The best road cycling routes around Rio Verde

Pass over the Central Arizona Central Canal and continue up the road for about 0.6 miles (1km) to Taliesin West. This area was Frank Lloyd Wright’s desert laboratory and winter home. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is open to the public, and reservations are strongly recommended. Taliesin West is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Fountain Park is a 64-acre recreation park in the center of town. It was constructed in 1970 and is home to a 29-acre, 100 million-gallon lake with a fountain! The huge fountain spout will go off every hour for 15 minutes between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.The only time I will not erupt is in windy conditions.

Needle Rock Day Use Area is by a beach on the Verde River. It's popular in the hot summer months. Visitors come to the rock beach to view the unusual rock formations. The rocky beach area is surrounded by tall rock formations and is a great spot to cool down. Bird watchers can sometimes see Bald Eagles and Great Blue Herons around here.

Taliesin West served as the winter home of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. These days the home has been converted into an architectural school. Anybody with an interest in design will enjoy a visit.

In the 1930's Arizona built itself a new Capitol build. However, the renowned architect, Frank Lloyd Wright wasn't impressed. He took it upon himself to design his own Capitol Building and presented it to the state which declined to take him up on his offer. Many years later a developer in Scottsdale was looking for something to serve as a landmark for their latest project and turned to Arnold Roy who had apprenticed under Frank Lloyd Wright. Roy dusted off Wright's unused design for the Capitol and reworked one of its key features into the 125 steel & glass spire that stands here today.

The 125-foot tower, originally designed by Frank Lloyd Wright as part of his vision for Arizona's State Capitol, now stands as a focal point at the corner of Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard and Scottsdale Road, after being resurrected in 2004. Constructed from 1,700 individual steel pieces and adorned with colors representing the Arizona landscape.

The Sunrise Trail is a steep trail traveling the canyon from the residential area at Sunrise Trailhead to the top of Sunrise Peak. The trail is straightforward, but it does have some loose rocks and steeper grades.