1. Lost Dog Wash Trail

    1. Lost Dog Wash Trail

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    Scottsdale, AZ

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    Lost Dog Wash Trail

    4.5 (94 reviews)

    Lost Dog Wash Trail Photos

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    Zo M.

    340 ft elevation and decent trail after a more strenuous hike the day before. This trail was pretty wide with small ascents and descents that were easy for us enough to walk and run on. There are loose pepples however it rained earlier in day so it was less dusty . The guides at the front were friendly and helpful to help decrease chance of getting lost. Many dog owners walk their furr babies here since not too strenuous elevations. However quite a few dog owners forgot to pick up their dogs poo even though free baggies are available at entrance to trails and signs throughout. Still a great place to spend a few hours for the amazing views. Highly suggest screenshotting the map so don't have to hold one if have phone. Definitely a hike can do in regular tennis shoes or hiking boots if feel might roll an ankle. Return : definitely for a cooldown hike or easy workout day

    Paul M.

    We drove here from downtown phoenix with our 4 year old daughter. What an absolutely beautiful place! It started near the parking lot when we saw a road runner sneaking off to the bushes. Parking was plentiful and we were able to park close to the trailhead. A helpful volunteer at the entrance gave us advice on a good trail to hike with our daughter. Beautiful cacti, nice vistas, and clearly marked trails made everything enjoyable. We didn't go far but it was enough to have a great time. We went back to the trailhead where they had nice clean restrooms. Definitely a great place to visit and worth the drive!

    Overlook
    Beverlee A.

    A great hike! We did the Taelisin overlook trail. 4 miles round trip. Took us two hours. Nice view and breeze at the top. Slight elevation! Loved the stewards at the entrance. Helpful and really accurate in their description!

    Kristen L.

    Pretty good views from the hilltop. It was pretty hot out. I would not suggest hiking even when it is a high of 70 degrees. In the sun, it is still incredibly hot. Make sure to drink lots of water and bring lots of water. There are prickly cacti and a lot of really pretty white rocks that glint in the sun light. There is not a lot of shade. Make sure to wear sun block. If you can stand it, you should make sure to wear long sleeves or something to cover your skin to prevent sun burns. You will want to wear a hat and sun glasses and hiking shoes. There are a lot of rocks to step on or over. You will want to be careful of loose rocks. There were a lot of rocks around beyond the pretty white rocks. One of the people on the trail found a piece of an antler, which was pretty neat. There was also some kind of plant that was a little pretty. It looked like grass to me, but had a little flower of top.

    Katie D.

    Beautiful trail! 4 miles total, but it is an out and back so you can make it what you want. Nice parking lot with bathrooms. Beautiful views of the valley if you go to the top. A good workout!! Love this trail and very well maintained

    Heather P.

    Great hike! Go early and bring lots of water. 4 miles RT. 340 ft elevation - lots of up and down. Enjoyed the view of the city.

    Thank you for opening early!!!
    Liss C.

    One of our favorites in the summer- entrance to several trails (easy to moderate) depending on which way you go. Especially love they open crazy early so you can get hiking before sun rises and heat sets in. It gets to over 110 degrees F so being able to go at 4:50am is awesome! They have great restrooms as the trailhead too.

    Elizabeth P.

    One of my new favorite hikes! I went on a recommendation of a friend, and it didnt disappoint. Parking is super easy, it wasnt super packed, there were clear directions to trailheads, and a restroom before the trails. I went up Lost Dog Trail, to the overlook. It was about 2 miles to get to the overlook, so 4 miles total. It was a nice and relatively easy hike! You are in the wash sometimes while hiking, so there are lots of loose rocks that could make it wobbly for someone, but overall I'd say this is a good hike for anyone. And I noticed its dog friendly. They even offer doggy waste bags before the trailhead to help. It is on the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, so you are asked to stay on the trail and not to remove any vegetation or rocks. Just be respectful! It's a beautiful hike with some really fun scenery, and I look forward to hiking it again soon.

    Jennifer S.

    Very busy but great local place to take an easy hike with numerous trails to choose from. Expect lots of people and bring water as there is no shade. You'll have to share the path with mountain bikers too at times. Great way to start the new year!

    Gabriela S.

    Great easy trail for quick morning hike.

    End of trail - nice and flat
    Alicia S.

    I hiked the Lost Dog Wash Trail for the first time yesterday, and it was a really nice trail. Whoever maintains this trail does a great job. The signage was great, and it was easy to create unique routes through all the connecting trails. There were nice views with varying terrain. I would qualify this trail has easy to moderate, good for any level of experience.

    John C.

