Mountain Spring & Desert Spring Park Lake via Desert Park Trail
4.9 mi · ▲ 795 ft · 2 hr 2 min
Mountain Spring & Desert Spring Park Lake via Desert Park Trail is a 4.9-mile out-and-back in McDowell Sonoran Preserve near DC Ranch, AZ. The route passes Desert Spring Park Lake before reaching Mountain Spring at the turnaround, 2.5 miles in. It climbs 795 ft and is mostly dirt. It scores 29/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: green fringe.
Elevation
Getting there
Directions
Mountain Spring & Desert Spring Park Lake via Desert Park Trail
4.9 mi · ▲ 795 ft · 2 hr 2 min
Elevation 1,890–2,685 ft
Out & Back · McDowell Sonoran Preserve
Trailhead: 33.66735, -111.85841
Weather Sep 4: Overcast, high 98°F / low 82° · precip 4% · wind 5 mph · sunrise 6:04 AM · sunset 6:51 PM
- Start at the trailhead, heading SE.
- 50 ftPass Desert Spring Park Lake.
- 250 ftTurn left onto Desert Park Trail, heading E.
- 1.2 miTurn left, heading N.
- 0.8 miBear left onto Tom's Thumb Trail, heading SE.
- 0.5 miReach Mountain Spring, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 0.5 miBear right, heading W.
- 0.8 miTurn right onto Desert Park Trail, heading S.
- 1.2 miTurn right, heading W.
- 150 ftArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
Weather
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is 0.0 mi in (~1 min). Leave by 6:29 PM for the 6:51 PM sunset. Back at your car by 7:07 PM — 9 min before dark. Trailhead visible from the viewpoint
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