There’s asphalt on the parking lot and finishing touches are being added to a ramada and the restroom building as the trailhead in Adero Canyon is nearing completion.

The long-awaited access for hikers into the Fountain Hills McDowell Sonoran Preserve is headed for completion by late October with a tentative mid-November dedication being planned.

“For the better part of a decade the McDowell Mountain Preservation Commission (MMPC) has been laser focused completing the trailhead construction for the enjoyment of the wonderful Preserve that the grandchildren of our grandchildren will enjoy,” MMPC Chairman Bill Myers said. “The trailhead is a great amenity for all of Fountain Hills. The commission and residents of the town are very excited about the many benefits the trailhead will bring.”

Conceived decades ago by the McDowell Mountain Preservation Commission, the trailhead is a central access point to a number of trails in the mountains within Fountain Hills, as well as access beyond into the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve and McDowell Mountain Regional Park.

The Town Council established an open space development fee to collect funds for construction and nearly $2 million was collected before state law was changed that prompted an end to the open space fees.

Conflicts with MCO Properties related to crossing the developer’s private property to reach the trailhead site delayed construction for several years. That impasse was broken in 2015 when MCO opened Adero Canyon and development. The improvements for the subdivision included the roadway to the trailhead site.

Toll Brothers Homes took over the development from MCO Properties last year and is moving quickly to complete upgrades to continue the development, including utilities and pavement on the road to the trailhead.

It may take another year to complete that infrastructure roughly another mile to the trailhead facility. In the meantime Toll Brothers is expected to allow pedestrian access into the McDowells much like it used to be with MCO.

The town is also working to provide for temporary facilities at the trailhead for portable toilets and water for landscape irrigation.

The Sonoran Conservancy of Fountain Hills has its hiking schedule for the coming season starting with hikes out of the Adero Canyon Trailhead on Nov. 16 and Nov. 24.