Rawhide Wash

RAWHIDE WASH

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.

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. 

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.

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.

Rawhide Wash seen from Basalt Ridge Overlook

The ragged edges are also reminders of the power of running water.

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. 

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.

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

https://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/preserve

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