What is the Gateway Loop?
The Gateway Loop is the standard hike from the Gateway Trailhead at 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy. Our trailhead page covers the building, parking and amenities. This page covers the trail itself.
The McDowell Sonoran Conservancy lists the loop at 4.5 miles with about 650 feet of elevation gain. GPS tracks on other hiking sites come in around 4.4 miles and up to about 700 feet, depending on the route and the device. Either way, it is a moderate two-hour hike, not a stroll. The Conservancy describes it as a loop that “wanders up to a low saddle before winding back to the Gateway Trailhead.”
The shape is simple. From the parking area, the Saguaro Trail heads east across the bajada to where the loop begins. The loop climbs through saguaros, cholla, barrel cactus and palo verde to the Gateway Saddle, the high point and best viewpoint, then descends back toward the start. Two of the Preserve’s major climbs branch off it: Windgate Pass and Bell Pass.
There is no shade and no water anywhere on the loop. The trailhead has both, so use them before you start.
The route, junction by junction
The Conservancy’s directions run like this:
- Saguaro Trail out. Follow the main trail from the parking area to the Gateway Loop. The first stretch is smooth and close to flat, past the accessible Bajada Nature Trail.
- Turn left onto the loop. The trail starts to climb, and the tread turns rockier, with uneven steps.
- Windgate Pass junction. Bear right to stay on the Gateway Loop. The Windgate Pass Trail continues up toward the pass, one half of the Windgate–Bell Pass loop.
- Gateway Saddle. The high point. Thompson Peak and the McDowell ridge rise above you, and Scottsdale and the Valley spread west. Stop here for water.
- Bell Pass junction. Turn right to stay on the Gateway Loop. Bell Pass is the start of the route to Thompson Peak.
- Back to the Saguaro Trail. Stay on the Gateway Loop, bearing right at several smaller junctions, then turn left onto the Saguaro Trail and head west to the parking area.
Signs and maps. Junctions are signed, but several smaller trails cross the loop. Take a photo of the trail map at the trailhead before you go.
Water. Plan on about a liter per person per hour in warm weather. That means two liters each for this loop from spring through fall, and the city’s rule is to turn around when half is gone.
Timing. Most hikers take about two hours. From May through September, start at sunrise and finish by about 8. In winter the problem is parking, not heat: the lot fills by about 7:30 on weekends. Our Gateway Loop protocols and summer sunrise rules cover the details.
Sharing the trail. Mountain bikers and horses use the loop. Bikes yield to everyone, and everyone yields to horses. Dogs need a handheld leash no longer than six feet. If it will be over 90 degrees at any point, leave the dog at home.
Why this loop became the default
There are longer hikes in the Preserve, steeper ones, and quieter ones. The Gateway Loop became Scottsdale’s standard hike because of where it is and how it is shaped. It starts at the Preserve’s main trailhead, the one with real restrooms, drinking water and the biggest parking lot. It is long enough to feel like a real hike and short enough to fit before work. And it reaches a viewpoint, the Gateway Saddle, without asking hikers to climb a mountain.
It also introduces the rest of the Preserve. Hikers on the Gateway Loop pass the signed junctions for Windgate Pass and Bell Pass, and many come back later to try them. The loop is how a lot of people work up to the harder routes.
The land is public because of a voter decision. Scottsdale approved Preserve sales taxes in 1995 and 2004, the city bought the bajada and mountain slopes east of Thompson Peak Parkway, and the Gateway Trailhead opened in 2009 to give that land a front door. The loop behind it is a big part of why so many people use the Preserve.
Why it matters
The Gateway Loop is where most visitors and many residents first experience the Sonoran Desert on foot. It gives them a climb, a view and a reason to return. It is also where people underestimate the desert most often. The loop is short and popular, and it still has no shade and no water. Hike it early, carry enough water, and stop at the saddle.