Last night at the McDowell Mountain Ranch Community Center, the city of Scottsdale hosted an open house to share details about the impending soft opening of the new Gateway Access Point to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. The Gateway Access Point is the premier access point for the city of Scottsdale, which purchased the land from Toll Brothers at a cost of $81.9 million.
At the open house, a rendering of the new Desert Discovery Center was revealed, along with trail maps depicting trails that exist now, old trails and jeep roads that they are working to reclaim/re-vegetate, and new trails that are planned.
The soft opening is scheduled for this Saturday, October 25th, where some of the new parking is being made available just in time for the increased usage that fall always brings. This parking area will relieve capacity problems at the relatively small access and parking lot that is at 104th Street and Bell Road, which currently acts as the primary access point for the Windgate, Bell, and Gateway Loop Trails. Coincidentally, that parking lot was also recently improved. It now features pavement and parking lane markings, increasing it’s capacity by at least 25% (to ~20 cars).
The soft opening this weekend will only enable parking, as construction is still very much underway for the remainder of the parking lot, the paths and trails, and the Discover Center building. During construction, trail users will be routed on a new trail leading north toward The Village health club at DC Ranch, which will take people around the construction, rather than through it.
When complete, the Gateway Access point will offer parking for over 200 cars, which is approximately double the number that the Lost Dog Wash Access Area offers at 124th Street, north of Via Linda. I spoke with a number of trail stewards last night, and they reported that Lost Dog did fill up during spring break last year, due to the wild flower season and scheduled hikes. As well, we all know the small parking lot at 104th Street and Bell Rd was overflowing nearly every weekend last year, so there is demand, and I’m sure this new parking will get used immediately.
Other good news I heard last night is that they will begin construction on the new Tom Thumb trail next Monday. This new trail will connect near the mid-point of the Windgate Pass trail, and allow users to loop up and over the McDowells near Tom Thumb, connecting into the Maricopa County’s McDowell Mountain Regional Park. We also talked about the water bars that exist on the Windgate Pass Trail, and how they affect mountain bikers (my passion). They are very much aware of the issue, and expect that the construction techniques used on the new Tom Thumb trail will better facilitate mountain biking. They also plan to rework the worst offenders on Windgate Pass, when the fall/winter rains arrive, which enable changes of this sort to be made more easily and successfully.
FYI, I found it curious and pleasantly refreshing to listen to the city employees chatting with the stewards (who are all volunteers), and witness the mutual admiration and cooperation that is going on between the private sector and the city. I’m glad I stopped by, and am happy the city of Scottsdale made this opportunity available.
{ 0 comments… add one now }