Maverick-Cholla Mountain-Corral Loop

MAVERICK-CHOLLA MOUNTAIN LOOP

Saguaros on the Maverick Trail

All it takes is a little rain to paint the desert in wildflower color.  

Buckwheat

The late December precipitation in the Phoenix area soaked the Sonoran Desert just enough to revive drought-stressed plants and spur new growth.

Chuparosa

Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve is a rich botanical garden that’s already teasing of spring blooms to come.  

Desert lavender

A short hike using Browns Ranch Road, Maverick Trail, Cholla Mountain Loop and the Corral Trail provide a good tour of desert plant diversity.  From the Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, follow Brown’s Ranch Road north.

Dry Gulch Trail

Along this wide passage, fragrant turpentine bushes and yellow-flowered brittlebush dominate the fringe, shading delicate wishbone bushes sporting tiny white blossoms.  

Cholla Mountain Loop

At the one-mile point, turn right at the Maverick Trail sign.  Fiddleneck, globemallow and shrubby deervetch sprout along washes and at the bases of desert hackberry and wolfberry shrubs.  

Mormon tea

Wolfberry

This early in the season, it takes a sharp eye and slow pace to catch patches of rattlesnake weed, lacepod and scorpionweed emerging from the sandy soils.  

Wishbone bush

Continue following the signs to the Cholla Mountain Loop trail where massive boulders harbor clumps of chuparosa, desert lavender and jojoba bushes.  

Shrubby deer vetch

Hang a left at the Dry Gulch Trail and follow it a short distance noting the expansive basin of giant saguaros that front views of Tonto National Forest mountains to the north.

Christmas cactus

Next, turn left at the Corral Trail. This leg features acres of filaree, also known as stork’s bill.  Introduced by Spanish settlers, the low-growing naturalized plant with purple flowers and a beak-like seed pods served as forage for livestock.

Filaree aka stork's bill

Brown's Mountain seen from Corral Trail

Also, along this leg, look for spiny Mormon tea, fragile paperflower, pungent triangle bursage and Christmas cactus.

Fiddleneck

Back at the Browns Ranch Road junction, head back to the trailhead taking in big views of distinctive flat-topped Brown’s Mountain framed by mesquite, yucca and creosote. 

Fairy duster

Happy New Year!

LENGTH: 4.5 miles

RATING: easy

ELEVATION:  2,678 – 2,800 feet

GETTING THERE:

Browns Ranch Trailhead:
30301 N Alma School Pkwy, Scottsdale

 

 

Tour de Rock

Tour de Rock

Cathedral Rock

Tucked between the golf greens and suburban communities of North Scottsdale and the rugged wilds of Tonto National Forest, McDowell Sonoran Preserve is an approachable, precious space of pristine desert.  Laced with over 180 miles of hiking, biking and equestrain trails, the preserve protects 30,000 acres of indigenous plants, sensitive habitats, historic artifacts and spectacular geology.

Yuccas are common along the trails

Up-close details are backed with epic views of surrounding mountain ranges and rich valleys carved by the Verde and Salt Rivers.  Eons of exposure to the erosive forces of wind and water has created a plethora of geological curiosities throughout the preserve.  The site's igneous core is anchored by the lumpy mounds of Granite Mountain and Cholla Mountain, but hidden along the perimeter of the latter are three impressive natural rock formations that can be visited in one day-hike length sweep. There are myriad ways to get to the stony attractions. Trails within the preserve are well-signed and maps available online and at the trailhead are excellent tools. However, if your goal is to hit them all in an afternoon, here’s the “Tour de Rock” plan.

Cathedral Rock

The Amphitheater

From the trailhead, follow Brown’s Ranch Road 1 mile north to the Maverick Trail junction.  Hike 0.8 mile on Maverick and go right at the Cholla Mountain Loop Trail. Follow the signs 0.3 mile to The Amphitheater.

Cathedral Rock

This slick rock arena includes natural seating and a giant mass of granite sculpted into a sea serpent form. From here, continue one mile to Balanced Rock. Towering above a flat expanse of cactus and creosote, the cone-shaped behemoth teeters on a granite slab surrounded by rare desert conifers.

Balanced Rock

After posing for the requisite I-was-here photos, retrace your steps to the Cholla Mountain Loop, head north and continue 2.2 miles to Cathedral Rock.  

Views of the Superstition Mtns: Weavers Needle on horizon 

Although the collection of tilted monoliths and jumbled grottos doesn’t look like much from a distance, up close, the site reveals chapel-like windows, crags and a set of metates (grinding holes) used by ancient inhabitants of the area.  Once done ogling and exploring, hike another 0.4 miles back to the Maverick Trail and backtrack to the trailhead.

Amphitheater Sea Serpent

LENGTH: 8.5-mile circuit

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 2710’ – 2972’

GETTING THERE:

Browns Ranch Trailhead.

30301 N. Alma School Pkwy., Scottsdale.

From Loop 101 in Scottsdale, take the Pima/Princess exit 36, travel 6.5 miles north on Pima to Dynamite Road.  Turn right and continue 2.7 miles to Alma School, turn left and drive 1 mile to the trailhead. The preserve is open sunrise to sunset daily.

INFO: McDowell Sonoran Preserve

http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/preserve

McDowell Sonoran Conservancy

http://www.mcdowellsonoran.org/