Best Hiking Area
The McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale is more than 30 times the size of New York’s Central Park. It’s the largest urban preserve in the United States, and it certainly feels that way when hiking — whether you approach from Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, the Fountain Hills side, or from the far north. Within its roughly 120 miles of trails, there are so many unforgettable sights and experiences: the wind rushing and whistling at Windgate Pass, the dramatic stony face of Tom’s Thumb, the way the rocks can abruptly change from slate-blue to Martian-red. Sometimes, you even see people on horseback. Always, it’s a much-needed escape from the right angles and digital screens of life in the city.