Gateway Trailhead to Tom's Thumb (DELETE)
Sat, Mar 28
|Gateway Trailhead
The Gateway to Tom’s Thumb Loop is an extremely challenging, 12-mile loop that includes East End, Windgate Pass, Tom’s Thumb trails and Bell Pass with many very steep and loose sections and three major climbs.
Time & Location
Mar 28, 2026, 6:15 AM – 1:15 PM MST
Gateway Trailhead, 18333 N Thompson Peak Pkwy, Scottsdale, AZ 85255, USA
About the event
The Gateway to Tom’s Thumb Loop is an extremely challenging, 12-mile loop that includes East End, Windgate Pass, Tom’s Thumb trails and Bell Pass with many very steep and loose sections and three major climbs. Provides exceptional views of dramatic rock formations in the McDowell Mountain range throughout the hike. Also, seldom-used sections of the hike offer great solitude, and the route crosses one of the few springs in the Preserve.
Overall, you will experience about a 3300 foot elevation gain in this northern area of the McDowell Mountains, a section of Preserve that is slightly cooler and receives more rainfall. This climate difference leads to the establishment of a different variety of wildflowers, unique plant selection and more wildlife. Traveling uphill through a field of granite boulders, to a rolling upland nearly 4,000’ above sea level, you’ll find canyon wrens, white-throated swifts, and perhaps peregrine falcons.
ROUNDTRIP DISTANCE
12…