Have you ever thought of spending your next winter vacation inline skating (Rollerblading) in Arizona? Whether you have or not, here is your opportunity. Join our Arizona Inline Skating Adventure scheduled for February 9 – 13, 2024.
The truth is it is very difficult to find inline skating vacation destinations. Some of our skaters can go up to 20 miles a day, which means even for a five-day tour we need around 100 miles of skating. Not just any skating, mind you. Unlike bike tours where a few hills or gravel roads are acceptable, on our inline skating tours we seek out long, smooth, flat, and car-free trails or roads.
Arizona – specifically the cities of Tempe and Scottsdale – has this in spades. Both cities are gold rated Bike Friendly Cities by the Bicycle League of America. Both have not just paved paths but networks of paved paths that allow us to connect our routes, hardly ever needing to shuttle to a trail in a van. Most of the paths are concrete and run along canals, which means they are not only smooth but also totally flat. They are awesome.
But the skating paths are not the only reason we love this new tour offering.
- College Town of Tempe: We spend two nights in the college town of Tempe, home to Arizona State University. Our hotel is a short walk from campus, from lively Mill Street and its bars and restaurants, and to the local trails.
- Hip Old Town Scottsdale: Our second two nights are in Old Town Scottsdale. This area is considered the most popular destination in the Phoenix metropolis, thanks to its central walking core, 100 or so restaurants, art galleries, shops, and winery tasting rooms.
- Amazing Restaurants: Mexican food is the local specialty and we dine twice on Mexican food that is full of flavor, original, and yet authentic. We also dine at what is my favorite restaurant in Arizona – a healthy Mediterranean restaurant – and you have plenty of choices for lunch stops en route. Even the quaint downtown of Gilbert, Arizona, our lunch stop one day, has some amazing cuisine (as well as a fun brewery).
- Non-Skating Activities: There is great hiking in the area and we offer two short optional hikes on this tour. We have a morning option of kayaking or stand up paddle boarding on Tempe Lake. You can choose between a brewery visit or a winery tasting room tour. And the entire tour is bicycle friendly for our non-skating friends.
- Oh Yeah. The Weather. Other than the paths, this is our number one reason to visit Arizona in February. With an average high temperature of 72 degrees and only four days of rain in February, this is the perfect winter escape.
Come join us on our Arizona Inline Skating Adventure for your Rollerblading in Arizona getaway!
I retired this year, and your inline skating tours is in my bucket list.
Excellent, Steve! Let us know if you have any questions.
Allan
I am a beginner skater. Not bad, I can skate forever. But I am not great at it. Would I do okay on these vacations?
Hi Jennifer,
It is hard to tell based on what info you provided. The trails in Arizona are mostly flat, smooth, and car free. But when you do five days of skating in a row, there are always a few difficulties you need to be able to handle: crossing intersections that require going up and down curbs, going up and over bridges over roads or train tracks, avoiding gravel, etc. These are not difficult but you need to be able to slow your speed, turn, and navigate these. In terms of distance, it is not so much a problem as you can choose your own distance each day. In terms of speed, you don’t need to skate fast but should be able to skate consistently. Does all this help? Feel free to contact us if you have questions!
Allan Wright