    Somewhat crowded trail system in the McDowells but the sheer beauty of the desert landscape really makes up for all the foot traffic. Different levels of difficulty from beginner to advanced can be found from this trailhead. Just be sure to look for the spring-time bloom.

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    12 days ago

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    1 year ago

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    7 months ago

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    10 months ago

    Great place to take your dog on a safe hike! The trail is easy on their paws, great on your feet. Moderate but very doable.

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    One of my favorite places to go for a walk and watch the sunrise. Great views and I've never had a problem finding a place to park.

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Simply exceptional fun easy and great exercise. Totally a huge Gibbs up. Loved this trail not crowned but try to go early.

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    7 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Nice easy trail to get started on . Nice signage and explanation. Was short so we got the walk in before the heat

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    12 years ago

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Lost Dog Wash Trail

    Review Highlights - Lost Dog Wash Trail

    I ended up running back toward the trailhead and spurring around the Sunrise Loop (2 to 3 miles, I'd guess).

    Mentioned in 18 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Hole-in-the-Rock

    Hole-in-the-Rock

    4.5
    (383 reviews)
    12.6 mi

    As a respectable hiker, I'm not going to call this a hike but it is a cool experience. I stopped by…read moreon Memorial Day in the afternoon by design. It was 95 degrees so I knew a challenging hike would be out of the question. Something like Hole-in-the-Rock though, easy peasy. While there were a decent number of people there, I had no trouble finding free parking. This natural wonder is located in Papago Park close to the Phoenix Zoo and the Desert Botanical Garden. After you park, you'll have a five-minute walk to get to Hole-in-the-Rock. You'll have to climb an incline to get in the hole, so definitely be careful, but there are kids that do it too. And a lot of tourists that show up. So that pretty much sums it up. Once you get inside, you'll have an awesome view of the Phoenix through a literal hole in a big rock. You'll see a lot of people using it as a photo opp. That's not really my style, so instead, I took a seat and enjoyed the beauty for 10 minutes or so. It can get pretty crowded so keep that in mind if you stop by on a weekend. Hole-in-the-Rock is one of the top attractions on TripAdvisor in Phoenix. Definitely a cool (and short) adventure to cross of the bucket list. I spent 30 minutes there (which included hanging out in the rock for half the time).

    A truly mystical and magical place. They close at 7:00 p.m…read more Most people try to get there later in the day to avoid the scorching 110 deg. weather and hot sun. There is a pond with tons of geese. I saw a man fly fishing.

    Photos
    At the top
    At the top
    Trail map
    Trail map
    1/12/25 FYI. Cool views.

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    1/12/25 FYI. Cool views.
    Cholla Trail

    Cholla Trail

    4.3
    (104 reviews)
    9.8 mi

    Let me start by saying that before, taking any hike, please take heed to every warning sign that is…read moreposted. I made the mistake of seeing extremely difficult and comparing it to a hike I did in New Mexico that was difficult thinking that this was just slightly higher than the one in New Mexico. I only looked at the distance and did not pay attention to the incline. This trail is 1.47 miles but has a gain of over 1300 feet. It is extremely steep and that is the part that will take you out! No pets are allowed on this trail, which is definitely a wise decision given how steep and narrow it is. Another hiker told us that there are a total of 36 markers along the trail, I made it to marker five, my husband made it to marker seven. By the time I hit marker five I was dizzy and nauseous. I was definitely not ready for how extremely difficult this hiking trail was. I feel like I looked at the warning signs, but didn't quite register what they were saying. It is a beautiful hike, but you definitely have to be accustomed to the incline and the altitude. The views were beautiful, but you absolutely must be careful, I would recommend a hiking stick to help keep your balance, especially on the way down. So my rating of five star is that they 100% accurately described the trail, it was absolutely beautiful, I just failed to register the warnings.

    Quality/Quantity - 2-3 hour round trip hike (my guest does this hike in 4 hours, lol). We got here…read morelate, so we only did 1 hour as we did not want to get a $118 ticket for staying past sunset. So we only hiked to marker 8. A fairly steep rocky trail. No shade, but perfect weather for us on this winter afternoon. Beautiful views; see my pictures. Views of Scottsdale and Phoenix. Atmosphere - At the start of the trail there were restrooms, drinking fountain, bike rack, etc. Very limited parking, make sure you pay attention to the street signs. We got lucky and got a perfect space, probably because we got here an hour before closing and most people had already left. Summit - 2,704 feet. Animals - We saw loose dogs, rabbits, etc. Open from sunrise to sunset. Service - Self service. Price - Free. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 1960's since The Preservation of Camelback Mountain Foundation.

