Axle Grease Trail

AXLE GREASE TRAIL

A winter storm brews over Axle Grease trail

Long and rambling, the Axle Grease trail is a serpentine route that slips through granite outcroppings fleeced with acres of yucca and cacti in the northwest sector of the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

Black Mountain viewed from Axle Grease trail

The twisty, single track debarks from the new Pima Dynamite trailhead which was dedicated on November 13, 2021.

Cave Creek Mountains seen from Axle Grease trail

Running northeast in the space between Pima Road and the sandy, horsey course of Rawhide Wash, the route features a sequence of tight bends, unobstructed lines-of-sight and fluid runs, that support a made-for-speed atmosphere.

Granite boulders surround the trail

Indeed, hikers and bikers zip through this lush desert path like well-oiled machines.

Tight bends slingshot hikers through the route

 

And, speaking of oiled machines, the trail name derives from the buckets of grease that hung from horse-drawn wagons that rumbled through the area in the 1800s.  The grease was used to lubricate wheels and axles to keep the rickety vehicles running smoothly. 

A raven croaks from atop a saguaro

The 4.5-mile trail is not a loop, but many connecting trails may be used to customize hikes for length and preferred points of interest.  Excellent map kiosks at the trailhead show several suggested routes including the locations of scenic viewpoints, geological landmarks and an impressive crested saguaro.

The trail parallels Rawhide Wash

 

Saguaro skeletons add botanical interest along the way

While the hum of traffic on Pima Road is present over the first couple of miles where the trail traces the property boundary, the din loses its punch as the trail swings farther into the core of the preserve.  Soon, the sounds of 21^st century lubricated vehicles are absorbed by vast boulder fields, saguaro forests and the songs of woodpeckers, ravens and raptors moving among thick stands of paloverde trees and fragrant creosote.

Pima Dynamite trailhead was dedicated in Nov. 2021

There are many ways to loop up with the Axle Grease trail

LENGTH: 4.5 miles one way

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 2,310 – 2,563 feet

GETTING THERE:

Pima-Dynamite Trailhead

28777 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale.

There are two access roads near the corner of Pima and Dynamite Roads. One is on Pima just north of the traffic signal and one a few yards east on Dynamite.

There are restrooms at the trailhead.

INFO:

Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve

https://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/preserve