Expedition Days Homeschool Day
2024-11-15 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Lost Dog Wash Trailhead, 12601 N. 124th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85259, United States
Expedition Days Homeschool Day
Join us for a day of free, fun, and interactive STEAM experiences in the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve, from Scat Bingo to live animal ambassadors. Learn about your place in the Sonoran Desert and how the choices you make in your daily life affect the future of our environment.
The Kovach Family Nature Trail is stroller-accessible and there are water fountains as well as bathrooms at the Trailhead.
View our shareable flyer.
Register HERE

Trailside Naturalist - Protecting the Desert Tortoise - Gateway Trailhead
2024-11-16 08:30 - 11:00 UTC | Gateway Trailhead, 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, 85255, United States
Trailside Naturalist – Protecting the Desert Tortoise – Gateway Trailhead
Saturday, November 16, 2024 from 8:30 am to 11:00 am
Learn about the Preserve’s desert tortoises who are long living but have a small chance to make it to adulthood. The Conservancy is tracking these animals with a radio backpack and we will share what has been learned about these slow but mighty animals.
*Trailside Naturalist is a family-friendly educational offering on many 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.

Walk Like a Tortoise - Educational Walk
2024-11-16 09:00 - 11:00 UTC | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Lecture - Living with Wildlife: How to Let Wildlife Be Wild (at Mustang Library)
2024-11-16 14:30 - 16:00 (America/Phoenix) | Scottsdale Public Library – Mustang Library, 10101 N. 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260, United States

Mountain Bike Skills Clinic
2024-11-17 09:00 - 12:00, 2024-12-15 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Phoenix) | Pima Dynamite Trailhead, 28777 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Bootlegger and Coyote Canyon Hike
2024-11-17 09:00 - 12:30 (America/Phoenix) | Granite Mountain Trailhead, 31402 N. 136th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States
Very Difficult hike of 10.6 miles over 4.5 hours with 303 feet elevation gain.

Holiday Happy Hour by Conservancy Women
2024-11-20 16:00 - 19:00 UTC | AZ

Patrol the Stoneman Road - Educational Ride
2024-11-21 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Fraesfield Trailhead, 13400 East Rio Verde Drive, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Hidden Desert Educational Walk
2024-11-23 09:00 - 11:00 UTC | Fraesfield Trailhead, 13400 East Rio Verde Drive, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Cultural Resources Educational Hike - Brown's Ranch Interpretive Trail
2024-11-23 09:00 - 12:30 UTC | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Cathedral Rock, Amphitheater, Cholla Loop Hike
2024-11-26 09:00 - 13:00 (America/Phoenix) | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States
Difficult hike. 7 miles with 280 ft. elevation gain in about 4 hours.

Lecture - Celebrating the New Brown’s Ranch Interpretive Trail and the History of the Brown’s Family (at Mustang Library)
2024-11-26 17:00 - 18:30 UTC | Scottsdale Public Library – Mustang Library, 10101 N. 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260, United States

More Pie Please! - Thanksgiving Hike
2024-11-28 09:00 - 10:30 UTC | Lost Dog Wash Trailhead, 12601 N. 124th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85259, United States

Desert 101 - Educational Walk
2024-11-30 09:00 - 11:00 UTC | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Latigo, Scorpion, Snake Eyes, and Dare A Sarah Trails
2024-12-04 09:00 - 12:30 (America/Phoenix) | Pima Dynamite Trailhead, 28777 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States
Difficult hike. Cool boulder formations! 7 miles with 238 feet elevation gain in about 3.5 hours.

Venom in the Preserve - Educational Walk
2024-12-05 09:00 - 11:00 UTC | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Secrets of the Preserve - Educational Ride
2024-12-06 09:00 - 12:30 UTC | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Tom's Thumb - East End Long Loop Hike
2024-12-06 09:00 - 13:30 (America/Phoenix) | Tom’s Thumb Trailhead, 23015 N 128th St., Scottsdale, AZ, 85255, United States
Very difficult Hike. 9.3 miles with 1,500 ft. elevation change in about 5 hours.

Desert 101 - Educational Walk
2024-12-07 09:00 - 11:00 UTC | Gateway Trailhead, 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, 85255, United States

Women's Bike Ride
2024-12-07 09:00 - 12:30 UTC | Fraesfield Trailhead, 13400 East Rio Verde Drive, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Desert Walkabout - Educational Walk
2024-12-12 09:00 - 11:00 UTC | Tom’s Thumb Trailhead, 23015 N 128th St., Scottsdale, AZ, 85255, United States

Brown’s Mountain & Cone Mountain Loop Hike
2024-12-12 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Phoenix) | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States
Difficult hike of 6.3 miles with 366 ft. elevation gain over about 3 hours.

Women's Hike
2024-12-13 09:00 - 11:30 UTC | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Trailside Naturalist - Mistletoe's Amazing Parasitic and Mutualistic Relationships - Brown's Ranch Trailhead
2024-12-14 08:30 - 11:00 UTC | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States
Mistletoe’s Amazing Parasitic and Mutualistic Relationships
The shiny red eyed black bird which has a crest looking a little cardinal is a Phainopepla. Learn how this bird spreads the parasitic Mistletoe around the Preserve. You will learn the Old English translation of Mistletoe and will have a laugh in December when you see people kissing under this plant’s branches. We’ll also discuss the Parasitic Tarantula Hawk Wasp and the Mesquite Gall as examples of other parasitic relationships in our desert.
*Trailside Naturalist is a family-friendly educational offering on many 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.

True Grit: Women of Strength and Determination - Educational Walk
2024-12-14 09:00 - 11:00 UTC | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Oddities of the Saguaro Cactus - Educational Ride
2024-12-14 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Pima Dynamite Trailhead, 28777 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Lecture - Discover the McDowell Sonoran Preserve (at Mustang Library)
2024-12-14 14:30 - 16:00 (America/Phoenix) | Scottsdale Public Library – Mustang Library, 10101 N. 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260, United States

Sonoran Sundays - Mammals of the Sonoran Desert
2024-12-15 15:00 - 16:00 UTC | Gateway Trailhead, 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, 85255, United States

Noteworthy and Notorious Arizonans - Educational Hike
2024-12-17 09:00 - 11:00 UTC | Fraesfield Trailhead, 13400 East Rio Verde Drive, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States