    Photos
    Views at bottom
    Views at bottom
    Cholla Trail
    Up and up

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    Up and up
    McDowell Sonoran Preserve

    McDowell Sonoran Preserve

    4.8
    (169 reviews)
    4.3 mi
    Kid friendly
    Locally owned & operated

    Beautiful Scenery for hiking and enjoying the outdoors…read more - - - - - - - - February, 2026 Visit We visited Scottsdale / Phoenix and had a very memorable partial- and full-loop hike at McDowell Sonoran Conservancy. Before leaving home for Scottsdale, we explored hikes and parks near the hotel and McDowell is one we briefly looked at. Once we arrived, McDowell was on our short list and after a work day we got here just at sunset for a Hoo before it got dark - we enjoyed the short Saguaro hike and also the Interpretive Trail, on a nice night. The next day I did not work, but had a planned day off, so we had more time for the full hike...The Gateway Trail... 4.4 mile loop from the trailhead and another half mile or so to/from the car. This Trail rating is Moderate, and that seems right. There is a wide variety of rock on the trail, from sand to pebbles to rocks and built rocks. There is 650+ feet in elevation gain; the high point is about midway, at or near the Gateway saddle (thatMs just what it looks like!) and it's up one way and down the other; depending on whether you go left or right right. Someone else recommended following the trail clockwise, so we did... it's a bit shorter to the high point... about 2 miles "hiking to the left / to the northern side and about 2.5 miles on the right / southern side. Along the way we saw some birds, which looked like quail, at the 1.0-1.5 mile mark; fauna: the Arizona landscape is different from the California that we are more familiar with... many more types of cacti - tall Saguaro, shorter barrel, and buckhorn cholla and cholla; also, blue polo verde and more Do take a lot of water; even on a mostly cloudy day in the 70s, we drank two 32oz bottles apiece and had the last sips on the walk to the car; a sunny day would have had us likely feeling a bit dry from having finished our water earlier. The elevation change may provide a challenge on your thigh muscles and to your knees. As we we headed down, we met a lady who passed us going up, and then on her return down, some 30 minutes later, and she mentioned having not yet completed the full loop before, and being impressed that we were about to finish it; that was a good motivation for us - thanks!! Thank you all at the Conservancy who created and maintain this wonderful trail.

    It's hard to believe this is a park that has free parking and is accessible to all! It looks like…read morethe visitor center and restrooms were designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and is truly an well-maintained preserve. I was so impressed before we even started our hike. The loop trail we did wasn't too difficult, but I will say as someone who had foot surgery years ago, there are tons of small rocks on every part of the trail. Keep that in mind when choosing footwear! This is such a neat place to visit - tucked in a little suburban neighborhood that you'd miss the turnoff for if you blinked. A must see.

    Photos
    McDowell Sonoran Preserve
    McDowell Sonoran Conservancy - Gateway Loop - Feb., 2026
    McDowell Sonoran Conservancy - Gateway Loop - Feb., 2026
    Barrel cactus

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    Barrel cactus
    Echo Canyon Trail

    Echo Canyon Trail

    4.6
    (36 reviews)
    10.8 mi

    Hiked the death trap that is echo canyon trail and it did not disappoint…read more Made for mountain goats aka I recommend it if you're okay with basically rock climbing the whole way up, it's pretty vertical. It's a fun hike and definitely a good workout. It's also very well marked for people who frequently get lost on trails like me. I wasn't super impressed with the view at the top since it's just overlooking the city but it's probably one of the highest vantage points compared to other hikes. Tips: There is one part where the stairs and rails are where it gets very windy so sunglasses can help. You don't necessarily need gloves to do the hike, just be careful with how you pivot with your hands, I got through it without any callouses, scabs or scratches. Like others said, try to wear shoes with some type of traction, I got through it with sneakers. Very small parking lot so come at sunrise or if you come around 7am, sometimes the early risers leave around that time. There's bathrooms and a water fountain at the beginning. Have fun and be safe!

    The views on this trail the higher you go are priceless. However, one time is enough for me lol. It…read moretook an hour and a half up and another hour and a half down. This was my first time doing a hike like this and it's definitely not a "beginners" hike but I had no expectations & didn't know what I was getting myself into. On the way down, I fell and busted my knee. My only recommendation is to take your time & take breaks while going up/down the mountain. & listen to your body if you get tired!

    Photos
    Camelbacksanta
    Camelbacksanta
    Echo Canyon Trail
    Echo Canyon Trail

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    Lost Dog Wash Trail - hiking - Updated July 2026

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