Gateway Loop: Scottsdale's Free Desert Trail Is Made for Fall
This week's Trail & Park of the Week is the Gateway Loop at McDowell Sonoran Preserve, a free 4.4-mile loop that shows off why Scottsdale's backyard is one of the best hikes in the Valley. No entry fee, no parking fee, just saguaros, granite peaks, and sky in every direction. And in late October it is sitting right in its sweet spot: the heat has broken, the mornings are golden, and everyone on the Eastside is suddenly free to hike again.
A Free Desert Loop in Scottsdale's Backyard
Gateway Loop starts at the Gateway Trailhead at 18333 N Thompson Peak Parkway, up near the Ring Road in north Scottsdale. McDowell Sonoran Preserve protects more than 30,000 acres of Sonoran Desert, one of the largest urban preserves in the country, with more than 225 miles of trails to wander. The Gateway Loop is its most welcoming introduction: 4.4 miles around a big desert bowl, rolling up and down about 700 feet over slickrock benches and broad ridgelines with towering views of the McDowell Mountains and the Valley below.
The trailhead is set up for a comfortable morning: a large free paved lot, clean restrooms, drinking water, and shade ramadas for a post-hike snack. The trail is wide and well-marked, and friendly to families, dogs on leash, and runners, which makes it a rare Valley hike that works for almost everyone.
What's Worth Doing There
Gateway Loop is a proper loop, and you can take it clockwise or counterclockwise, however you fancy. Here is what makes it a favorite.
- Hike or run the full 4.4-mile loop, moderate and rewarding, with about 700 feet of elevation gain spread out over the whole circuit
- Take the kids and the dog: the trail is wide, well-signed, and forgiving, with no steep scrambling required
- Walk it as the sun gets low for golden light across the saguaro-studded hillsides and the Phoenix skyline glowing in the distance
- Extend the outing through Gateway's connections into miles more of preserve trail, from easy loops to the big views up Tom's Thumb
- Use the Gateway Trailhead's restrooms, water, and ramadas to start and finish comfortably
Why It's the Right Pick This Time of Year
Fall is hiking season in Scottsdale, full stop. The official best months for the Gateway Loop run October through May, and late October is the perfect opening act: cool mornings that warm into comfortable afternoons, clear desert skies, and none of the heat advisories that kept everyone off the trails in summer. Get to the lot early on weekends, because winter crowds are already showing up and the best spots fill by about 8 a.m.
This particular week is even better. October is Preserve Month across McDowell Sonoran Preserve, when trailheads hand out free Exploration Journals to guide your wander. And after a summer of construction, the Brown's Ranch Trailhead, the preserve's busiest gateway off Alma School Parkway, reopens Friday, October 30, right in time for the season, giving the whole Eastside another free place to start exploring.
Go early, ideally before 8 a.m. on a weekend, and pull into the free Gateway Trailhead lot at 18333 N Thompson Peak Parkway. Top off your water bottle at the trailhead tap, set your own pace around the 4.4-mile loop, and bring the dog or the whole family. The preserve is open sunrise to sunset and always free, and more details are at scottsdaleaz.gov/preserve.
This week's pick is part of our Trail & Park of the Week series, where we feature one great Eastside outdoor spot each week. Know a trail or park we should check out next? Send Tricia a note.
Know an Eastside Trail or Park We Should Feature?
If there is a trail, lake, or neighborhood park in Gilbert, Chandler, Mesa, or Scottsdale you love, tell us about it. We would love to share it with the whole Eastside.