The best motorcycle roads in Arizona
The twistiest paved roads in Arizona, from West Swift Trail in Graham County on down. Distances, how twisty each one is and how to string them into a ride.
Straight roads are for commuting. We checked 28 named paved roads in Arizona to find the ones that twist, wind and keep you busy.
The headliners
West Swift Trail
In Graham County. 18 miles, about 40 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●●● Hairpin heaven
Cactus Forest Drive
In Pima County. 7.7 miles, about 15 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●●● Hairpin heaven
Arizona Highway 386
In Pima County. 8.9 miles, about 20 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●●○ Very twisty
Cape Royal Road
In Coconino County. 10 miles, about 20 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●●○ Very twisty
White Spar Road
In Yavapai County. 16 miles, about 35 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●●○ Very twisty
When you want to settle in
Not every ride is about hairpins. These are longer paved roads that keep twisting the whole way, good for a long cruise where you can find a rhythm.
- Apache Trail, in Maricopa County: 18 miles
- AZ 89A, in Yavapai County: 16 miles
- Pumphouse Wash Bridge, in Coconino County: 15 miles
How we picked them
We looked at the shape of every named paved road in Arizona and measured how much each one bends along its length. Then we ranked them by bends per distance, so a short hairpin road and a long mountain highway are compared fairly. Gravel, tracks, residential streets and anything under about 6 miles are left out.
What this does not tell you: how nice the scenery is, how good the surface is, how busy the road gets, or whether it is closed for snow. Check before you go, especially in the mountains and in winter. Then ride it and see for yourself.
Turn it into a ride
Open the MotoRidez planner and link a few of these into a loop, or hit Surprise Me and let it pick a twisty route from wherever you are. Every ride you record is remembered, so next time it can send you down roads you have not tried yet.
Questions riders ask
What is the twistiest motorcycle road in Arizona?
West Swift Trail in Graham County. It is 18 miles long and bends more for its length than any other named paved road of that size in Arizona.
How do you work out which Arizona roads are twisty?
We measure how much each road bends along its length from its shape on the map, then rank roads by bends per distance. Gravel, tracks and residential streets are left out.
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