Hikes in McDowell Sonoran Preserve

After four days of eating barbecue brisket sandwiches, drinking prickly pear Margaritas, and lazing by a pool, I do what anyone who’s begrudgingly agreed to go on a sunrise hike in the Arizona desert would do: frantically Google just how much trouble I’m in for. How far? How steep? What if you’ve accidentally skipped leg day for, say, the last six years?

But all the research in the world can’t stop the van filled with fit journalists and fashionable Instagram influencers from rolling up to my cushy Scottsdale resort at 5:00 AM, with the sun still low in the sky, bound for the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

The preserve encompasses more than 30,000 acres of the Sonoran Desert and has several access points, but a 20-minute drive from Old Town Scottsdale (or a half hour from downtown Phoenix) brings you to the Gateway Trailhead. The park is open from sunrise to sunset all year, but early spring is the best time to visit, when the desert is covered in colorful wildflower blooms and temperatures are mild.

Photo: Laura Reilly

For the wildly out of shape, a group hike can be an exercise in self-flagellation, where you’re more focused on being unable to breathe than the supposedly breathtaking views. But a few minutes into the hike, and after a few dozen confirmations with our guide that the terrain isn’t going to change dramatically around the next bend, it becomes clear that this is actually going to be enjoyable.

The gently sloping, crushed granite trail is soft and forgiving, and the ever-changing plant life along the way allows for frequent stops to admire red-blossomed ocotillo, spiny cholla, and towering giant saguaro cacti. A slender trail runner with jacked calves jogs past and quickly disappears into the mountains, and not far behind us, an elderly couple with trekking poles and binoculars is walking at a leisurely pace. All of us are enjoying the same blush pink sunrise over the desert.

It’s rare to find a park where those in peak physical condition can challenge themselves, and those with limited endurance are still rewarded with epic views for their efforts. With seven trailheads and more than 200 miles of trails — many of which are also accessible to mountain bikers and horseback riders and are dog-friendly — the McDowell Sonoran Preserve is truly for everyone.

Locals could come here every weekend to explore a new section of the preserve and always experience something new. You can also join free, steward-led guided hikes or educational talks year round. But if you’re short on time in the Phoenix area and just want to spend one perfect morning hiking the desert, these are the trails you should choose from — no matter your abilities.

Gateway Trailhead

Photo: