The Arizona Canal Multi-Use Path runs for miles through the northern Phoenix grid, and on a cool January morning it is one of the better places you can be in this city.
You pick it up easily at Camelback Road near 40th Street, where a wide paved surface drops alongside the actual canal — moving water, cottonwoods, the occasional heron standing like it owns the place. From there you can head west toward Scottsdale Road and beyond, or east into the quieter residential stretches where the trail thins and the city noise fades to almost nothing. Either direction, you’re away from traffic within a minute.
Winter is the argument for going. By late December the high desert light turns low and golden even by 8 a.m., and temperatures in the 50s mean you can actually push hard without paying for it. You’ll pass other cyclists, joggers in beanies, dog walkers in puffy jackets — the full range of Phoenicians who have quietly adopted this corridor as their daily infrastructure. In summer the same path exists, and people do use it, but you have to be out before 7 to stay ahead of the heat. January gives you until 10, easy.
The canal itself is a working piece of the Salt River Project, not a decorative feature. The water moves at a steady clip and you hear it the whole way — a sound that’s somehow both industrial and calming. When the trees are bare you get long sightlines down the canal that feel almost cinematic. When they’re leafed out in spring it closes in and becomes something greener, more enclosed.
There are access points all along the route — at major cross streets like 32nd Street, Scottsdale Road, and Hayden Road — so you can customize the distance depending on what you have. A casual out-and-back from Camelback to Old Town Scottsdale and back is roughly 10 miles and takes under an hour at a moderate pace. Harder riders string together longer routes by connecting to other canal paths. The system extends far in both directions if you want to explore.
Parking is the mild annoyance. There’s no dedicated trailhead lot along this segment, so you’re usually pulling into a shopping center or side street and walking to the access point. The Camelback and 40th Street intersection has enough commercial parking nearby that it’s not a real obstacle, just something to plan for. Street parking on the residential side streets east of there is easy on weekday mornings.
Bring whatever you’d bring for a city ride — water, sunscreen even in January (the UV here doesn’t take days off), and a lock if you’re planning to stop somewhere. There are a handful of coffee spots near the Scottsdale Road crossing where you can refuel mid-ride. The whole thing costs nothing, which on a Saturday in a city full of paid experiences feels like a small gift.
People discover this path and then can’t believe they waited. It’s not dramatic terrain — no elevation, no technical features — but it’s consistent, accessible, and genuinely pleasant in a way that holds up across seasons. If you live in central Phoenix or Scottsdale and you haven’t made it a regular habit, a crisp Tuesday in January is as good a reason as any to start.
