Gateway Trailhead

Name: Trailside Naturalist Table – A Desert Time Machine – Gateway Trailhead
Start: 2025-02-22T08:30:00+00:00
End: 2025-02-22T11:00:00+00:00
Location: Gateway Trailhead

18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy.
Scottsdale, AZ 85255 United States Get Directions

https://www.mcdowellsonoran.org/gateway

Events at this venue

November 2025
November 30, 2025 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Sonoran Sundays – Sonoran Desert Life (Guest Presenter: Phoenix Zoo Educators)

Gateway Trailhead 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, United States

Sonoran Desert Life (Guest Presenter: Phoenix Zoo Educators) Join Phoenix Zoo for a fascinating look at why the best thing we can do for desert animals like snakes and tortoises is often… nothing at all. Learn what to do (and not to do) when you encounter these creatures in the wild, and why well meaning […]
November 29, 2025 @ 9:00 am - 11:00 am

Sonoran Desert 101 – Educational Walk

Gateway Trailhead 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, United States

Sonoran Desert 101 at Gateway Trailhead. This walk provides a geological and ecological overview of what lives in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, and how the flora and fauna survive and thrive. Restrooms and water are available at the trailhead. Please bring water and snacks for the trail. Plan to arrive 15 minutes before start of […]

Free
November 25, 2025 @ 9:00 am - 12:30 pm

Gateway to Windgate Pass Hike

Gateway Trailhead 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, United States

Gateway to Windgate Pass from Gateway Trailhead. Head up to Windgate Pass on this Very Difficult hike with a visit to Inspiration Viewpoint. Along the way, you may see some wildflowers that only grow at higher elevations such as the Mariposa Lily. 7.5 miles over about 3.5 – 4 hours with elevation gain of 1,300 […]

Free
November 16, 2025 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Sonoran Sundays – Rattlesnakes! Fact & Fiction (Guest Presenter: Rattlesnake Solutions)

Gateway Trailhead 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, United States

Rattlesnakes! Fact & Fiction (Guest Presenter: Rattlesnake Solutions) Few animals spawn mythology and fish stories like they do. In working with thousands of rattlesnakes and people in the valley, Bryan Hughes from Rattlesnake Solutions has heard it all. Learn to stay safe in the outdoors, what to do if you see a rattlesnake, and most […]
October 2025
October 30, 2025 @ 8:00 am - 10:00 am

Boojada Adventure – Educational Walk

Gateway Trailhead 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, United States

Boojada Adventure Walk at Gateway Trailhead When you think about Halloween, it's normal to think of spooky and scary symbols like spiders, spider webs, and bats. But if you learn a little more about these creatures in the Sonoran Desert, you may discover that there is not much to be afraid of! So, join us […]

Free
April 2025
April 26, 2025 @ 8:30 am - 11:00 am

Trailside Naturalist Table – Why are Lost Dog and Granite Mountain Trails So Different? – Gateway Trailhead

Gateway Trailhead 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, United States

Why are Lost Dog and Granite Mountain Trails So Different? Learn why Lost Dog Trails are so rocky and Granite Mountain trails are so much easier to walk on. Ever wonder how the rocks underfoot got there or why you see north to south mountain ranges in the Valley like Camelback, the McDowells, or South […]
March 2025
March 15, 2025 @ 8:00 am - 11:00 am

Phenology Educational Walk

Gateway Trailhead 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, United States
March 9, 2025 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Sonoran Sundays – Tarantula Wasps & Giant Desert Hairy Scorpions! Arthropods of the Sonoran Desert

Gateway Trailhead 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, United States
March 2, 2025 @ 9:00 am - 11:00 am

Desert 101 – Educational Walk

Gateway Trailhead 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, United States
March 1, 2025 @ 8:30 am - 11:00 am

Trailside Naturalist Table- Rattling on about Rattlers – Gateway Trailhead

Gateway Trailhead 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, 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 […]
February 2025
February 23, 2025 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Sonoran Sundays – Volcanoes, Earthquakes & Landslides? Oh My!

Gateway Trailhead 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, United States
February 22, 2025 @ 8:30 am - 11:00 am

Trailside Naturalist Table – A Desert Time Machine – Gateway Trailhead

Gateway Trailhead 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, 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 […]

Gateway Trailhead

Events at this venue

November 2025

Sonoran Sundays – Sonoran Desert Life (Guest Presenter: Phoenix Zoo Educators)

Sonoran Desert 101 – Educational Walk

Sonoran Sundays – Rattlesnakes! Fact & Fiction (Guest Presenter: Rattlesnake Solutions)

October 2025

Boojada Adventure – Educational Walk

April 2025

Trailside Naturalist Table – Why are Lost Dog and Granite Mountain Trails So Different? – Gateway Trailhead

March 2025

Phenology Educational Walk

Sonoran Sundays – Tarantula Wasps & Giant Desert Hairy Scorpions! Arthropods of the Sonoran Desert

Desert 101 – Educational Walk

Trailside Naturalist Table- Rattling on about Rattlers – Gateway Trailhead

February 2025

Sonoran Sundays – Volcanoes, Earthquakes & Landslides? Oh My!

Trailside Naturalist Table – A Desert Time Machine – Gateway Trailhead

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