McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Gateway Saddle–104th Street Spur Loop, 4 sights

4.6 mi · ▲ 695 ft · 1 hr 53 min

Gateway Saddle–104th Street Spur Loop, 4 sights is a 4.6-mile loop in McDowell Sonoran Preserve near DC Ranch, AZ. The route reaches Gateway Saddle. It climbs 695 ft and is mostly dirt. It scores 18/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.

Elevation

0 mi1,677 – 2,379 ft4.9 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Unnamed 33.64797, -111.86178
Nearest town DC Ranch, AZ

Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Gateway Saddle–104th Street Spur Loop, 4 sights

4.6 mi · ▲ 695 ft · 1 hr 53 min

Elevation 1,677–2,380 ft

Loop · McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Trailhead: 33.64797, -111.86178

Weather Sep 4: Overcast, high 99°F / low 83° · precip 4% · wind 6 mph · sunrise 6:04 AM · sunset 6:51 PM

Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start at the trailhead, heading E.
  2. 0.2 miTurn left, heading N.
  3. 50 ftTurn right, heading E.
  4. 400 ftTurn left onto Saguaro Trail, heading E.
  5. 350 ftBear right, heading E.
  6. 0.2 miContinue straight onto Saguaro Loop Trail, heading E.
  7. 50 ftBear left onto Gateway Loop Trail, heading E.
  8. 1.6 miPass Gateway Saddle.
  9. 1.7 miTurn left onto 104th Street Spur, heading NW.
  10. 0.3 miBear left, heading W.
  11. 0.3 miSharp left, heading SW.
  12. 0.1 miThe loop closes back at the trailhead.

Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.

Trail surface

98% dirt2% paved

Weather

OvercastTemperature 99°F83°
Feels like95°Precip4%Wind6 mphUV8Humidity28%
Rained 0.2″ 4 days ago
Hourly temperature
100°80°
Sunrise 6:04 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PM9 PMSunset 6:51 PM
Sat 99°81°
Sun 100°78°
Mon 101°90°
Tue 103°91°
Wed 102°89° 21%
Thu 100°87° 27%

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is 0.2 mi in (~6 min). Leave by 6:24 PM for the 6:51 PM sunset. Back at your car by 7:11 PM — 5 min before dark. Car visible from the viewpoint

More sunset hikes nearby

Good to know

  • Parking lot at the trailhead

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