Native Arizonan: Bell Pass Trail in the McDowell Mountain Sonoran Preserve

Bell Pass as seen from the bottom of Bell Canyon.

It has been a long time since I have posted a blog and a while since I have gone on a hike. I have actually been on a few hikes since the last posted blog entry. School and work had to take priority to writing on this blog, so upcoming blogs will not be in chronological order, but are still worthy of a blog post.

Having said that, this past Thursday I decided that it had been long enough, so I made plans to hike up to Bell Pass. Bell Pass is in the McDowell Mountain range in Scottsdale, between Thompson Peak and McDowell Peak which shares a ridge with Drinkwater Peak. To get to the pass you have hike up through Bell Canyon from the Gateway Trail head which is located right off of Thompson Peak Road Just north of Bell Road in Scottsdale.

There is a lot of history in the McDowell Mountains and was considered sacred by the indigenous people (the Yavapai I believe) who lived in the area long before Europeans set foot in the Americas. there is evidence of this from the northern edge of the mountains all the way to the southern tip. Though I have yet to see this with my own eyes, there are Petroglyphs on the Toms Thumb trail and evidence of a tool making site on the Lost Dog Wash trail. Also, the land at the base of the Mountains was used for ranching by many early settlers looking to make a living and many tried mining the mountains as well. On this hike there is said to be an old house (or the remnants of one) off trail that one site said was probably used ranch hands and there family. It said that in early days ranchers would build houses like these out in the desert for their workers and the city would either look the other way or give notice to vacate and not follow through due to lack of resources or because they had other priorities. Sadly, the trail that leads there is closed and is clearly marked as such, so I did not venture out that way (off trail hiking in the preserve is strictly prohibited and there is a hefty fine for those who ignore such signs).

I set off on my hike at sunrise (the hours of operation for the park is sunrise to sunset) and started from the trail head toward the Gateway loop. This is a trail I have been on many times before because it connects with other trails. To get to the Bell Pass Trail, I took a right when I got to the loop and continued on until I had passed through openings in a couple of barbed wire fences and finally came to a trail marker that said "Bell Pass Trail" among other things. If you keep going on the loop you will get to the Gateway Saddle (which I haven't been to yet) and you eventually come back around to where you have started. I took a right onto the Bell Pass Trail that led into Bell Canyon.

The canyon and bajada below.

This was one huge rock at one point in time. wind and/or rain made it two.

Bell Canyon is Beautiful! It is like a funnel. When it rains, all of the rain water spills out of the canyon down to the desert below and provides water for the vegetation which makes for a very green landscape. The other thing I noticed is that it was very breezy in the canyon. Again, it is like a funnel directing all airflow through the canyon making it very cool. This also made the trees whistle and "WHOOSH" which I found very relaxing. There was also signs of hundreds (maybe more like thousands) of years of natural erosion in the canyon such as sharp outcropping of rocks in the sides of the mountains, a large boulder (that I have a picture of) that was literally split in two, and the bajada, which is a fancy word for a pile of rock and other sediment at the base of a canyon that collects in time and becomes home to desert plants and animals (the literal spanish translation is "bottom" or "base").

The switchbacks.

The hike through the canyon was not to hard. In fact, I thought to myself, "why is this hike listed as difficult"? I found out why when I got to the end of the canyon and the trail started to go UP. Even now, the day after the hike, my legs are still sore. The switch backs are not too tight and help the climb a little and the climb is relatively short. I had to take a few breaks here and there, but let me tell you, it was well worth it once I got to the top.

At the summit of Bell Pass you can see Scottsdale on one side and the north side of Fountain Hills on the other. The view of the Matazal Mountain Range was spectacular and I also saw the glimmer of light reflecting off of the Salt River or maybe one of its lakes in the distance. When I looked at my watch, I noticed it was 9:00 am and wondered why couldn't see the Fountain spraying water over 500 feet into the air as it does every hour. I figured out that it was because a mountain was blocking my view, so I had to come down the other side of the pass a ways (not to far) to catch a glimpse of the fountain. I have seen it many times before, but something about it fascinates me. Maybe it is more because it is a landmark more than anything else and it gives you a sense of direction in relation to all of the other landmarks, or maybe it is because I just think it looks cool.

The world famous fountain of Fountain Hills. Weavers Needle and the Superstition Mountains in the background.

It was only a big metal box.

Also on the pass, I found something that I had wondered about playing with Google Earth. While looking at satellite photos of the trail, I noticed a rectangular object just off to the side on the pass. I had tried to guess what it was and thought maybe at the least it was a tree trunk (that would have been a big Palo Verde) or the remains of a long dead Saguaro. Turns out, it was a large combo locked metal box. I guess that it contains tools (shovels, rakes, etc.) that the volunteers use to maintain the preserve so that both visitors and wildlife can enjoy it. There is another about halfway up the canyon also. I couldn't help but think, "that must have been a pain in the ass to haul up here!" even for the one only halfway up, but I suppose they may have helicoptered them in. The trails are not wide enough for any four-wheel type vehicles, that is for sure.

Since I was by myself and to park at the other end would have meant that I (or a companion) would have paid a fee to the McDowell Mountain Regional Park (which occupies the Fountain Hills side of the mountain), I had to turn back and go the way I came. Going down is hard on the knees (that's what she said) but was a lot faster than hiking up. What initially took me an two hours hiking up, took me just over an hour hiking down and out of the canyon. I met a lot of people hiking in as I was making my way out (slackers!) and came back to a pretty full parking lot.

Downtown Phoenix seen between Camelback Mountain and Mummy Mountain from Bell Pass.

This is a great hike for at least a moderately experienced hiker. This time of year you do not need as much water but it is a little hard on the legs. I saw a few mountain bikers as well. If you want to cover more ground and perhaps see the other side (like the windmill on the abandoned ranch) that would probably be the way to go. That or give yourself more time. I might just do that next time to see what I can see. That is why the Barrier went over the mountain, after all (chuckle).