Cottonwood Canyon Run

Motorcycle Roads & Rides > Routes > United States > Arizona

Average Rating - This road has been rated by 5 visitors

State: Arizona
Date Submitted: August 1, 2004
Submitted by: James "Conner" S.
Motorcycle Road Length: 120 Miles

Written Directions

From Phoenix follow US-60 to Wickenburg where I suggest you start your drive. At first Wickenburg light turn north onto state route 93. Drive 7 miles until the junction for 89 and travel north. Follow into Prescott and turn onto E. Gurley and follow 89 five miles out of Prescott, then turn east on 89A. You'll pass through Jerome. Once you have entered Cottonwood you may either continue your trip through Sedona or follow the signs to I-17 via state route 260.

Scenery

Starting just north of Wickenburg, the drive starts in a desert setting and quickly climbs the side of a mountain to enter pine country. Goes through Prescott and ends in Cottonwood with the option to continue to Flagstaff on another of the states great scenic roads. Bring water and a camera ... the views from Jerome are SPECTACULAR!

Road Quality

Road can become steep at certain times and very twisty ... you may have to take breaks to allow your brakes to cool (depending on your speed). The road is very smooth overall. I suggest motorcycles use headlights accordingly as people speeding and "racing" through the canyons can become dangerous.

Roadside Amenities

On certain days you can find an arts festival in Prescott which can be interesting if that's your thing. Gas stations are plentiful and can be found in Wickenburg, Prescott or Cottonwood. You'll drive through the Prescott National Forest where you can find about 10 campgrounds, numerous pic-nic areas, and places to fish and hike.

Additional Info

- View the weather forecast for this area from Yahoo weather . - What's happening in Prescott, AZ? - Arizona Travel - Arizona State Parks

Nickname (optional) James "Conner" S.

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Reviewed by Graybush on January 14, 2012 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Graybush
motorcycle_year: 2007
motorcycle_make: Harley Davidson
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: I did this ride from just south of Prescott up to Sedona in April 2011. Fantastic. Five stars for scenery, four for road condition, four for amenities. I'm an East Coast guy so seeing deserts and mountains like this is a blast for me. You go through the Prescott National Forest, across some wide open areas, to the top of Mingus Mountain (my favorite), then down into Clarkdale, Cottonwood, and Sedona, all within a few hours. This is a trip I plan to make again with my wife at some point in the future. I highly recommend stopping in Jerome if you have time. The road was mostly in good condition but be careful through the mountains you may find some rocks and things along road edges. There are plenty of towns, big and small, along the route to get what you need.
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Reviewed by stomp944 on September 12, 2011 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: stomp944
motorcycle_year: 1998
motorcycle_make: Ducati ST2
motorcycle_type: Sport-Touring
Comment: A three-season, all-time favorite of mine. Asphalt in good condition with few areas of potential gravel or debris. Keep an eye out for posted limits, LEO's and slow traffic through Cottonwood and Sedona. Sections of tight, fun but blissfully predictable curves running over pine tree dotted ridges, giving way to more sparsely vegetated valleys and straighter open stretches. Several towns for food or gas. Start or end either Phoenix or Flagstaff.
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Reviewed by Guest on April 18, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: t. carl seals
motorcycle_year: 2006
motorcycle_make: Triumph
motorcycle_type: Sport-Touring
Comment: Beautiful, multi-season ride. Careful of the hairpins on Mingus Mountain (between Prescott and Jerome), they cinder and grade during the snowy season. Leaves cinders and deep washboard ruts in the corners. Watch your speed! Back tires get away from you here.
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Reviewed by Guest on July 5, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Mark W
Comment: The farther north you go, the better the roads get. After passing through Wilhoit, on the way to Prescott, take the speed advisory signs seriously. While the roads are in good shape and will hold a lot more speed, there's little to no runoff. Crashes are easily fatal. Besides, if you are completely focused on the road, you'll miss a lot of terrific scenery. Be prepared for a lot of traffic in Sedona. The roads in the town are not nearly adequate for the amount of traffic. Particularly on weekends, and weekday afternoons, you might move through town at no more than 5 mph. The road into, and out of Jerome, was made for motorcycling!
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Reviewed by Guest on April 27, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: steph & mike & group
Comment: Hi!! I just wanted to also let any other interested person(s) know that we did this ride this past weekend, and had a BLAST!! This ride has become a tradition for our friends who we went with instead of going to the Harley Run in Laughlin, and me & my husbands very first time. The scenery through the canyon & the fun twisty roads was so much fun!!
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