Vaquero, Whiskey Bottle & Latigo Fitness Hike at Brown’s Ranch Trailhead  This hike on three picturesque trails will take you to a crested saguaro and then continue through a diverse landscape. Moderate hike of 5 miles for about 2.5 hours. Bathrooms available at the trailhead. Bring water and snacks for the trail. No dogs please. […]

Gateway Trailhead  to “Silver” Bell Pass Fitness Hike.  Celebrate the coming New Year on this Very Difficult but rewarding hike! Experienced Hikers suggested. The views along this challenging path will make the miles go faster. 7.2 miles in about 4 hours and gains 1,500 ft. Bathrooms available at the trailhead. Bring water, snacks and even […]

Jane Rau Trail Educational Walk at Brown’s Ranch Trailhead Join us for a leisurely walk on the awe-inspiring Jane Rau Trail. A slower pace will allow us time to stop for various discussions of the desert. Benches to sit are on the trail. About 1.5 miles over about 90 minutes.  Bathrooms available at the trailhead. […]

Tom’s Thumb Trailhead and Long Loop Fitness Hike This Very Difficult hike explores the rugged and scenic views of the preserve. End the year with a bang as we will go up Tom’s Thumb to East End and return via the McDowell Regional Park. In 9.3 miles there is over 1,500 ft. elevation change in […]

Marcus Landslide Fitness Hike at Tom’s Thumb Trailhead This Moderate hike visits the Marcus Landslide geological site, second largest landslide in Arizona. The elevation gain is 400 ft. over 4 miles in about 2.5 hours. Restrooms available at the trailhead. Bring water and snacks for the trail.  No dogs please. Arrive 15 minutes before start […]

Brown’s Mt & Cone Mtn. Loop Fitness Hike at Brown’s Ranch  Join us for a trip around Brown’s Mtn. and Cone Mtn. We travel on Upper Ranch, Wrangler, Brown’s Mtn., Cone Mt. and finally the scenic Latigo trail. This is a Difficult hike of 6 miles over about 3 hours with rolling ups and downs. […]

Hike with Natural Resources Coordinator at Brown’s Ranch Trailhead  Spend about 2 hours on an easy hike with John Loleit, the Natural Resources Coordinator, as he discusses various pertinent topics while hiking in the desert.  The material will depend on the season, animals, plants, and will cover whatever is happening in this wonderful environment.  Bathrooms […]

Twenty Miler from Pima Dynamite Trailhead.  This ride is longer and more intense than our normal rides.  It will be 2.5-3 hours and cover 20 miles with a Skill level of Intermediate and a Cardio level of Vigorous in the north eastern area of the preserve. All our rides are “No Drop”, meaning we will […]

Mountain Bike Skills Clinic at Fraesfield Trailhead  New to mountain biking? Looking to refresh your skills, improve your technique, enhance safety awareness and increase your overall enjoyment on the trails? Then come prepared with a mountain bike with knobby tires, helmet, water, and snacks. We begin with a demonstration and presentation by experienced riders covering […]

Bootlegger/Coyote Canyon Fitness Hike at Granite Mt Trailhead This Difficult hike explores the more remote part of the Preserve via Bootlegger, Granite Mountain Loop, Coyote Canyon, Renegade and 136th St. Express trails. Experienced hikers suggested.  7 miles in about 4.5 hours with rolling ups and downs. There are bathrooms available at the trailhead.  Bring water, […]

Did you know that saguaros have boots?  Stop by the Trailside Naturalist station at Gateway Trailhead between 9-11 am to learn about cactus, trees, and shrubs found in the Preserve.

Crested Saguaro Ride from Granite Mountain Trailhead.   Ever noticed the Crested Saguaros in the preserve?  Come ride with us to see a large number scattered throughout the north.  This 3.5 hour ride will cover more than 10 miles and is rated Advanced Skill and Vigorous Cardio.  A bike with wide knobby tires is required.  Please, […]

Bird Walk from Tom’s Thumb Trailhead: Join Kathe Anderson and Rick Pearce for about 2 hours to see some of our cool weather resident birds such as phainopepla, white-crowned sparrow, black-throated sparrow, Brewer's sparrow, and ruby-crowned kinglet, in addition to year-round birds such as thrashers, wrens, verdins, gnatcatchers, and towhees.  Restrooms available at the trailhead. […]

New to hiking? Want to get in shape in the New Year? Come meet Ray and Debbie Hendricks, lifelong hiking guides and owners of Just Roughin’ It Adventure Company. The Hendricks will cover the basics of hiking, including desert hiking techniques and essential equipment. They’ll also provide a guide to some easy beginner trails in […]

Cathedral Rock, Amphitheater, Cholla Loop Fitness Hike at Brown’s Ranch This Difficult hike will take us to several of the iconic granite formations in the preserve.  7 miles in about 3.5-4 hours. Experienced hikers suggested. Bathrooms available at the trailhead. Bring water, snacks and even a lunch for the trail. No dogs please.  Arrive 15 […]

Learn the Line at Pima Dynamite Trailhead  Have you felt nervous or unsure about how to ride over that rock or around that technical corner?  Come out and ‘learn the line’ to gain confidence on technical pieces, both up and down hills, speed control, body position and moving your weight around. This is an Intermediate […]

