Trail Head Preserve - McDowell Mountains — Attraction in Scottsdale

‘Twas a brisk summer morning, the sun just peaking over the prominent mountains to greet the day, an absolutely beautiful sunrise.

And I was off, the park pleasantly busy, the atmosphere of a community, the feeling that even though you are on your own, you are never really alone, in the friendliest of ways. Dogs and their owners, avid runners, and everyone in between, everyone with a different motivation, all united in the same place.

Then it hit me. My bowels lurched like never before, not yet to the summit, but not far enough to turn around. I wasn’t a quitter. I decided to stride onwards, thinking that the feeling would soon pass. I made it to the summit, however there was no time to stop. I started running. Making as much progress as possible, feeling the light wind on my skin and the warmth on my back. I was right for about 5 minutes, that the feeling would pass. After that 5 minutes it felt as if I were hit by a truck. I had to slow down. I slowed to a vigorous pace and continued onward. Knowing that there was only one option for me, and the other thoughts going through my head were dismissed, as I was focused on one thing, making it back to the trailhead where I could utilize the facilities. Every second felt like an hour. Every minute like an eternity. However I knew I was making great progress as I had just recently passed a sign pointing me to my destination, only a mile and a half to sweet relief. I journeyed on.

15 minutes later, my objective in sight. The tightness and intensity increased with each step, as my body was ready to surrender, but my mind was not. A battle among myself that no one else can see. Coming down the mountain I was greeted by plenteous smiles and greetings. I smiled and nodded through the pain. To my gratitude, now only a handful of steps away. My thoughts now pertaining to holding on for the last remaining steps. I firmly grasped the door handle, pushed in with an unstoppable force. The formidable journey was completed. The feeling of relief fell over me, rushing to the far stall. I reached in to make sure there was proper tissue available, to my horror, it was empty. But I hadn’t given up, there was one more stall and there had to be something there.

But there wasn’t, it was bone dry. I started to tear up. What was I...

It was a bright and sunny day (partly cloudy as well) in the Mcdowells. I was recommened by one of the park guides to take the counter-clockwise path that starts with Gateway leading to Bell and Windgate trails before heading back to Gateway. There is a nice little switch back on the acent of Bell and even has you deciding whether to continue the switches or go a steeper more direct route (I took the latter). This is the steepest part of the trek as you will eventually get to another incline at windgate but not as difficult I would say and you are treated with a lot of downhill in between which makes you feel like you are on auto-pilot. On the summit of Bell pass you will have some nice shots of Four Peaks and Weavers needle to the South. Next time I will go Clockwise to see the differences. Get out here when you can!!

PS I forgot to mention how the torture-inducing Thompson Peak just stares at you in the...

It gets a little crowded right at the start. But once you’re into it, the trail opens up and the flow gets better. Still see people, but not in that annoying bumper-to-bumper way.

Everyone out there seemed chill and respectful. That alone makes it a better experience than a lot of other spots. Plus the views are legit. Perfect places for photos, videos, or just standing there like damn, this is why I hike.

You’ll get a good workout too. Not crazy hard, but enough to feel like you did something. Worth the trip, worth the sweat, and definitely one of the better valley spots to hit when you want beauty without...