Those who have wanted to hike into the Fountain Hills McDowell Mountain Preserve whenever they felt the urge without being concerned about trespassing now have an open public access trail to take them there.

The newly finished Sonoran Trail takes hikers from its intersection with the Dixie Mine Trail in McDowell Mountain Park high into the preserve where it intersects with the Promenade and Western Loop trails.

The Sonoran Trail inside the Preserve was formerly known as the North Trail.

Work on the trail has been under way since last spring, with most of the hard work being done over the summer months.

The Maricopa County Parks Department trail builders laid out three different routes between the Dixie Mine Trail and the end of the North Trail in the Preserve.

The first option was rejected after a cultural survey team found the ruins of an ancient civilization in the path of the trail. The second option was rejected for similar reasons, and rock that would be too hard to dig through.

The third route proved to be the charm and the county’s trail building team enlisted the help of the volunteers with the Fountain Hills Sonoran Conservancy to build the trail.

According to Roy Kinsey, who heads the Sonoran Conservancy, the volunteers followed the flagged pathway through the desert removing and, in some cases replanting, significant vegetation within two feet of the line made by the flags.

After that the county trail builders moved in with their trail-sized heavy equipment to cut the trail across the desert.

The result is a four-foot wide smooth trail that hugs the sides of ridges for 1.9 miles from the Dixie Mine Trail to the Preserve entry. Park officials believe that by the end of the winter vegetation will grow back and create more of a single track trail.

There is a gradual climb on the Sonoran Trail, and the result is elevation that offers hikers spectacular views of the surrounding McDowells and Verde River Valley and the Mazatzal Mountains and Four Peaks in the distance.

“It is really gorgeous along that trail,” said McDowell Park Supervisor Rand Hubbell.

Town of Fountain Hills Parks and Recreation Director Mark Mayer said they expect the new trail to increase activity in the Preserve, but he said it is difficult to predict how many people will take advantage of the new access.

“Within the next few weeks a complete package of signage for the Preserve will be installed,” Mayer said. “These will include maps of the Preserve, directional markers, rules, location markers.

“In addition we are expecting more use of the trailhead so we have asked department staff to monitor the use and provide the necessary maintenance of the site, including supplies.”

Kinsey wanted to acknowledge about a dozen volunteers, men and women, who put in 174 man hours over 12 workdays during July and August to help complete the trail.

They followed the four-foot bulldozer down the trail clearing additional obstructions and smoothing the surface. They began very early in the morning and retreated before the most oppressive heat set in.

Hikers can access the new trail through the trailhead at the end of Golden Eagle Boulevard. There is parking to the left outside the Eagles Nest community entry gate. Hikers use the sidewalk within Eagles Nest for about half a mile to reach the boundary with McDowell Mountain Park. This stretch is private property and hikers are asked to respect that.

Entering the park there is a kiosk at the head of the Dixie Mine Trail and an “iron ranger” standing by ready to collect the $1 park entry fee.

Those who have been around Fountain Hills for awhile may remember the trail as one leading out from the old saddle club off Golden Eagle.

From the park entry the intersection of the Sonoran Trail is about seven-tenths of a mile.

After hiking the trail back into Fountain Hills at the Preserve boundary the distance is about two miles. It is about another mile up the Sonoran Trail to the other Preserve trails.

Hearty hikers who like a challenge can continue up over the Western Loop Trail, which will take you up to nearly 3,000 feet for some really spectacular views of the surrounding area.

The Sonoran Trail is just one of four new trails opening that improve access to McDowell Mountain Park and the surrounding preserve trail systems, according to Hubbell.

The new Verde Trail connects the Verde Communities with the North Trail Loop 1.2 miles away in the park.

There is also a new equestrian access trail near 150th Street off Rio Verde Drive. 

Hubbell said a Fountain Hills woman has contacted him about adopting the Sonoran Trail to keep it trimmed and clear of litter and notify park personnel of needed repairs.

“This is the first trail in the park that has been officially adopted,” Hubbell said. “They will be our eyes and ears.”

The McDowell Park Association is likely to fill a similar role on the Verde Trail.

The official “grand opening” of the Sonoran Trail is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31.

Mayer said his department has been working with the county, including Hubbell and the Sonoran Conservancy for several years to get the trail connection done.

“We first proposed the connection several years ago and have monitored the process through the county and the update of their master planning of the trails throughout the park,” Mayer said.

Hubbell is happy and excited about the results.

“We are absolutely delighted to have that open access to the Fountain Hills Preserve,” he said.