CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER Nature as Therapy Walk at Brown’s Ranch Trailhead Learn why time in nature makes happier, healthier, and more creative. Join us on this walk and learn how to use nature as a prescription to improve your overall well-being. Location: Brown’s Ranch Trailhead Skill level: Easy Time: ~1.5 hours Bathrooms are available […]

Twenty Miler at Pima Dynamite Trailhead This ride is a bit more intense than our normal rides. We will ride in the northern area of the Preserve. This is an intermediate skills and moderate cardio ride. Location: Pima Dynamite Trailhead - 28777 N Pima Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85262 Skill level: Intermediate Distance: ~20 miles Time: […]

Women's Hike at Pima Dynamite Trailhead Come and discover 3 crested saguaros on this hike. Perfect for those that identify as women. Location: Pima Dynamite Trailhead - 28777 N Pima Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85262 Skill level: Moderate Distance: ~7 miles Time: ~3.5 hours Bathrooms are available at the trailhead. Bring water and snacks for the […]

Mountain Bike Skills Clinic at Pima Dynamite Trailhead New to mountain biking? Looking to refresh your skills, improve your technique, enhance safety awareness, and increase your overall enjoyment on the trails? We begin with a demonstration and presentation by experienced riders covering the basic things you need to know, equipment requirements, and trail etiquette. The […]

Walk with Natural Resources Coordinator at Tom's Thumb Trailhead Join us on an easy walk with a City of Scottsdale Natural Resources Coordinator as various pertinent topics are discussed during the walk in the desert. The material will depend on the season, animals, plants, and will cover whatever is happening in this wonderful environment. Location: […]

Crested Saguaro Ride at 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 is an advanced skills and vigorous cardio ride. Location: Granite Mountain Trailhead - 31402 N. 136th St., Scottsdale, AZ 85262 Skill level: Advanced Distance: ~10 miles […]

Lecture- Geology is Ecology's Destiny at Mustang Library or Virtual Geology is ecosystem destiny. Geologic processes create the climate an area experiences, the shape of the land, and the kind of rock and ultimately soil that develops there. These factors are the literal and figurative foundation of the ecosystem; they create the environment and environmental […]

Bird Walk at Tom's Thumb Trailhead Join the expert on this walk 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. Location: Tom’s Thumb Trailhead -  23015 N 128th St, […]

Walk with Natural Resources Coordinator at Brown's Ranch Trailhead Join us on an easy walk with a City of Scottsdale Natural Resources Coordinator as various pertinent topics are discussed during the walk in the desert. The material will depend on the season, animals, plants, and will cover whatever is happening in this wonderful environment. Location: […]

What’s in Your Backpack? at Gateway Trailhead Our Preserve in the Sonoran Desert is beautiful. But most of the inhabitants, both flora and fauna, want to stick you, prick you, or bite you. Your safety is important to us. Let us help you learn what to bring with you and why. Location: Gateway Trailhead - […]

Sonoran Sundays - Essentials of Desert Hiking, Just Roughin’ It Adventure Company at Gateway Trailhead New to hiking? Want to get in shape for 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 […]

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 […]

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 our expert botanist to learn this and 1,000 other things. Location: Brown’s Ranch Trailhead Skill level: Moderate Distance: ~3 miles Time: ~2.5 hours Bathrooms are available at the trailheads. Bring water […]

Patrol the Stoneman Road Educational Bike Ride at Fraesfield Trailhead The Stoneman Road was a military road created in 1870, connecting Ft. McDowell and Ft. Whipple. Remnants of the road remain in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Learn the story of the road and the people who made it, while we patrol portions of the actual […]

Lifecycle of the Saguaro Educational Walk at Brown's Ranch Trailhead Native only to the Sonoran Desert, these giant cacti are a sight to see! Join us to follow the growth of a saguaro from seed to skeleton and view multi-armed, old saguaros. Location: Brown’s Ranch Trailhead - 30301 N. Alma School Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85262 […]

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 experts as we walk portions of the actual route and discuss its origin, namesake, and value to our history. Location: Fraesfield Trailhead - 13400 East Rio Verde […]

The Hidden Desert Educational Walk at Fraesfield Trailhead Walking through the desert gives you half the story. There is a hidden world of nocturnal critters. If you look carefully, you can see the evidence of their middens, burrows, and holes. What else is concealed around you? Let us unlock those mysteries on the Camino Campana […]

Twenty Miler at Pima Dynamite Trailhead This ride is a bit more intense than our normal rides. We will ride in the northern area of the Preserve. This is an intermediate skills and moderate cardio ride. Location: Pima Dynamite Trailhead - 28777 N Pima Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85262 Skill level: Intermediate Distance: ~20 miles Time: […]

Bike the Intermediate to Difficult Trails at Pima Dynamite Trailhead Experience the more technical trails in the northwest area of the Preserve. This is an advanced skills and vigorous cardio ride. We will explore some of the more aggressive trails in the Preserve. Trails will have short, steep climbs and descents with tight corners. We'll […]

Stoneman Road Educational Walkabout at Fraesfield Trailhead This interpretive walk covers the history of the area prior to the construction of the Stoneman Military Road, the uses of the road, military life in Arizona during the 1870s, and the famous and infamous persons who traveled the road. At the conclusion of the walk, participants open […]

Ride with Ability360 at Brown's Ranch Trailhead Location: Brown's Ranch Trailhead- 30301 N. Alma School Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85262 This ride will be 2-2.5 hours and cover 12-12.5 miles with an elevation gain of 672ft and is suited for riders of an intermediate skill level.  We will follow Browns Trail , Vaquero Trail, Watershed Trail, […]

Mountain Bike Skills Clinic at Pima Dynamite Trailhead New to mountain biking? Looking to refresh your skills, improve your technique, enhance safety awareness, and increase your overall enjoyment on the trails? We begin with a demonstration and presentation by experienced riders covering the basic things you need to know, equipment requirements, and trail etiquette. The […]

Twenty-Five Miler at Pima Dynamite Trailhead This ride is longer and more intense than our other rides. This is an intermediate skills and vigorous cardio ride, tracking the perimeter of the northern Preserve. Location: Pima Dynamite Trailhead - 28777 N Pima Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85262 Skill level: Intermediate Distance: ~25 miles Time: ~4.5-5 hours Please, […]