The McDowell Sonoran Preserve is more than 30,500 acres of protected Sonoran Desert in Scottsdale, set aside by the city since 1994. Short nature trails at the trailheads, and climbs the city rates extremely difficult.
Gateway Trailhead: 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale. Restrooms, water, shade and the accessible Bajada Nature Trail. Every trailhead is listed below.
Check before you go. The city posts trailhead closures and hours on its preserve page.
The McDowell Sonoran Preserve is outlined in orange. County regional parks are outlined in blue, including McDowell Mountain Regional Park on the preserve's east side. Tap any park for a link to its page.
McDowell Sonoran Preserve County regional parks
Preserve outline: the City of Scottsdale GIS Preserve Boundary layer, retrieved 11 October 2026. County park boundaries: the Maricopa County Parks and Recreation GIS boundary layer, retrieved 7 October 2026. Street map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
The Scottsdale City Council created the McDowell Sonoran Preserve in 1994. Voters approved a sales tax in 1995 to buy land for it, and another in 2004. The preserve has grown to more than 30,500 acres.
At the north end, Brown's Ranch was founded in 1917 by E.O. Brown, a Scottsdale entrepreneur, and at its peak covered 44,000 acres. The city acquired it in 1999 for the preserve. McDowell Mountain Regional Park, a county park of about 21,099 acres, borders the preserve to the east, and the Tonto National Forest lies to the north.
Ranked from easiest to hardest. The city rates each trail on a six-step scale: Easiest, Easy, Moderate, Moderately Difficult, Difficult and Extremely Difficult. Here, Easiest and Easy are Beginner, Moderate is Intermediate, and the three harder ratings are Advanced. Within each level, trails are ordered by elevation change, then length. Length and elevation change are the city's figures for each whole trail.
| # | Trail | City rating | Length | Elevation change | Use | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | ||||||
| 1 | Bajada Nature Trail | Easiest | 0.4 mi | 43 ft | Hike only | Accessible nature trail at the Gateway Trailhead. |
| 2 | Mesquite Canyon Trail | Easy | 0.2 mi | 26 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 3 | Saguaro Loop Trail | Easy | 0.3 mi | 55 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 4 | Saguaro Trail | Easy | 0.3 mi | 56 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 5 | Anasazi Spur | Easy | 0.5 mi | 71 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 6 | 104th St | Easy | 0.8 mi | 80 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 7 | Horseshoe Trail | Easy | 0.7 mi | 101 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 8 | Windmill Trail | Easy | 1.0 mi | 113 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 9 | Feldspar Trail | Easy | 0.7 mi | 137 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 10 | Lookout Trail | Easy | 0.5 mi | 168 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 11 | Old Jeep Trail | Easy | 1.4 mi | 192 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 12 | Levee Trail | Easy | 1.0 mi | 234 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 13 | Ringtail Trail | Easy | 2.2 mi | 307 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 14 | Paradise Trail | Easy | 1.5 mi | 325 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 15 | Taliesin Trail | Easy | 2.4 mi | 431 ft | Hike, bike, horse | Reached from WestWorld by the WestWorld trail. |
| 16 | Desert Park Trail | Easy | 3.1 mi | 606 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 17 | Quartz Trail | Easy | 4.9 mi | 1,104 ft | Hike, bike, horse | Reached from WestWorld by the WestWorld trail. |
| Intermediate | ||||||
| 18 | Lost Dog Wash Trail | Moderate | 2.6 mi | 380 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| Advanced | ||||||
| 19 | Rock Knob Trail | Moderately Difficult | 1.1 mi | 259 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 20 | Marcus Landslide Trail | Moderately Difficult | 2.3 mi | 280 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 21 | Prospector Trail | Moderately Difficult | 1.3 mi | 549 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 22 | Gateway Loop Trail | Moderately Difficult | 3.6 mi | 625 ft | Hike, bike, horse | From the Gateway Trailhead, the city lists the loop at 4.4 miles round trip and 655 ft of elevation change. |
| 23 | 136th St | Difficult | 1.6 mi | 804 ft | Hike only | |
| 24 | Windgate Pass Trail | Difficult | 3.1 mi | 858 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 25 | Sunrise Trail | Difficult | 4.4 mi | 1,095 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 26 | Bell Pass Trail | Difficult | 3.2 mi | 1,202 ft | Hike; experienced riders only | The city marks it for experienced horse and bike riders only. |
| 27 | Thompson Peak Road | Difficult | 2.2 mi | 1,614 ft | Hike, bike, horse | |
| 28 | East End Trail | Extremely Difficult | 1.3 mi | 1,041 ft | Hike; experienced riders only | The city marks it for experienced horse and bike riders only. |
| 29 | Tom's Thumb Trail | Extremely Difficult | 5.0 mi | 1,363 ft | Hike; experienced riders only | The city marks it for experienced horse and bike riders only. |
Source: City of Scottsdale, the trail guide table on the city's South Area trail map (PDF), Spring 2026 edition, read 11 October 2026, with every trail name checked against the city's Preserve Trails GIS layer. "Hike only" and "experienced riders only" are the map's own markings. The North/Central Area trail map (PDF), which covers Brown's Ranch, Pima Dynamite, Granite Mountain and Fraesfield, carries no difficulty ratings, so its trails are not ranked here. Both maps label every trail segment with its length and every marker with its elevation, so a route can be planned by adding segments.
