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RAWHIDE WASH
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| Hiking in Rawhide Wash is tougher than it looks |
The sandy gap between the Axle Grease and Hawknest trails attracts a lot of horses. The north-south running ribbon of soft stuff in Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve is a perfect substrate for hoofed travelers. But, for bikers and hikers, not so much.
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| View of Cave Creek Mountains from Rawhide Wash |
That is, unless the goal is to get the outdoor equivalent of a stair stepper gym workout. Even though the 4.2-mile route is mostly flat, wide, and easy to follow, its shifting grains put extra pressure on leg and foot muscles, including some that ordinarily don’t protest.
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| The first mile of Rawhide Wash is on standard dirt trail |
The drag of the sand slows the pace, which in this case is a good thing because there’s plenty to see along the ephemeral desert spillway. Beginning at the Pima-Dynamite trailhead, the first mile is a normal dirt singletrack that swings among some spectacular saguaro specimens. The work begins where the trail touches a walk-in gate on Pima Road before bending east following the natural corridor of velvety grit.
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| Avoid desert washes during and after rain storms |
The impact of sand versus compact dirt is felt right away. The rhythm of wash walking is one of shallow sinking, pulling, and wobbling that, unlike hiking regular trails, demands more attention to what's underfoot. Flood debris, hidden stones and uprooted trees and shrubs are common encounters that douse the trail with a wild flavor.
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| Rawhide Wash seen from Basalt Ridge Overlook |
The ragged edges are also reminders of the power of running water.
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| Buckwheat blooms February through June |
That’s why it’s smart to avoid desert washes like this one during and immediately following rainstorms. Lined with Palo Verde, mesquite, hackberry trees, and wolfberry shrubs the wash meanders in a northeast arch on the Preserve’s far north west edge.
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| Desert Wishbone blooms March through October |
Springtime brings a plethora of colorful wildflowers that thrive in the loose, disrupted soils. Ubiquitous Mexican poppies, desert lavender, brittlebush, desert marigolds, buckwheat, and globemallows are easy to spot while the tiny blooms of Red Maids, Desert Rock Pea and Desert Wishbone are rarer sightings.
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| Wolfberry shrubs bear orange fruits in late spring |
The wash trail ends at Browns Ranch Road below the Basalt Ridge Overlook where hikers may consult preserve maps to either backtrack or return via one of several intersecting trails that dial down the quad-burning demands on tired legs.
LENGTH: 4.2 miles one way
RATING: easy-moderate
ELEVATION: 2,310- 2,613 feet
GETTING THERE:
Pima-Dynamite Trailhead
28777 N Pima Rd. Scottsdale
INFO:
Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve
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