Native Arizonan: Tom's Thumb Trail and the Lookout on the McDowell Mountains

This was a great hike! The north end of this range has very large granite Boulders scattered all along the trail that make interesting looking rock formations. One very large hunk of granite is a Scottsdale landmark known as Tom's Thumb. More of a monolith than a boulder, it was named after a famous valley resident rock climber who first climbed the rock in the 1960's.

The trail head is not very easy to get to unless you have a truck or vehicle with high clearance. I made it with my little Honda Civic, but I drove very slowly and carefully. Take Dynamite Rd. until it turns into Rio Verde Dr. then turn down 128th st. Follow the signs, they will get you there. 128th st is a dirt road but fairly smooth to start out with. Half way to the trailhead it changes from dirt road to black top but quickly goes back to dirt, so it would appear that they are working on making the area more accessible. The further down you drive the bumpier it gets and you have to be careful of dips and rocks. Once at the parking area (it is roughly the "intersection" of 130th st and Paraiso Dr) you kind of have to look around for the start of the trail. You can see Tom's Thumb and Gardner's Rock Wall at the trailhead.

Starting out is a bit rough. There are some pretty steep switch backs and it is one way so, unless someone has a car at the other end (it connects with the Windgate Trail which connects with the Gateway Loop, so you would have to park at the Gateway trailhead), you will be coming back the way you came So be prepared to be pulled down the mountain (gravity is a b#$*^). About fifteen minutes in it smooths out and you get a bit of a break.

At about the point where it becomes more of a leisurely hike (emphasis on the "more") you come to a fork. Actually, it is like a spider because four or five different trails meet here and the Tom's Thumb trail keeps going. There is the East End trail that meets at this point, named for the highest summit in the range. It doesn't actually take you to the summit, but you probably could reach it with climbing equipment.

A very phallic looking rock.

I continued on the Tom's Thumb trail which took me past some extraordinary rock piles and formations. Thousands of years of wind and rain (mostly wind) has shaped these rocks into near works of art. I thought to myself that God must have a very Juvenal sense of humor (as do I) because most of the formations resembled phalli.

At a certain point you come to a junction. There is a sign pointing to Windgate pass and the Lookout and another pointing to a rock climbing access trail to Tom's Thumb. There are warnings that you should have "proper equipment and skills" for this area, but for the most part it is an easy trail to Tom's Thumb and Gardner's Wall.

The crevasse in the side of Tom's Thumb gives you some nice shade.

When I got there, I was kind of in aw. For one thing, it is just beautiful on the summit, not only the view but the landscape, the other rock formations and the flora and fauna of the Sonoran Desert. I was also in aw of Tom's Thumb itself. From Tatum Blvd. and Bell Rd. it looks so small, but when you are right up there with it you realize it is HUGE! It is approximately 140 feet and pretty wide as well. On one side of it there is a groove (not quite a cave, although a small crack goes back into it for about five feet or so.) that you can climb up to and there is even a nice flat rock you can sit on and enjoy some shade for a while. Further down the trail (from where I came in from) there is a large boulder leaning against some other boulders. I believe this is called the "Ogre's Den".


I think this is the "Ogre's Den".

It sort of makes
a cave that you can climb or crawl into and, once again, sit and enjoy some shade.

Inside the "Ogre's Den".

A forest of cacti and a bounty of prickly pears.

Thompson Peak in the background.

After playing for a while (and eating a cliff bar) I had to back track. I briefly got confused and lost the trail, but quickly found it again. back at the junction, I decided to check out the Lookout. The Lookout Trail is only half a mile and is not that strenuous, so it is worth the detour to take a look at the view. Along the way I spotted a hawk or falcon, some sort of bird of prey. I tried getting some pictures, but he was an elusive little rascal. Later while taking some video, he (or she) flew into the shot making me very happy. from the Lookout you can see nearly all of the valley to the west, Thompson Peak and the McDowell Peaks to the south, Fountain Hills and the Superstition Mountains to the southeast and the Matazal Mountains to the east.

The fountain in Fountain Hills went off at about 9:00 am. Superstition Mountains and Weavers Needle in the background.

Rock on!

The walk back was great because I saw some rock formations that I didn't see going in. One looked like someone's hand at a metal concert making the Dio devil horn sign. I snapped a pic with my hands in front of it. As stated before, since it was a steep climb going up, it was a battle with gravity going down. I was forced to run at times and even though it was still early (9:30 am) it was still to hot to run, for me anyway. I made the mistake of freezing my hydration pack the night before, so I temporarily did not have water for part of the last leg of the hike because the block of ice wouldn't freeze fast enough (won't do that again).

Near the trailhead, I went looking for a Geo-cache, but was not successful in finding it. The GPS on my phone is not very accurate, so I tried recall all of the clues and the map that I saw online, but to no avail. I was hot and tired, so I hopped back in my car and made the bumpy ride back to Rio Verde Dr.

An interesting rock formation near Tom's Thumb.


My car at the trailhead parking.

So, in my opinion, this is a great trail to go hiking on. It is very challenging but the beautiful scenery of the Sonoran Desert and the views from the summit make it all worth while. If I can ever borrow someone's truck or hitch a ride, I will definitely do it again.