McDowell Mountains

Hats off to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve

The McDowell Sonoran Preserve sits in north Scottsdale and covers about 30,500 acres, making it the largest city park in the United States, with more than 180 miles of trails. It exists because of a grassroots citizen movement in the early 1990s that pushed back against rapid development encroaching on the McDowell Mountains. Scottsdale voters twice approved dedicated sales taxes, in 1995 and 2004, to fund buying up the land and building trailheads.

The Gateway Loop Trail

The Gateway Loop, one of the most popular trails in the preserve, is a 4.5-mile loop with real climbing — about 60 Fitbit flights of stairs by our count — and we would not call it kid-friendly. About halfway through, at the trail’s highest point, you reach the Gateway Saddle, a scenic overlook with panoramic views across the preserve. It’s worth the climb.

Easier Options for Families

If you’d rather keep it easy, or you’re bringing kids, the same Gateway trailhead has two gentler options. The Bajada Nature Trail is a flat, half-mile interpretive loop with educational placards about the desert plant life along the way — no elevation gain at all. The Saguaro Loop Trail is a step up from that, a 1.9-mile loop with only about 190 feet of elevation gain, still easy but with a bit more distance.

Trailhead Amenities

All three trails start from the same Gateway trailhead, which has restrooms and staffed information stations right at the start. The guides there are genuinely helpful for figuring out which route matches your hiking ability before you set out.