| Trailhead | Address, Scottsdale | Restrooms | Drinking water |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway | 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy. | Yes | Yes |
| Lost Dog Wash | 12601 N. 124th St. | Yes | Yes |
| Ringtail | 12300 block of N. 128th St. | No | No |
| Sunrise | 12101 N. 145th Way | No | Yes |
| Quartz | SW corner of McDowell Mountain Ranch Rd. and 104th St. | No | No |
| WestWorld | 15939 N. 98th St. | Yes | Not listed |
| Tom's Thumb | 23015 N. 128th St. | Yes | No |
| Pima Dynamite | 28777 N. Pima Rd. | Yes | Yes |
| Brown's Ranch | 30301 N. Alma School Pkwy. | Yes | Yes |
| Granite Mountain | 31402 N. 136th St. | Yes | No |
| Fraesfield | 13400 E. Rio Verde Dr. | Yes | No |
Source: the City of Scottsdale preserve page, checked against the city's Preserve Trailheads GIS layer, 11 October 2026. Brown's Ranch Trailhead was closed for improvements on that date, with reopening expected in late October per the city.
From May to about September, temperatures reach triple digits almost every day, per the city. Start early, drink water before you go, and turn around when half your water is gone. Shade is very limited.
Dogs stay on a handheld leash no longer than six feet. If it will be 90 degrees or more at any point in your outing, the city says to leave your dog at home.
Hikers, riders and bikes share most trails. Everyone yields to horses, bikes and runners yield to all other users, and downhill traffic yields to uphill. Electric bikes are not allowed.
Signposts across the preserve carry markers, each with its own letter and number code. If you need help, give responders the nearest one.
The city's map says not to park on 136th Street and to use the Granite Mountain or Fraesfield trailhead instead.
Stay on designated trails. No smoking, fires, alcohol or glass. Drones may not take off or land in the preserve, and nothing may be removed, including rocks and plants.
If a trailhead within a short drive is part of what you want nearby, I can tell you which Scottsdale neighborhoods put you closest to the preserve.
Size, hours, entry, trailheads, dogs, electric bikes, heat guidance and the Brown's Ranch closure: City of Scottsdale, McDowell Sonoran Preserve, and its Preserve Hours page. Size also: the city's 2024 Preserve Ecological Resource Plan, which also gives the 1995 and 2004 sales tax votes and the neighboring McDowell Mountain Regional Park and Tonto National Forest. The 1994 founding and the 1995 vote, also: the city's official history, McDowell Sonoran Preserve history (PDF), with the preserve page. Trail ratings, lengths, elevation change, use markings, trail rules, emergency markers, parking and Brown's Ranch history: the city's South Area and North/Central Area trail maps, Spring 2026. Trail names, trailhead amenities and the preserve outline: City of Scottsdale GIS, Preserve Trails, Preserve Trailheads and Preserve Boundary layers. County park boundaries and the McDowell Mountain Regional Park acreage: Maricopa County Parks and Recreation GIS. All checked 11 October 2026. Hours, closures and rules change, so confirm with the city before you go.