Desert Park, Gateway Loop and Gateway Saddle Loop Hike
A great day for a hike, not too hot and not too cold, blue sky and no wind. We had two groups this week for the hike at the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve on Desert Park and Gateway Loop Trail. The long hike was about 7 miles, which took us from the Trailhead to Gateway Loop trail, up the Gateway Loop Saddle and down Desert Park Trail. The long hike met the short hike before lunch. The short hike started the opposite way and went up the Desert Park trail and completed the Gateway Loop. Gateway Saddle Loop is an extension of the Gateway trail and allowed the hikers on the long hike to view Tom’s Thumb, an outcrop of rocks on a mountain that stands out like a thumb. This trail descends as the Desert Park Trail which leads back to the Trailhead through a residential area and Golf Course. It was a fun and enjoyable hike and we were home in the early afternoon.
http://www.mcdowellsonoran.org/trailhead/displayLocation/1#sthash.LHZKC6l8.dpbs
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| Fish Hook Cactus |
Directions:
Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve
Take I-10 West to exit 161, onto Loop 202, to exit 50A onto Loop 101. Go to exit 39 and turn right onto Raintree Drive. Travel .7 miles and turn left onto North Thompson Peak Parkway. Go 2.6 miles and look for “Gateway Trailhead” sign, then the entrance to the park, on the right. (It is .5 miles north of Bell Road.) 65.5 mi. 33°38’57.85N, 111°51’32.93W
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