Saturday, Nov. 17, was National Trails Day and the Town of Fountain Hills celebrated with the opening of the long-anticipated Adero Canyon Trailhead as the gateway to the Fountain Hills McDowell Mountain Preserve.

It was a great day to hit the trail, as proven by hikers arriving at the trailhead and making their way past those mingling for the opening ceremony and out into the Preserve.

Mayor Linda Kavanagh paid tribute to the long list of those responsible for making the trailhead a reality, particularly volunteers who spent endless hours cutting more than eight miles of hiking trails in the preserve to make it an outdoor destination even before the trailhead became a reality.

Kavanagh noted that the trails are in place to enjoy even as the trailhead is just opening.

Kavanagh also noted the hard work of staff and Town Council members over the past two decades, as well as voters who made the sometimes difficult decisions to continue going forward with Preserve land acquisition to make the trailhead a reality. The Preserve area now totals more than 1,000 acres and the trails connect to hundreds of miles of trails in the Scottsdale Sonoran Preserve and McDowell Mountain Regional Park.

Former MCO Properties President Jeremy Hall, who made the decision to open Adero Canyon to development provided the long-awaited access to the trailhead site, was present to assist with the ribbon cutting.

Town Manager Grady Miller noted that the engineering plans for the trailhead had been at 90 percent complete for 16 years before construction began.

Former town resident Roy Kinsey spent more than 20 years working hard to make the Preserve a reality, including cutting trails by hand into his 90s, and he was emphatic about making the trailhead a reality. Kinsey now resides in California and was unable to return for the dedication ceremony. He sent a note that was read by McDowell Mountain Preservation Commission Chairman Bill Myers.

“Fellow preservationists, I wish I could be with you today,” Kinsey wrote. “A dream come true! So many to congratulate – those who had the vision to save the town’s view, the trail builders for their many hours of hard work, and those wise enough to acquire the necessary money to get the job done! Thank you all.”