McDowell Sonoran Preserve Hike
March 13, 2024
I have never taken the time to hike in the McDowell Mountains before. Big mistake on my part! This hike was awesome! The trails are marked so well and really well-maintained!
Although I’ve taken a couple short hikes with Luna in the past couple months I’ve had her, this was her first hike ‘real’ hike! She did so well! She’s learned to pass people on the trail without the fear she showed the first couple times I had her out. And she was pretty happy just to ‘smell’ her way through the Preserve!
We hiked the Bootlegger Trail which was a 1.4 mile out-and-back. Actually, we went a little past the end of Bootlegger and then turned around. We saw several horses on the trail and also a few (very considerate) Mountain Bikers. The trail had enough people to really feel safe, without being overwhelmed by people.
The Bootlegger Trail begins at the Granite Mountain Trailhead. Granite Mountain, I believe, was 2.4 miles long and we’ll probably do that one next time! There was a covered Interpretive Center and restrooms at the trailhead.
Very fun morning with the pup!
