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Scottsdale Classic Hiking: Customized Sonoran Desert Adventure

5.0

25 Ratings

Scottsdale

Experience a customized hiking adventure in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Explore the Sonoran Desert, enjoy incredible viewpoints, and learn from knowledgeable guides. Safety and fun guaranteed!

Duration: 3 hours

Cancellation: 1 day learn more

Highlights

Gateway Trailhead - McDowell Sonoran Preserve - Experience the all-time classic hiking adventure in the Sonoran Desert of Scottsdale, Arizona!
This classic guided adventure hike covers a classic loop hike in the McDowell Mountains of Scottsdale, Arizona. A local, certified, professional guide from Mad Desert Trekking will greet you at the trailhead and hike with you on a hiking adventure on an amazing route through the Scottsdale’s vast McDowell Sonoran Preserve, the largest city-owned preserve in the world at more than 30,500 acres.
Experience the energy of the Sonoran Desert and see its unique geological features, as well as native flora and fauna that are found only in the Sonoran Desert. Discover the wide open desert, canyons, washes and mountain ridges.
Ascend the switchbacks for incredible views of the Scottsdale, Phoenix, Valley of the Sun and much more. Hike to a mountain saddle for a perfect view of the surrounding McDowell Mountain range and see the Sonoran Desert stretch out for more than 60 miles to the west.

Adventure Details:
Experience the energy of hiking through the Sonoran Desert, the most diverse desert in North America. We love this beautiful trail

What's Included

Refreshing cold beverages post-hike
Complimentary sunscreen
Bottled water included
Assorted snacks provided
Carbonated drinks available
Backpacks supplied for convenience

What's Not Included

Gratuities

Additional Information

Join us for a unique hiking journey in Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve. We completely tailor the hike, adjusting mileage, terrain and grade to suit your needs.

Get ready to hit the trails for approximately two hours.
Discover the extraordinary formations and varied wildlife that the Sonoran Desert is famous for.
Enjoy thrilling scenery at our exceptional viewpoint, where refreshing snacks and beverages, courtesy of your guide, await.
We ensure each trip is packed with fun, and our professional guides will introduce you to hidden gems known only to locals.
Spend between two and three hours exploring the trail.
Your guide will be waiting for you at the trailhead.
Our hikes range from straightforward to demanding—choose your own intensity!

We cover all the necessities for your hiking expedition:

Backpacks are available for use
Sunscreen
Bottled water
Sports beverages
Energizing trail snacks
Plus, cool drinks after your hike’s completion.

Safety is our utmost priority. We ensure not only a secure, but also an enjoyable and unforgettable Sonoran Desert adventure.

Location

Gateway Trailhead - McDowell Sonoran Preserve

North Thompson Peak Parkway

Your Mad Desert Trekking guide will meet you at Gateway Trailhead, 18333 N. Thompson Peak Parkway, Scottsdale, AZ 85255 in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Uber and Lyft will conveniently offer drop-off service to the Starbucks.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

5.0

(25 Ratings)

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U1898dulaural

Apr 5, 2024

A great adventure! - What a great experience! Matt was easily accessible and happy to make recommendations for our adventure and then followed up with us the day before, making sure we knew the plan. We hiked with Henry, who was FANTASTIC! He was easy to communicate with for planning and meet up purposes-which was great since we had never been to the area. He was easy going, knowledgeable and just an all around great guy. His love for hiking and the outdoors was so genuine and he had a great sense of humor…plus good taste in snacks. Would do it again in a heartbeat!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Elizabethhx933sz

Mar 28, 2024

Outstanding hike - Jay was an excellent Guide. He was very knowledgeable and shared relevant information with us. He was in-tune with our pace and regularly checked in with us. We highly recommending Jay as your guide.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Natalia_p

Mar 8, 2024

Sonoran Desert hike with a great guide - Had a wonderful 7km hike with an amazing guide Jay around the Sonoran Desert. We were a small group of 3 friends and learned so much from Jay about different types of cactus 🌵 and what the nature had to offer. Really enjoyed the experience and felt very much in good hands and well reminded to hydrate. Lived how Jay had a bag of healthy and nutritious snacks for us, such a lovely touch 👍🏼 highly recommend!

Review provided by Viator

Jwa18854

Mar 4, 2024

Excellent tour and guide - Our tour guide Derek was very knowledgeable and friendly. He provided us with a lot of information about the various plants and cactus along the way. We thoroughly enjoyed having him as our guide.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Linda_a

Mar 4, 2024

Desert Hike - Derek was a great tour guide. He was so knowledgeable and it was nice having him to ourselves on the hike.

Review provided by Viator

Honey_c

Mar 4, 2024

Awesome guided walk - ask for Jay! - What a memorable day out! Jay our guide was awesome - super organised, starting with texts and emails confirming meeting place and time, to greeting us with iced bottles of water, back packs and a snack bag of treats. He is super knowledgable and through the guided walk told us about the history and environment. It was super fun and lots of great photos to capture the memories.

Review provided by Viator

Rachel_g

Feb 28, 2024

Liz was awesome - I hiked with Liz and she was a wonderful guide. We were clippin at such a good pace for our 5 mile hike. We discussed everything from reality tv to cheeseburgers and she had a lot of knowledge about the wildlife in the area.

Review provided by Viator

633tracy2014

Feb 11, 2024

Half-Day Guided Hiking Adventure - Overlook and East End full loop - I booked the Fantastic Half-Day Guided Hiking Adventure on the Mad Desert Trekking website. Together with my guide David, we did the Overlook and East End full loop. The views were amazing and the weather was perfect for the hike. David was a fantastic guide with snacks and electrolyte drinks and extra water. He was also very encouraging and informative pointing out the petroglyphs on the way back. Thank you for the amazing hike!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Amy_w

Jan 19, 2024

Excellent experience - Tour guide Jay was excellent. We owe our great experience to his knowledge and expertise. He went above and beyond. He was very communicative throughout the whole process. We knew what to expect and he wanted to know about what we wanted so he could cater the hike to us.

Review provided by Viator

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