Tom's Thumb Trail in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Unique higher desert landscape combined with a well-graded route make for a fun city escape.

With giant granite boulders straight out of Bedrock, I though I'd left the Valley on the way to Rim Country.  By hiking this trail from its aptly named Tom's Thumb Trailhead I found another interesting gateway into this north Scottsdale park's expansive network of trails.

The rocky terrain dominates the landscape, with the desert seeming to have very few saguaro cacti.  Maybe it's due to the stones or the elevation - the trailhead is at a high 2,813' - or the northeast exposure of the rock faces.  But other cacti like buckhorn chollas and prickly pears don't seem to mind, filling the terrain with their greenery and blooms.

I took about a five mile round trip hike on Tom's Thumb Trail directly to Tom's Thumb, a landmark feature of the mountain range.  This monolith's summit is at 3,925' and is popular with both rock climbers and nesting falcons - either prairie or peregrine.  The trail is probably one of the best graded pathways I've followed anywhere for such a steep ascent.  Where it did get rocky, I saw construction material nearby, so there must be a plan to grade the whole route.  The scenery along the way is filled with massive granite rock surfaces shaped into fanciful forms and faces. 

Wildflowers seemed to have peaked at lower levels, but there were still some desert mallow and bluebonnets, along with brittlebush.  Higher up in the preserve Mexican gold poppies were blooming.  At the trailhead were some cactus wrens, and all along the excursion I saw and heard black-throated sparrows.  Riding the thermals off the higher peaks were several turkey vultures.  I thought I heard the distinct caw of a raven, but didn't identify any by sight. A Costa's hummingbird briefly flashed his amethyst gorget while I was in the flatter saddle area between peaks.

Typical boulder-strewn landscape along the trail.

View from lower in  the trail up toward's Tom's Thumb, the hike's destination. 

View down the trail, toward the trailhead and parking lot, from about half way up to the main saddle.

View toward some higher peaks in the range, from near the final ascent to Tom's Thumb.

Closer view of some of the rock formations.

Easter Island called. They want their moai back.

Closer to Tom's Thumb.

Tom's Thumb with descending hikers. Unless you're a rock climber, this is the end of the trail.

View through rocks to the northwest of Tom's Thumb.

Nesting ledge on Tom's Thumb.  I didn't see an falcons. Later, evaluating some photos, there appear to be some dozens of these previously occupied ledges.

Higher in the mountain range, turkey vultures were soaring in the thermals.

Wildflower in the saddle area, canyon penstemon. 

The most notable flower on the trail was that of the buckhorn cholla cactus.

View of Tom's Thumb over a ridge line while descending the trail. The peak is named after a real individual, Tom Kreuser, who started rock climbing here more than 50 years ago.  

A view of Pinnacle Peak in the distance, a popular hiking spot in North Scottsdale.  It used to be surrounded by cowboy hangouts and biker bars - they've been replaced by luxury desert homes.

While common on the hike, I didn't get a good shot of this black-throated sparrow until my descent, and very close to the trailhead.  He's always a welcome addition to my photographic journey.