It’s happening...
We’ve got a new home base for the 2026 BWR AZ, and it changes everything. (permits pending)
Welcome to the Ranch Road Staging Area, nestled right near McDowell Mountain Park. Thanks to this gem of a venue, we’ve scrapped all the tedious, traffic-laden tarmac starts and finishes. No more stoplights. No more suburban slog. Just right into the thick of it… the best Unroad terrain we’ve ever served up.
The Ranch Road Staging Area (or Ranch Road OHV Area) is located in the
Tonto National Forest, generally near the border of Scottsdale. It is situated in the northeastern part of the city near the Rio Verde area, offering access to desert trails but it's technically in an unincorporated area of Maricopa County. Fountain Hills/Rio Verde are the closest nearby communities, with Fountain Hills being the main town. There is dispersed camping within the massive staging area. There are also many more hotel and rental options with this new location. Click here for a map.
Because of this glorious new launch pad, we’ve unleashed the most fun Wafer and Wanna courses ever. Like Disneyland but for unroad fanatics. Smooth flowy singletrack, punchy rollers, and endless desert eye candy; without all that climb-y kakaboulet. That’s right: less road, more rad.
· Wanna is longer this year, but easier. And yes, way more fun.
· Wafer is similarly delicious with barely any climbing, but plenty of launching.
· Waffle? Still brutal. Still majestic. 6,600 feet of pain and pleasure. Our lowest elevation gain yet of any BWR, but still a beast.
More unroad. More singletrack. More cowbell. More fun. Less road.
And yes, we’re bringing back the dedicated women’s start. It’s been done before, but it’s high time it returns. Unfettered. Uninterrupted. Full gas from the gun.
We’re also thrilled to welcome some new names to the party:
Van Rysel Bikes, Distance to Empty, H2O Audio, Capriroso—plus our core crew you already know: Neversecond, Mumu Apparel, Qeja, Unwaffle, BikeInsure, Lost Abbey, Birdworx, ALMSTHRE, and Athletic Brewing Co.
⚠️ Prices go up January 1:So if you haven’t registered yet, it’s time to decide: Are you in for the next chapter of this desert circus?
👉 REGISTER NOW
We’ll see you in N. Scottsdale, where the cacti are aplenty, the sand isn’t too deep, and the suffering is sublime.
