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New attractions create more to explore during McDowell Sonoran Preserve Month

  
  Sept. 28, 2012

 
  Contact:  Mike Phillips, public affairs manager, (480) 312-7825

 
  New attractions create more to explore
  during McDowell Sonoran Preserve Month

 

There’s more to explore this October during McDowell Sonoran Preserve Month.

New facilities, special events and unique adventures await in the preserve, encompassing 21,400 acres of scenic desert lands in northern Scottsdale.

The Tom’s Thumb Trailhead and the Marcus Landslide Trail debut this fall, opening a new region to hiking, biking and exploration.

Join us for the ribbon-cutting at 7:30 a.m. Oct. 18 as part of a special Mayor/City Council breakfast. The trailhead is located three miles south of Dynamite Boulevard on 128th Street.

The breakfast launches four days of activities at the trailhead. At 8 a.m. Oct. 19 stewards with the conservation non-profit McDowell Sonoran Conservancy will host a one-hour horseback ride departing from there. 

On Saturday, Oct. 20, the Conservancy will host a day of celebration and exploration at the trailhead – featuring volunteer-led hikes, mountain climbing demonstrations and a scavenger hunt with prizes.

The next day, Conservancy stewards will lead a one hour mountain bike ride departing from the trailhead at 8 a.m.

The trailhead features parking for 200 cars and 10 horse trailers, shade ramadas and restrooms. Water is not available at the trailhead due to its isolated location, so make sure to bring your own.

The Tom’s Thumb Trailhead provides new and expanded access to several unique regions of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve and the county’s nearby McDowell Mountain Regional Park.
 
Hikers on the new Marcus Landslide Trail will be treated to a geologic wonderland of tilted rocks and immense boulders …. Sentinels that testify to a massive landslide that shaped this area roughly 500,000 years ago.

Informational signs along the trail are being provided through a generous gift from the Conservancy. The signs recount the region’s geologic history, the landslide and its impact on the area today.

Another scenic hike departs the Tom’s Thumb Trailhead heading southwest. The Tom’s Thumb Trail features a steep, 800-foot vertical climb to a ridgeline below East End Peak, the highest point in the preserve.

Dozens of events and activities are planned during October to celebrate the Preserve. For a complete list, visit: http://mcdowellsonoran.org.

You can get a bird’s-eye view of the preserve’s rugged beauty and new amenities by viewing a set of videos featuring aerial footage.

The videos are available on the city’s YouTube Channel at:

http://www.youtube.com/scottsdaleazgov

The videos will also air on CityCable Channel 11 starting Oct. 7. They will air Sundays through October at 1:30, 5:30 and 8:30 p.m.
 
To learn more about the preserve, its history and plans for the future, visit: http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/preserve

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