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Skating in Arizona
Sunday Morning Skate
This open-road skate is recommended only for intermediate to advanced level skaters. You don't need to be fast, but you do need to be proficient on your skates and comfortable with a moderate amount of traffic. Different packs will average about 16 - 28 miles skating 1.5 - 2.5 hours. If you are not sure whether this skate is for you, it is recommended that you bring your bike out for the first Sunday or two or attend a Predator Practice for feedback. Helmets are required. For more information contact Bob or Michelle or see the contacts page.
Start Times
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Location The Coffee Buzz N.E. Corner of 48th St. & E. Chandler Blvd Phoenix, AZ 85048-0858, US |
Predator Practice
Predator Practice is held on Tuesday and Thursday nights in a closed parking lot which constitutes about a half-kilometer loop. The nature of this practice varies depending on upcoming events, the time of year, and individual goals. Skaters may choose to do their own thing or participate in structured group activities. Predator Practice is open to all skaters at the advanced-beginning level and above (must be comfortable skating forward and be able to stop or at least slow down on your own). Non-members pay $2 per practice and must have a signed waiver form on file. Properly fitting helmets in good repair and with ANSI, SNELL or other appropriate certification are required to skate at any Predator Practice. For more information contact Mark or Michelle or see the contacts page.
Practice Info:
7:00pm - 9:00pm every Tuesday & Thursday
Metro Center Mall
Castles-n-Coasters West Overflow Parking Lot
9500 N Metro Pkwy W
Phoenix, AZ 85051, US
Saturday Morning Fun & Fitness Skate
Skaters divide into two groups before heading out from Chaparral Park in South Scottsdale for either the relaxed pace Social Fun Skate, or the Hard and Fast Fitness Skate. Afterwards the groups converge to enjoy some liquid refreshment at the picnic tables and then head for lunch at a nearby burger & brew.
For more information contact Harvey K. at 602-363-6946
Place & Time:
Take Loop 101 to the Chaparral Road exit. Head West on Chaparral then make a right onto Hayden Northbound for 1/2 a mile. At the light make a right into the Jackrabbit Road entrance to Chaparral Park and park in the baseball field parking lots on your left. Be geared up and ready to skate by 9:00am (8:00am starting the first Saturday of June).
Note: All skaters skate at their own risk! Skating is mainly in bike lanes on city streets. Skaters who generously volunteer to lead and/or map out skate routes assume no liability for any accidents or any dangerous or illegal behavior of the participants on the skate.
Wednesday Night Skate
7:00 PM at Eldorado Park
7650 E. McDowell Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85257
As in the Saturday Morning Fun & Fitness Skate, we skate away in 2 groups, Fitness and Rec
For more information contact Harvey K. at 602-363-6946
Other Places to Skate
PHOENIX:
Arizona Canal: Phoenix to Glendale Gr8 Sk8!Recreational or Fitness
This diagonal multi-use path is paved from 24th Street and Bethany Home Rd. to Arrowhead Mall at 75th Ave. Connecting many of the park systems along the way, this path is a favorite of skaters, cyclists, runners, families with children, and dog-walkers. Underpasses take you under most major streets for a relatively uninterrupted workout. Just remember to keep to the right as some of the tunnels are blind until you are committed to the descent. Recommended only for daytime skating, this path is neither lit nor well populated at night.
Cave Creek Park: 25th Ave & Cactus
Recreational only
Makes about a 3/4 mile loop around. You can hook up to the Arizona Canal by taking the underpass south and continuing through Rose Mofford Sports Complex located at 25th Ave, between Peoria and Dunlap. You will have to cross the bridge over the canal to the south side to stay on pavement and then you can continue to skate either east or west.
Cortez Park: 35th Ave. & Dunlap.
Another great fishing hole. To get to the north side of the canal, you will need to go north on 35th Ave. to enter. You may access the Arizona Canal from this park.
Encanto Park: 15th Ave. & Encanto Blvd.
Recreational only
Great scenery with fishing, Enchanted Island Amusement park on the north side, pool, tennis, basketball, racquetball, volleyball and playgrounds on the south side. You may want to skate the perimeter of the park to get some good straight-aways.
Granada Park: 20th Street & Maryland
This is the perfect place to park your car to access the Arizona Canal at its Southeastern most point. If you are driving from the south the directions are tricky so you might want to mapquest it. To access the canal path from Granada Park, skate South to Maryland and turn right to cross over to the other side of the canal. Turn right onto the path to head Northeast. Arrowhead Mall is about 14 miles down the path.
Herberger Park: 3rd Ave & Dunlap
A little rough through this section, but only a short distance before it's smooth sailing again.
Margaret T. Hance Park: 67 W. Culver & 3d Ave
Recreational only
Great for picnics or running over to the city Library. Mostly smooth, but some technical adjustments under the Central Ave Bridge.
Papago Park: Along Galvin Pkwy, 64th Street & McDowell to Van Buren
Intermediate to Advanced
Roving hills on a fairly smooth path. Watch your Speed! Not designed for the night skater.
Paseo Thunderbird Park: 59th Ave & T-Bird.
Great place to practice those hills! Novice skaters can walk to the bottom to the large Basketball courts and practice stopping, turning and striding without running into a tree.
Pecos Road Gr8 Sk8!
Advanced Fitness & Speedskaters only (this is street skating in the bike lane).
If you already live there, you're lucky. If not, grab your 70 oz. "plus" hydration camelbak and meet the diehard skaters on Sundays at 48th Street & Chandler blvd. Six miles of flat pavenment bordering the Gila Indian Reservation, make this four lane, lightly traffic'd in the early AM, road a serious skater's paradise. Two hills at the west end are just enough to work up a good sweat and build your endurance. If you like to skate with a group, check out the Sunday Morning Road Skate at the top of the page.