New Trails Fitness Hike at Pima Dynamite Trailhead   This Very Difficult hike due to its 9 miles over about 4.5 hours covers some rolling hills for Experienced hikers. Explore the impressive new trails with nice views and granite formations. Arrive 15 minutes before start of hike.  Bathrooms and water available at the trailhead.  Bring […]

Botany Educational Hike at Brown’s Ranch Trailhead  Have you ever wondered what that plant is, or why it only grows in certain locations? Join botanist Steve Jones to learn this and a 1000 other things.  This is a Moderate hike of 3 miles in about 2 hours with frequent stops. Bathrooms available at the trailhead. […]

Women’s Bike Ride from Brown's Ranch Trailhead.  This all woman’s bike ride is an Intermediate Skill level ride and Moderate Cardio.  This is a step up in intensity from the previous Woman’s Ride.   It is a “No Drop” ride meaning no one will be left behind.  Plan on about 3 hours to cover approximately 12 […]

East End Fitness Hike at Tom’s Thumb Trailhead This Very Difficult hike takes us up Tom’s Thumb Trail and down the steep East End Trail with its switchbacks and beautiful views. Then returns via the same trails.  It will take us about 4 hours to cover the about 6.4 miles with climbs over of over […]

Hike with Natural Resources Coordinator at Pima Dynamite Trailhead  Spend about 2 hours on an easy hike with Madison Barasha, the Natural Resources Coordinator, as she discusses various pertinent topics while hiking in the desert.  The material will depend on the season, animals, plants, and will cover whatever is happening in this wonderful environment.  Bathrooms […]

Stoneman Road Educational Hike at Fraesfield Trailhead The Stoneman Road was created as an “expressway” between Ft. McDowell and Ft. Whipple (near Prescott) in the 1870's. Join PastFinders Len Marcisz and Chris Crum as we walk portions of the actual route and discuss its origin, namesake and value to our history. This is a Moderate […]

Granite Mountain and Balanced Rock from Granite Mt Trailhead Join us on this Difficult hike on one of the classic paths in the preserve and a side trip to Balanced Rock. About 3.5 hours to cover 6.5 miles. Bathrooms are available at the trailhead. Bring water and snacks for the trail. No dogs please.  Arrive […]

Arthropods of the Sonoran Desert Family Educational Hike at Gateway Trailhead  Scorpions, Spiders, Bees and Wasps are just the beginning – there are more species of Arthropods in the world than any other group of animals. Join Dr. Rich Cochran on this easy approximately 2 mile walk to discover the fascinating and diverse world of […]

Stagecoach, West Express, Malpais Fitness Hike at Brown’s Ranch Trailhead. This Very Difficult hike goes to some of the newer northern trails of Stagecoach, Western Express and Malpais See several of the iconic granite formations in the preserve.  This hike is rated Difficult because it is 10 miles in about 5 hours. Experienced hikers suggested. […]

Cowpoke-Granite Mtn. & Bootlegger Fitness hike from Granite Mt Trailhead. This Moderate hike covers some beautiful areas of the eastern preserve with some of the most impressive Saguaro stands in the preserve.  4.5 miles over about 3 hours. Bathrooms are available at the trailhead. Bring water and snacks for the trail. No dogs please.  Arrive […]

Stop by the Trailside Naturalist station at the Gateway Trailhead between 9-11 A.M. to learn about the various reptiles of the Sonoran desert, their unique behavior, eating habits and benefit to the ecosystem

Bike the New North Trails at Pima Dynamite Trailhead.  Experience the more technical new trails in the north of the Preserve. This is an Advanced skill and Vigorous Cardio level ride for 12-15 miles in 3- 3.5 hours. We will explore some of the more aggressive recent additions to the northwest trails in the Preserve. […]

Dixie Mine, Prospector, Windmill Area Fitness Hike from Golden Eagle Trailhead. This vigorous Very Difficult hike offers spectacular scenery on the seldom seen eastern preserve.  It covers 10 miles in about 5 hours with elevation changes of over 2000 ft. Bathrooms are available at the trailhead. Bring water for the trail and even a lunch.  […]

Windgate Pass/Bell Pass Loop Fitness Hike from Gateway Trailhead. Ready for a great workout? Then this Very Difficult hike in the heart of the southern McDowells is for you. We go to Windgate Pass and around to Bell Pass before returning to the trailhead. 9.5 miles for about 5 hours with over 2000ft. of elevation […]

Mountain Bike Skills Clinic at Fraesfield Trailhead  New to mountain biking? Looking to refresh your skills, improve your technique, enhance safety awareness and increase your overall enjoyment on the trails? Then come prepared with a mountain bike with knobby tires, helmet, water, and snacks. We begin with a demonstration and presentation by experienced riders covering […]

Hike with Natural Resources Coordinator at Granite Mountain Trailhead  Spend about 2 hours on an easy hike with John Loleit, the Natural Resources Coordinator, as he discusses various pertinent topics while hiking in the desert.  The material will depend on the season, animals, plants, and will cover whatever is happening in this wonderful environment.   Bathrooms […]

Thirty Miler from Pima Dynamite Trailhead.  This ride is longer and more intense than our normal rides.  It will be 4.5-5 hours and cover 30 miles with a Skill level of Intermediate and a Cardio level of Vigorous in the north eastern area of the preserve. All our rides are “No Drop”, meaning we will […]