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COW POKE LOOP
Four Peks seen from 136th St. Express Trail
Besides the jaw-dropping views, amazing geology and lush Sonoran Desert vegetation, one of the best features of hiking in Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve is its trail connectivity.
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| Blackfoot Daisies |
Whether you’re up for a short trek with lots of company, a day-long haul through the preserve’s outer reaches or an easy loop away from the masses, the site’s 200+ miles of interconnected trails offers plenty of options.
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| Boulder passage on the Bootlegger Trail |
For customized hikes. Springtime is ostensibly when the preserve’s protected 30,500 acres of pristine desert habitat shines brightest.
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| Bursage grows in sandy washes |
It’s when balmy weather, clear skies and an abundance of colorful wildflowers, blooming shrubs and cacti add undiluted bliss to the trails.
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| Christmas cactus |
A good recommendation for spring flower spotting that sidesteps the most heavily used routes is a loop hike using the parts of the Bootlegger, Granite Mountain Loop, Cow Poke, Dove Valley and 136th Street Express trails.
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| Coulter's lupine |
That might sound complicated, but signs placed at every junction coupled with available paper and digital maps, make getting around simple.
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| Cow Poke Trail |
From the Granite Mountain trailhead on the preserve’s far east boundary.
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| All junctions are signed |
Head out on the Bootlegger Trail, which traipses through enormous rock formations and giant saguaros that frame views of the Salt River Valley and mountain peaks in Tonto National Forest.
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| Desert lavender |
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| Desert hyacinth |
At the GM4 junction, head right on the Granite Mountain Loop—for a twisty, undulating half-mile walk where drainages feed pockets of brittle bush, desert lavender, trixis, bursage, scorpionweed, hackberry, wolf berry, wishbone bush and fairy dusters.
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| Rock formation on the Granite Mountain Loop |
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| Desert marigold |
About halfway through the Granite Mountain leg, a scenic viewpoint on a rocky knoll showcases vistas that stretch all the way to the Superstition Wilderness where the prominent silhouettes of Weaver’s Needle and the Flatiron stand out on the horizon.
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| Mexican gold poppies |
At the GM5 junction, hang a right onto the Cow Poke trail.
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| Owl clover |
This 0.6-mile leg ditches the boulder-cluttered environ of the first half of the hike in favor of a more pastoral scene.
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| trixis |
Mostly flat and open to the sun, low-growing wildflowers thrive here. Look for owl clover, Mexican gold poppies, Christmas cactus, Desert marigolds, Blackfoot daisies, and lupines.
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| Wishbone bush |
At CP1, hang a right for a short walk on the wide, sandy Dove Valley trail before picking up the 136th St. Express trail for the final leg. The 136th Street Express is replete with yucca, cholla and Palo Verde trees.
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| Wolfberry shrub |
Views of the Four Peaks hover on the skyline to the east before the trail bends west for the walk back to the trailhead.
LENGTH: 4.5 mile loop
RATING: easy
ELEVATION: 2,547 - 2,766 feet (374 feet of total elevation change)
GETTING THERE:
Granite Mountain Trailhead
31402 N. 136th Street, Scottsdale.
From Loop 101in Scottsdale, take the Pima/Princess exit #36 and do 6.5 miles north on Pima Road jot Dynamite Blvd/Rio Verde Dr. Turn right and go k5.9 miles to 136th St., turn left and continue 1.8 miles to the trailhead entrance on the left.
Preserve hours are sunrise to sunset daily.
INFO: https://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/preserve