Sun Ray Park: 4059 E. Ray Road
Recreational only
Basketball, Tennis and Playground. Nice little path heading south to Ranch Circle, about 3/4 mile long. Great place to meet moms with tots.
SCOTTSDALE
Scottsdale "Greenbelt" Gr8 Sk8!Recreation or Fitness
Located on 2311 N. Miller Rd. Path runs along 77th Street, south of Miller, between McDowell and Thomas. Lots of Parks to enter this wonderland of green grass, trees, fishing ponds and more! Another great place to put those 25 miles in for fun. A reminder to those novice skaters to beware of the hills and people on the path. Most cyclists don't know they're supposed to yield to skaters and everyone yields to the runners/walkers. Announce "On your Left", when skating by someone. Just in case you're looking, it's a great place to meet singles.
Chaparral Park
5401 N. Hayden Rd. & Chaparral Need a quick detour to shop. Head west on Camelback to Scottsdale Rd. where the Fashion Square is located.
Mountain View Park
8625 E. Mountain View Rd. Between 90th St. & Pima. Looks small, but hooks right up to the path.
TEMPE
Tempe Town Lake Gr8 Sk8!Recreational or Fitness
Runs between Rural Rd. & Priest
Best place to park for Free, go east on Rio Solado Parkway from Priest Rd. till it comes to the sharp curve, (15pmh), turns into Ash Rd. See the parking lot on the left. This is the newest, hottest place to skate, where you can unwind from the excitement of Mill Ave.
Kyrene Canal Trail
Beginners & Recreational Skaters
This wide, level trail is an ideal first trail for beginners to explore after graduating from their first set of lessons. Park in the Warner Professional Plaza (on the North side of Warner, just East of Kyrene.) Carefully exit the parking lot and skate (or walk, carrying your skates) East on Warner a short distance to the trail. Heading North, the trail has no obstacles other than the small cracks between segments of pavement and even these grow further apart after about 1/3 of a mile. There is a "spur" on the left which has some short hills for those who want to practice controlling their speed on slopes. Otherwise the trail is completely flat for one mile. At that point there is a relatively easily negotiated crosswalk across Elliott and then it continues right next to the canal before curving Eastward alongside a golf course. Here you'll find the most unique aspect of this trail as you glide through two attractive wire mesh "tunnels" that protect trail users from errant golf shots! Just after the second tunnel there is a bridge over the canal and then the pavement suddenly ends. So if you have trouble controlling your speed on hills, stop and turn around before the bridge. Your round trip will be about 3 3/4 miles long. Once you've tried it in daylight, grab a buddy & your blinkie lights and try your first night skate, as the whole trail is lit.
GILBERT
Islands Drive LoopRecreational
This 3.7 mile level loop of wide sidewalk winds its way through the Islands Community offering views of the manmade lakes, a big fountain and numerous ducks. The speed limit on Islands Drive is 30 mph and there's a bike lane, but the sidewalk is more enjoyable and probably safer. Numerous side streets branch off Islands Drive, so you'll need to pay attention to traffic each time you cross. You will also need to negotiate the sloped handicapped ramp down from the sidewalk, go around the decorative paving stones and head back up the ramp to the sidewalk on the other side. If you don't live in the Islands, you can park in the shopping center on the SE corner of Mesa/McQueen and Elliott. Exit the parking lot to the East and skate South on Islands Drive until you reach the fountain. Then turn right to follow the loop counterclockwise. When you return to the shopping center, treat yourself to an ice cream cone at the Water & Ice store or enjoy MexiKenny's happy hour. The owners of both of these locations are skater-friendly!
Val Vista Lakes to Finley Farms Power Line Trail
Recreation or Fitness
This three mile narrow path offers some challenges to skaters such as sharp curves, occasional patches of gravel, dips, low branches, etc. There are also a couple of curbs where you need to stop, step down and cross a road without the benefit of a crosswalk. One of these crossings is preceded by a short slope, so DO NOT attempt this trail unless you can stop with confidence or you could end up falling into oncoming traffic. If you're up to its challenges, this trail rewards skaters with an interesting skate past horses, ostriches & llamas, under tunnels of arching tree branches and past views of the Val Vista lakes. There are also sufficient uninterrupted stretches for fitness skaters to get a good workout. Park in the Fry's plaza on the SE corner of Val Vista Dr. & Baseline. Exit to the sidewalk along Baseline and head East about 1/4 mile, then make a right to head South on the trail. As of Jan 1, 2004 the very last 4' x 4' section of sidewalk was inexplicably missing as you come to Warner Road. Moreover, this hazard was not marked in any way, so skate with your head up and pay attention!
MESA
Red Mountain Park This one is for recreational skaters. Plenty of parking at this neat skating area dotted with lots of covered ramadas to relax in. Several six ft.wide side walks encircle the park, the longest being eight tenths of a mile and partly bordering a fish pond. Put on your "rec" skates and skate away. Also a great place to picnic.
Hohokam Park
Brown Rd. & Center St. All new Pavement for one "flat" mile east to Mesa Dr. along the canal. Mesa Parks & Rec. are striving for better places for skaters to flock to safely. Don't for get to check out their new agro-skate park located at Reed Park.
8th Street/Adobe
If you are into long distance skating, this is for you. Park your car in the lot on the south side of 8th St., (just East of Center St.) and skate East for better than 10 miles on decent pavement with wide bike lanes. 8th Street becomes Adobe at Gilbert Rd. There are a intersections, of course, but most are four way stops and the posted speed limit is 25 miles per hour. Heading East the route is slightly uphill, which makes coming back a breeze.