Not far from the busy shopping centers and streets of Scottsdale, Arizona lies McDowell Mountain Regional Park. This 21,000 acre Sonoran desert park is one of the largest parks in Maricopa County, and is a diverse destination for outdoor enthusiasts.

McDowell offers over forty miles of hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding trails. There are seven multi-use trails that include horseback riding, two multi use trails for hiking or biking, two hiking only trails, and one barrier free hiking trail. Barrier free trails are becoming more common in Arizona, and the Nursery Tank Trail works for wheelchairs as well as walkers. It is 0.2 miles, and winds through lush desert landscape to end at a wildlife watering hole.

The other multi-use trails range from the 1.1 mile Wagner Trail to the 15.4 mile Pemberton Trail loop. Several of them climb to the top of the ridgelines in McDowell, where elevations reach 3100 feet. You catch views of the peaks near Payson in the Tonto National Forest from many spots in the park. Their snow-capped tops in winter make a beautiful contrast to the Palo Verde and Saguaro landscape of the park.

One of the most unusual features of McDowell are three competitive track trails. These are for high speed runners, bicyclists, and equestrians, and range from moderate to difficult. The trails are intended to be used for endurance training by serious athletes, and are not for leisure travel. All are one-way loops for safety.

For equestrians, McDowell has a trailhead staging area complete with hitching posts, a water trough, and a large parking lot to accommodate horse trailers.

McDowell Mountain Regional Park is located four miles north of the town of Fountain Hills on McDowell Mountain Road.