelt itself stretches approximately 11 miles through Scottsdale, while the larger Indian Bend Wash path system continues beyond the core Greenbelt.

You do not need to ride the entire thing.

For a first ride, I recommend starting at Chaparral Park and choosing north or south depending on what you want to see.

Quick Guide to Biking the Scottsdale Greenbelt

Best first bike ride: Chaparral Park

Best scenic ride: Chaparral Park north toward McCormick Ranch

Best longer ride: Chaparral Park south through Indian School, Eldorado and Vista del Camino

Best ride with kids: Chaparral Park and the surrounding Greenbelt paths

Best northern starting point: Mountain View Park

Best South Scottsdale starting point: Vista del Camino Park

Best way to plan your distance: Scottsdale Greenbelt Distance Calculator

Why the Scottsdale Greenbelt Is So Good for Biking

One of the biggest advantages of biking the Greenbelt is how separated it feels from normal city traffic.

The Indian Bend Wash includes numerous bridges and underpasses that allow you to pass beneath or around many of Scottsdale's major streets instead of constantly stopping at traffic lights.

That makes it especially enjoyable for casual riders, families, and people who simply want to ride without spending the entire time next to cars.

The path is shared, however.

You will encounter walkers, runners, dogs, strollers, children, and other cyclists throughout the Greenbelt. Keep right, pass on the left, slow down in busy areas, and give people some warning before passing.

This is a recreational path, not a racetrack.

Best Place to Start: Chaparral Park

Chaparral Park
5401 N Hayden Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85250

For a first Greenbelt bike ride, Chaparral Park is the easiest place to start.

There is parking, restrooms, Chaparral Lake, and immediate access to the Greenbelt.

More importantly, Chaparral puts you near the middle of the route, which gives you two very different choices.

Ride North for Scenery

Head north toward McCormick Ranch if you want lakes, mature landscaping, trees, public art, golf course views, and some of the prettiest sections of the Greenbelt.

Depending on how far you ride, you can explore the areas around the Scottsdale Xeriscape Garden, Arizona Canal, McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, Marguerite Lake, and the Water Mark horse sculptures.

For a relaxed recreational ride, this is probably my favorite direction.

Ride South for Distance

Head south if you want to see more of the Greenbelt itself.

You can ride from Chaparral through Indian School, toward the Civic Center and Old Town area, then continue farther south through Eldorado Park, Vista del Camino, and toward McKellips Road.

The scenery and character change noticeably as you go, which makes a longer ride much more interesting than simply riding back and forth through the same type of landscape.

Best Places to Park for the Scottsdale Greenbelt:

Best Scenic Ride: Chaparral Toward McCormick Ranch

If you are riding primarily for scenery, start at Chaparral and head north.

This section shows off the landscaped side of the Scottsdale Greenbelt.

You will pass water, mature trees, grass, bridges, neighborhoods, golf courses, and several landmarks that are easy to miss when driving through Scottsdale.

You do not need a specific destination.

Ride until you have gone about half as far as you want to ride that day, then turn around.

If you would rather choose an exact destination before leaving, use the Greenbelt Guide Distance Calculator.

Best Longer Ride: Chaparral South Through Scottsdale

For a longer recreational ride, start at Chaparral and head south.

This route lets you experience several different parts of Scottsdale in one ride.

You can pass Indian School Park, get close to the Civic Center and Old Town, continue through Eldorado Park, and eventually reach Vista del Camino and the southern end of Scottsdale's Greenbelt.

One of the things I like about this direction is that there are plenty of reasons to stop along the way.

You can take a break at a park, get something to eat, grab coffee, or simply choose one of the major parks as your turnaround point.

Bike to Breakfast, Coffee or Lunch

One of the best ways to enjoy the Greenbelt is to make a restaurant or coffee stop part of the ride.

You do not have to ride 20 miles for the outing to feel worthwhile.

Pick a section of the Greenbelt, ride for a while, stop somewhere for breakfast, coffee or lunch, and then ride back.

The Greenbelt Guide has restaurant guides organized by area, which makes it easy to find something close to whichever part of the path you are riding.

Shea Boulevard Area

If you are riding the northern Greenbelt near Mountain View Park, Shea Boulevard or Via Linda:

https://www.greenbeltguide.com/shea

McCormick Ranch and Hayden Area

For restaurants around McCormick Ranch, Hayden Road and the northern lakes:

https://www.greenbeltguide.com/hayden

Indian Bend Road Area

If your ride takes you around Railroad Park, Indian Bend Road or the central McCormick Ranch section:

https://www.greenbeltguide.com/indianbend

Chaparral Area

Starting or ending at Chaparral Park makes it easy to turn the ride into breakfast, coffee, lunch or dinner nearby:

https://www.greenbeltguide.com/chaparral

Indian School and Old Town Area

This is one of the best places to combine biking with restaurants because you can leave the Greenbelt around Indian School and head toward the Civic Center and Old Town.

https://www.greenbeltguide.com/indianschool

Thomas Road Area

For a stop farther south around Thomas Road and Eldorado:

https://www.greenbeltguide.com/thomas

McDowell and South Scottsdale

If you are riding around Vista del Camino, McDowell or the southern Greenbelt:

https://www.greenbeltguide.com/mcdowell

You can also browse all of the Greenbelt restaurant areas here:

https://www.greenbeltguide.com/restaurants

For me, this is one of the things that makes biking the Greenbelt so enjoyable. You can make the destination breakfast, coffee, lunch, a park, public art, or simply another section of the trail.

