Fit or foolhardy? Scottsdale Provides Outdoor Challenges Summer Solstice or Not!

Baby it's hot outside in the Valley of the Sun. But that doesn't keep Scottsdale for providing you with some outdoor exercise and challenges.

Beat the Heat Race
Is this foolhardy or a fun challenge? Only the survivors will tell. Feel the heat on June 22, when man and pavement unite in a Charles Darwin saga where only the fittest will endure. 

That’s right, experience the inaugural Scottsdale Beat The Heat, an 11.22 kilometer race and 5K to commemorate the hottest day ever recorded in Phoenix. The gun will go off at 2:47 p.m. sharp, the time of day on June 26, 1990 when thermometers in the greater metropolitan area struck 122 degrees. Since June 26 doesn’t fall on a weekend, June 22 will serve as the event placeholder, reminding runners of the day when one airline worker at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport reported that the soles of his shoes and the rubber gloves he was wearing simply melted away. Staged at Tony Nelssen Equestrian Center at Westworld of Scottsdale, the course will route runners through WestWorld and the McDowell Mountain Golf Club.
 

Great precautions will be taken for the Scottsdale Beat the Heat. Hydration stations will be provided every half-mile as opposed to every two miles. Professional Medical Transport (PMT), Scottsdale’s medical transportation provider, is the event’s title sponsor and will have multiple safety personnel on-site. 

Will this be repeated next year? I wonder.

Hike the McDowell Sonoran Preserve
Strap on your hiking boots and gather up your energy bars, folks, because Brown’s Ranch Trailhead in the 27,000 acre Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve is about to make its debut. After two years of planning, the $3.88 million trailhead, named after a former cattle ranch in the area, will have a soft opening this month, with a grand opening slated for October. 

Enjoy pristine views of the greater Scottsdale area during a hike or mountain bike with Arizona Outback Adventures, offering guided tours of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. 

And don’t be concerned about bringing friends. With parking for 200 vehicles and trails that meander through the desert and Brown’s Mountain, this Sonoran Desert utopia is perfect for you and your crew. And if one trail isn’t enough, the preserve offers more than 100 miles of trails, including the award-winning Bajada Nature Trail, featuring 15 interactive stations with photographic panels, games, and information about the Sonoran Desert; and Tom’s Thumb trail, named after a vast granite outcropping that’s prominently displayed against the skyline. 

In the summer, early hiking is the best!