Mayhem Night Trail

Mayhem Night Trail sends runners into McDowell Mountain Regional Park after dark, with 5-mile, 10-mile, and 25K options on all-dirt desert trails. The race runs on cool December nights from the Competitive Track Area in Fort McDowell, Arizona, and the field is capped at 150 runners, so it feels more like a compact trail gathering than a large crowd. The route uses the park’s windy Competitive Track, starting around 1,200 feet and topping out near 1,400 feet, with headlamps and moonlight providing illumination once the sun is gone. Aravaipa Running organizes the event, distances can shift slightly from year to year due to permits, and the race has been held since 2017.