Lifecycle of the Saguaro - Educational Hike
2025-02-20 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Phoenix) | Granite Mountain Trailhead, 31402 N. 136th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Trailside Naturalist Table - A Desert Time Machine - Gateway Trailhead
2025-02-22 08:30 - 11:00 UTC | Gateway Trailhead, 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, 85255, United States
A Desert Time Machine
Learn about the Pack Rats and their desert time machines. Ever wondered who lives in those piles of debris with cholla balls on top? The white-throated wood rat, aka the pack rat. This industrious little rodent has been collecting stuff and taking it home to nests for thousands of years. Join us and see an actual 11,000-year-old piece of amberrat (nest material) from a packrat nest. This golden colored nugget tells us what our Sonoran Desert used to look like. We will explain how it was formed by the small but mighty pack rat.
*Trailside Naturalist Table is a family-friendly educational display on some Saturday mornings. The table features hands-on materials and specimens and covers a variety of topics about the flora and fauna of the Preserve. The informal setting allows visitors to ask questions and learn interesting information about the amazing biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert. Sign up is not necessary, stop by anytime.

Desert 101 - Educational Walk
2025-02-22 09:00 - 11:00 UTC | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Thirty Mile - Wellness Ride
2025-02-22 09:00 - 14:00 (America/Phoenix) | Pima Dynamite Trailhead, 28777 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Lecture - Wildflowers: The Beautiful Building Blocks of Life (at the Mustang Library)
2025-02-22 14:30 - 16:00 (America/Phoenix) | Scottsdale Public Library – Mustang Library, 10101 N. 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260, United States

High Desert and Stagecoach Hike
2025-02-23 09:00 - 13:00 (America/Phoenix) | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States
Difficult hike will take you into the High Desert trail area with a stop at Cathedral Rock. 7.4 miles in about 4 hours with rolling hills, 280 ft. elevation change.

Sonoran Sundays - Volcanoes, Earthquakes & Landslides? Oh My!
2025-02-23 15:00 - 16:00 UTC | Gateway Trailhead, 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, 85255, United States

Unstoppable Judith Robles
2025-02-24 16:30 - 18:30 (America/Phoenix) | AZ

Lecture - Scottsdale is a Living Museum of Modern Architecture
2025-02-25 17:00 - 18:30 (America/Phoenix) | Scottsdale Public Library – Mustang Library, 10101 N. 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260, United States

Geology of the McDowells - Educational Walk
2025-02-27 09:00 - 11:00 UTC | Fraesfield Trailhead, 13400 East Rio Verde Drive, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Marcus Landslide Educational Hike
2025-02-28 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Phoenix) | Tom’s Thumb Trailhead, 23015 N 128th St., Scottsdale, AZ, 85255, United States

Cone Mountain and Beyond Hike
2025-02-28 09:00 - 13:00 (America/Phoenix) | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States
Very Difficult hike will cover 10 different trails over about 10 miles with only gradual elevation gains in approximately 4 hours.

Trailside Naturalist Table- Rattling on about Rattlers - Gateway Trailhead
2025-03-01 08:30 - 11:00 UTC | Gateway Trailhead, 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, 85255, United States
Rattling on about Rattlers
Learn about the species of rattlesnakes that live in the Sonoran Desert. Did you know? – That a rattlesnake can strike a distance of up to two-thirds of their body length? That they like to hide under bushes, rocks and debris that offer protection from predators? That they are an important part of the Preserve ecosystem? The Sonoran Desert is home to more species of rattlesnakes than any other region in the world. Come learn about the snakes that utilize heat vision to hunt in the dark of night and do not lay eggs!
*Trailside Naturalist Table is a family-friendly educational display on some Saturday mornings. The presentations feature hands-on materials and specimens and cover a variety of topics about the flora and fauna of the Preserve. The informal setting allows visitors to ask questions and learn interesting information about the amazing biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert. Sign up is not necessary, stop by anytime.

Desert 101 - Educational Walk
2025-03-02 09:00 - 11:00 UTC | Gateway Trailhead, 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, 85255, United States

Mountain Bike Skills Clinic
2025-03-04 08:00 - 11:00 (America/Phoenix) | Pima Dynamite Trailhead, 28777 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Cultural Resources Educational Hike - Brown's Ranch Interpretive Trail
2025-03-05 08:00 - 11:30 UTC | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Wildflower Walk
2025-03-06 10:00 - 12:00 UTC | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Birds, Bees, and the Matriarchy - Educational Walk
2025-03-08 09:00 - 11:00 UTC | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Sonoran Sundays - Tarantula Wasps & Giant Desert Hairy Scorpions! Arthropods of the Sonoran Desert
2025-03-09 15:00 - 16:00 UTC | Gateway Trailhead, 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, 85255, United States

Bird Walk
2025-03-11 08:00 - 10:00 (America/Phoenix) | Fraesfield Trailhead, 13400 East Rio Verde Drive, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Women's Bike Ride
2025-03-11 08:00 - 11:30 UTC | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Tom's Thumb Lookouts Hike
2025-03-12 08:00 - 11:00 (America/Phoenix) | Tom’s Thumb Trailhead, 23015 N 128th St., Scottsdale, AZ, 85255, United States
Very Difficult hike starts at the Tom Thumb Trailhead and travels 6.6 miles with a net elevation gain of around 1,600 feet over 3 to 3½ hours.

Surviving and Thriving in the Sonoran Desert - Educational Walk
2025-03-13 09:00 - 11:00 UTC | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Women's Hike
2025-03-14 09:00 - 11:00 UTC | Granite Mountain Trailhead, 31402 N. 136th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Wildflower Educational Hike
2025-03-14 10:00 - 13:00 (America/Phoenix) | Granite Mountain Trailhead, 31402 N. 136th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Phenology Educational Walk
2025-03-15 08:00 - 11:00 UTC | Gateway Trailhead, 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, 85255, United States

Return to Azatlan - Educational Hike
2025-03-15 09:00 - 13:00 (America/Phoenix) | AZ

Lecture - The How and Why of Butterfly Coloration (at Mustang Library)
2025-03-15 14:30 - 16:00 (America/Phoenix) | Scottsdale Public Library – Mustang Library, 10101 N. 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260, United States

Granite Mountain Loop Hike
2025-03-16 08:00 - 11:30 (America/Phoenix) | Granite Mountain Trailhead, 31402 N. 136th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States
Difficult hike on one of the classic paths in the preserve and a side trip to Balanced Rock. About 3.5 hours to cover 6.8 miles with 330 ft. elevation gain.

Ride the Pima Dynamite Area - Wellness Ride
2025-03-16 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Phoenix) | Pima Dynamite Trailhead, 28777 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States