Best Greenbelt Bike Ride With Kids

For younger riders, I would start at Chaparral Park and keep the first ride relatively short.

There are paved paths, restrooms, the lake, a playground, and plenty to do if the kids decide they are finished riding.

The biggest thing to remember is that the Greenbelt is a shared path.

Children need to be comfortable controlling their bikes around pedestrians, dogs, runners, and cyclists coming from the opposite direction.

For a full family day, you can also make McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park part of the trip.

Best Greenbelt Stops for Kids:

Watch for Water and Sprinklers

This is one of those Greenbelt details you learn pretty quickly if you ride it regularly.

The Greenbelt is extremely green for Scottsdale, and all of that grass and landscaping means sprinklers.

Sections of the path can sometimes be wet, especially early in the morning or evening when irrigation systems are running.

Most of the time it is no big deal.

In fact, riding through a little cool sprinkler spray can feel fantastic on a warm Scottsdale ride.

Just be careful.

Wet pavement can become surprisingly slippery, especially while turning, braking, or riding over painted markings.

If you see a wet corner, slow down before you reach it rather than braking hard once you are already turning.

Enjoy the sprinklers.

Just don't wash out.

Remember That the Greenbelt Is a Wash

There is another type of water you should take much more seriously.

The Greenbelt is part of Scottsdale's flood-control system.

During heavy rain, water can move through the Indian Bend Wash and some underpasses or sections of path can flood.

Never ride into moving water or through a flooded underpass simply because the path normally continues that way.

Turn around and find another route.

The same landscape that makes the Greenbelt such an unusual park system is also designed to carry stormwater when Scottsdale gets heavy rain.

Best Northern Starting Point: Mountain View Park

Mountain View Park
8625 E Mountain View Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85258

If you live or are staying near Shea Boulevard, Mountain View Park is an easy northern starting point.

There is parking, restrooms, fields, a playground, and access to the surrounding path network.

It is a good choice if you want to explore the Shea and Via Linda portions of the Greenbelt without driving farther south.

Best South Scottsdale Starting Point: Vista del Camino Park

Vista del Camino Park
7700 E Roosevelt Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85257

Vista del Camino is my choice for starting a ride in South Scottsdale.

The park has ponds, open space, playgrounds, disc golf, restrooms, dog park access, and direct connections to the Greenbelt.

From here, ride north toward Eldorado Park for an easy recreational route.

Continue farther toward Thomas, Indian School and Chaparral if you want more mileage.

How Far Should You Ride?

There is no correct distance.

For your first Greenbelt bike ride, I would choose a destination instead of chasing mileage.

Ride from Chaparral to another park.

Ride to Water Mark.

Ride to Old Town for coffee.

Ride from Vista del Camino to Eldorado.

Once you know the path, longer trips become much easier to plan.

The Greenbelt Guide Distance Calculator makes that particularly easy:

My Recommendation for Your First Greenbelt Bike Ride

Start at Chaparral Park.

If you want scenery, head north toward McCormick Ranch.

If you want a longer ride and more variety, head south toward Indian School, Eldorado and Vista del Camino.

Pick a restaurant or landmark as your destination, check the distance before you leave, and make the ride an outing instead of worrying about covering every mile.

And if the sprinklers happen to be running on a hot day, enjoy them.

Just take the wet corners carefully.

Scottsdale Greenbelt Biking FAQ

Is the Scottsdale Greenbelt good for biking?

Yes. The paved Indian Bend Wash multiuse path is one of Scottsdale's best recreational cycling routes and connects parks, lakes, neighborhoods and recreation areas throughout the city.

Where should I start biking the Scottsdale Greenbelt?

For most first-time riders, Chaparral Park is the easiest starting point because it has parking, restrooms and the option to ride either north or south.

Is the Scottsdale Greenbelt paved?

The primary Indian Bend Wash multiuse path through the Greenbelt is paved.

Can kids bike the Scottsdale Greenbelt?

Yes, although children should be comfortable riding around pedestrians, dogs and other cyclists on a shared path.

Is the path slippery when wet?

It can be. Irrigation and sprinklers sometimes leave sections of pavement wet. Slow down before turns and avoid hard braking while cornering on wet pavement.

Can I bike from the Greenbelt to restaurants?

Absolutely. Restaurants, coffee shops and shopping areas are close to many sections of the Greenbelt. Use the Greenbelt Guide restaurant pages to find stops near your route: