2001 Scenic Drive Website: Scenic Drive, Scenic Corridors & Preserve

Website’s Home Page Banner, 2001

The Desert Foothills Scenic Drive links past and present preservation efforts. Today, Scottsdale is planning a Desert Open Space System consisting of interconnected natural and desert character areas that have been permanently preserved to protect and maintain the beauty of the Sonoran Desert. In addition, the system will provide a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities, public access to open space and connect with existing community and regional open spaces.

Link Between Scenic Drive and Preserve

This page discusses plans to provide access to potential preserve areas from the Desert Foothills
Scenic Drive. Read More

North Scottsdale’s Scenic Corridors

Scottsdale’s Scenic Corridors are linear open spaces paralleling major thoroughfares that provide a sense of openness for the community by preserving the natural setting, providing views of nearby mountains, linking vista corridors along major washes and buffering adjacent land uses from traffic. Scottsdale’s General Plan identifies several roads as Scenic Corridors. This map from the Desert Open Space System Plan dated November 1997 shows the locations of some of these corridors. The Desert Foothills Scenic Drive was Maricopa County’s first scenic corridor. To learn more Scenic Corridors see Scottsdale’s Special Roads. Read More

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

The McDowell Mountains are Scottsdale’s signature mountains, rising to over 4,000 feet and covering 25 square miles. The mountains possess a unique habitat for plants and animals.; Scattered throughout the mountains are pre-historic artifacts and petroglyphs. More recently the mountains have experienced increasing passive recreational use including hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and rock climbing. This picture shows members of the Planning Committee for the McDowell Sonoran Preserve Commission visiting a future Preserve access area.
In the early 90’s, the McDowell Mountain Land Trust and the City of Scottsdale began the effort to preserve the McDowell’s. The Preserve vision is to create one contiguous open space connecting the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, McDowell Mountain Regional Park and the Tonto National Forest. In 1998, Scottsdale residents passed a sales tax increase in order to acquire additional lands to expand the Preserve. The McDowell Sonoran Land Trust initiated the effort to create the Preserve and has provided a time-line that documents important steps in the Preserve’s development. Read More

Facts

Here is some of the details about the Preserve.
Total Acres in Original Preserve = 16460
Total Acres Under Preservation = 12,876
Percentage of Acres Preserved in Scottsdale = 88%
Total Acres in Expanded Preserve Boundary = 19,941
Total Acres in Entire Planned Preserve = 36,401

Map

Below is a map of the entire Planned Preserve, depicted in dark green.

Planned Access Areas and Locations

Access areas will make it possible for Scottsdale residents and visitors to experience the McDowell Sonoran Preserve through hiking, horseback riding, biking, nature studies,
bird watching, scenic viewing, picnicking, rock climbing and more.

Access locations have been planned for areas that are already popular with the public. Access areas are also provided so that people who live in various parts of Scottsdale will find it easy to visit the Preserve. To see the planned locations of the access areas review the map of the Preserve.