Attend trailheads dedication as part of McDowell Sonoran Preserve's 25th anniversary

Join the community at 9 a.m. Friday, Oct. 18, to officially dedicate Fraesfield and Granite Mountain trailheads at the Fraesfield Trailhead, 13400 E. Rio Verde Drive. These trailheads are two of the eleven trailheads that provide public access to Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

Trailhead amenities include restrooms, paved parking, equestrian staging areas, interpretive and orientation signs, and other support amenities. Drinking water is not available at either site, so please come prepared with your own water. The new trailheads are open from sunrise to sunset seven days a week.  

On Oct. 3, 1994, the Scottsdale City Council formally dedicated the first lands for the preserve. The "Day One" preserve was 4.5 square miles consisting of three parcels of city-owned land. Today, this permanently protected, sustainable desert habitat encompasses 47 square miles … about one-third of Scottsdale's land area. 

Here are  other ways to commemorate this anniversary.