New – Bajada Trail in Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve!

Worthy of the presence of the Mayor, Governor and State Representative, this was a great moment for all. The Bajada Trail is an interpretive trail, that is, a half-mile loop- filled lush desert vegetation with panoramic views of the McDowell Mountains, and the city. The trail accommodates all, including children and those with physical limitations. Its magic is that it offers an innovative, interactive nature experience. The interactive is the set of 15 just wonderful pictorial and action stations lining the trail.

When the Gateway to the Preserve opened in May, I was excited at the scope of the work that had been done by the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, in partnership with the City of Scottsdale. I hike these trails, and here they are now spreading far and wide from one point, the Gateway Access on Thompson Peak Parkway, linking to each other throughout Scottsdale’s McDowell Mountains. The goal is to have the trails go up to the border of the Tonto National Forest. Can you imagine?

This endeavor could not have been done without the generosity of volunteers and wonderful visionaries that donate their time and their money. I feel I reap the harvest of those early believers in our natural treasure, the McDowell Mountains.

With that in mind, I volunteered to become one of the now 300+ Stewards of the Preserve, mingling with those whose goal it is to have this wonderfully lush environment be here for the children and all to experience for years to come.

So, twice now, my station was the Desert Wash portion of the loop. It was my job to explain what a desert wash is (it doesn’t take a newcomer long to find out!), and pass out coloring books to the children. (A desert wash, aka arroyo, is a usually dry creek bed that temporarily fills with water after a heavy rain.)

I also visited the exhibits of 3 of our Wildlife Rescue Centers’ collection of our very own wildlife. My favorites were the little ground squirrels, the tiny fruit bats, and of course, the Gila Monster, a lizard which is unusual to see, not to mention the raptors, the various hawks, and a grand owl, you know, the one with the huge eyes and swivel head and wingspan of 5-7 feet.

After this ceremony, one of the Wildlife Centers released a hawk that was ready to fly into our Preserve and be on his own.

Talk about photography!! We are blessed with many, many amateur and professional photographers who have donated their splendid photos to be included in the stations’ posts that explain every facet of the Sonoran Desert.

It’s also designed to be educational. Fifteen interactive stations are placed around the half-mile loop. Each station educates users on different aspects of the preserve and the Sonoran Desert.

Visitors can play a game about desert biodiversity using magnets that show the interconnected relationships among various plants and animals. There are also informational panels, such as one discussing how the desert actually has five climate seasons.

And what does Bajada (ba hah da) mean? Bajada means an alluvial fan: A large, fan-shaped pile of sediment forming at the base of narrow canyons onto a flat plain at the foot of a mountain range. Of course, ours is covered now with lush vegetation. For fun, Desert USA has a list of desert descriptions.