The trailhead at 30301 N. Alma School Parkway is closed for a $1,165,599 improvement project, funded by the 2004 Preservation Sales Tax. The city listed July 13 as the expected start date. The city's Preserve page says to watch for a grand reopening "anticipated for late October." It hasn't named a day yet, and it still lists Brown's Ranch as closed.
When the trailhead reopens, it will look different, but it won't hold more cars. The city says the parking stalls are larger, the lot did not grow, and the main new feature is a plaza meant to move hikers off the pavement and onto the trails. The McDowell Sonoran Conservancy has already scheduled much of its November and December season at this trailhead, and the Preserve's closing time moves earlier from mid-October through the start of December.
What the $1.17 million actually bought
The city's project page lists three goals: a redesigned parking lot "for improved durability, drainage and circulation," new lighting and roofing on the trailhead building, and "a new trail dispersal area with the rerouting of five trail segments to help reduce congestion while ensuring the protection of sensitive areas remain intact." The city's renderings show the dispersal area with concrete seat walls.
The detail that matters most for a Saturday morning came from the Preserve Commission's June 4 meeting. Madison Barasha-Tang, the city's Natural Resources Supervisor, said the parking stalls are getting bigger but the lot is not being expanded. Preserve Director Jenna Kohl described the project's purpose as mitigating "the congestion when accessing trails."
That approach fits the Preserve's own history. At the same meeting, a public speaker reminded the commission that the Preserve Ordinance and the City Charter put protecting the land ahead of the visitor experience: "It is a Preserve, not a park." The project passed 4 to 1, and one commissioner voted no after raising concerns about setting a precedent. The new design moves people through the trailhead faster without letting more of them in.
The Conservancy has already scheduled its season around the reopening
The Conservancy's public calendar shows how much of the season depends on Brown's Ranch. Most of its free guided outings there fall in November and early December, and many of them stay close to the trailhead on the Jane Rau Trail. That's the part of the Preserve where the new dispersal area will matter most.
| Date | Outing at Brown's Ranch Trailhead | What the Conservancy lists |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Sonoran Desert Discovery, Educational Walk | Two-hour overview of Preserve geology and ecology |
| Mon., Nov. 9 | Introduction to Preserve Trails Hike | About 7 miles in about 3 hours, aimed at people new to the trails |
| Tue., Nov. 10 | Brown's Mountain, Cone Mountain, Latigo Loop Hike | 6.3 miles via Upper Ranch, Wrangler, Brown's Mtn., Cone Mt. and Latigo |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Brown's Ranch Homestead, Educational Hike | History of the original ranch on the interpretive trail |
| Tue., Nov. 17 | Brown's Ranch: The Real Story, Educational Walk | Half-mile, 90-minute walk on the Jane Rau Trail |
| Thu., Nov. 19 | Walk Like a Tortoise, Educational Walk | Under 1 mile on the Jane Rau Trail |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | A Meditation Walk | Half-mile on the Jane Rau Trail |
| Sun., Nov. 22 | Trailside Bike Repair Basics | On-trail maintenance class |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Sonoran Desert Discovery, Educational Walk | Repeat of the November walk |
| Tue., Dec. 8 | Fire in the Desert, Educational Hike | Guided hike |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Cathedral Rock, Amphitheater, Cholla Mountain Hike | Guided hike |
| Sun., Dec. 20 | Mistletoe and Holly, Educational Hike | Guided hike |
| Sat., Dec. 26 | Nature's Medicine Cabinet, Educational Walk | Repeat of a Nov. 14 walk |
Every one of these needs an RSVP on the Conservancy's events calendar, and the November listings are free. They are scheduled, not guaranteed. The calendar went up while the city still listed the trailhead as closed, so the city's reopening announcement will decide whether these outings happen where they're listed.
The calendar already moves one series around. Sonoran Desert Discovery runs at Brown's Ranch on Nov. 7, at Gateway Trailhead on Nov. 28, and back at Brown's Ranch on Dec. 5. If the reopening slips, the other trailheads are where the Conservancy is likely to hold things instead.
The four trailheads that carried the closure
While Brown's Ranch is closed, the city doesn't allow parking on nearby streets or in surrounding neighborhoods. It sends visitors to four other trailheads instead:
- Tom's Thumb, which the city notes has no drinking water. The Conservancy has a Tom's Thumb, East End and Regional Park hike from here on Dec. 15.
- Pima-Dynamite, start of the Conservancy's beginner Women's Bike Ride on Nov. 8, about 9 miles with 400 feet of gain. A Hawknest, Basalt Ridge, Cone Mountain and Latigo hike leaves from here on Dec. 29.
- Fraesfield, also without drinking water per the city. It hosts Geology Along the Campana Trail on Nov. 5, Noteworthy & Notorious Arizonans on Nov. 19, and True Grit, a one-mile walk about women who settled in the McDowells, on Dec. 3.
- Granite Mountain, the starting point for the longer outings, including a 10.6-mile Granite Mountain, 136 Express and Hawknest hike to the Tonto National Forest border on Nov. 3 and an 8-mile Crested Saguaro hike on Nov. 21.
Even after the reopening, these four don't go back to being backups. The Preserve covers more than 30,500 acres and over 230 miles of trails, and Brown's Ranch is still one parking lot that didn't get any bigger. On the season's busiest weekend mornings, the other trailheads are part of the plan.
The hours shrink as the weather cools
The Preserve's own schedule cuts the day short from both ends. The gates open later through mid-December, and closing time moves earlier until it levels off in December:
| Date | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 15 | 6:03 a.m. | 5:53 p.m. |
| Nov. 1 | 6:17 a.m. | 5:35 p.m. |
| Nov. 15 | 6:30 a.m. | 5:25 p.m. |
| Dec. 1 | 6:44 a.m. | 5:20 p.m. |
| Dec. 15 | 6:55 a.m. | 5:21 p.m. |
From mid-October to mid-December, the Preserve's day gets about an hour and twenty minutes shorter, and the cut comes from the morning and the late afternoon, which are the comfortable hours. The schedule is posted on the city's Preserve hours page. With fewer hours, a fixed number of stalls and a busy guided calendar, the dispersal plaza is likely to get a real test in its first weeks.
Around the edges of the season
October is Preserve Month in Scottsdale, so the last few days of the month still have a small extra. You can pick up an Exploration Journal for kids up to third grade at any trailhead, and there's a commemorative Preserve Month sticker to collect.
Pinnacle Peak Park has its own holiday tradition, the Jingle Hike to Santa on Saturday, Dec. 5. That's also the morning of the second Sonoran Desert Discovery walk at Brown's Ranch, so families in north Scottsdale have two options for that Saturday.
The Conservancy also has two free evening and afternoon lectures at Mustang Library, 10101 N. 90th Street. "Scottsdale Water's Future" is on Nov. 14 at 2:30 p.m. "Master Planned Developments in Scottsdale" is on Nov. 24 at 5 p.m., presented by Don Hadder, a Scottsdale city planner who retired after 38 years.
For the reopening date itself, check the City of Scottsdale's Preserve page and the Brown's Ranch project page. The city says it will also post updates on the Preserve's Instagram account.
If being close to a favorite trailhead is part of what you love about north Scottsdale, or part of what you're looking for in your next home, I'm always happy to talk about which neighborhoods sit nearest which trailheads. Peggy Young has worked across Scottsdale since 1996 and can help you sort it out. Let's Connect.