ParkSonoran Desert
McDowell Sonoran Preserve
More than 30,500 acres and 230 miles of trail. The Gateway trailhead is the best-signed introduction to the desert anywhere near the city.
- Managed by
- City of Scottsdale
- From Phoenix
- 40 min northeast
- Entry
- Free
Before you go
Fees, access, and what people get wrong here.
- Free to enter, with no gate and no fee station. Parking at Gateway fills by mid-morning on cool weekends.
- Trails are shared with mountain bikers and horses. Hikers yield to horses; bikes yield to both.
- There is no water anywhere on the trail system beyond the trailhead fountain.
Trails here
Routes in this guide that start inside the park.