Best Running Trails in Scottsdale
Scottsdale, Arizona — updated August 22, 2026
Preserve singletrack, canal paths and Camelback's steep side, ranked by how well each one works for running and how much review evidence sits behind it.
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Running in Scottsdale splits into two kinds of miles: rocky desert singletrack out of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve trailheads, and flat canal path through the middle of the city. Almost everything here operates on sunrise-to-sunset hours, and Camelback Mountain closes from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on days with excessive heat warnings, which pushes serious mileage to first light most of the year. The order below reflects how well each option suits running, with review counts noted so a settled rating can be told apart from a promising one.
1. Gateway Trailhead - McDowell Sonoran Preserve
The busiest entry point into the Preserve's southern region, at 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., and the one with the most trail choice branching off a single parking lot. Reviewers describe wide open sky, rocky footing and long views of the McDowell Mountains, which is an honest summary: this is loose-rock running, not a smooth path. The rating is 4.8 across more than 2,300 reviews, about as settled as trail feedback gets in this city. General Preserve hours run sunrise to sunset, so early starts are the norm, and the lot fills first on cool winter weekends.
2. Lost Dog Wash Trailhead
The strongest pick for runners who want options without the Gateway crowd, sitting at the north end of 124th Street at 12601 N. 124th St. Multiple trails leave from here at a range of difficulties, so an easy shakeout and a longer effort start from the same spot. There is no entry fee, restrooms are available at the trailhead, and hours are sunrise to sunset. Reviewers repeat one instruction more than any other: bring plenty of water. The 4.8 rating rests on 133 reviews, a smaller sample than Gateway's but consistent.
3. Cholla Trailhead Camelback Mountain
The Scottsdale-side approach to Camelback, at 5150 N. Invergordon Rd., and the longer of the mountain's two trails. Treat it as hill work rather than a run: the payoff is vertical, not pace. Camelback closes from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on excessive heat warning days, dogs are prohibited, and parking is only allowed sunrise to sunset, so an afternoon lap can strand a car. The 4.7 rating comes from nearly 1,500 reviews, which makes it one of the most thoroughly tested efforts on this list.
4. Arizona Canal Trail
The flat counterpoint to everything else here, following the canal through Scottsdale rather than climbing out of a desert wash. For anyone building continuous mileage without stopping to pick a line through rock, this is the obvious option, and it does not depend on trailhead parking hours the way the Preserve does. Worth being straight about the evidence: the brief carries no rating and no reviews for it, so there is no crowd verdict to lean on. Judge it on the surface and the route rather than on a score.
5. Tom's Thumb Trail
A north Scottsdale trail in the 85255 area, the same corner of the city as the Preserve's Gateway access. It has no rating or review count on record here, so it lands in the middle of the list on location and reputation by association rather than on measured feedback. Approach it the way the rest of the Preserve demands: start at first light, carry more water than the distance suggests, and check hours before driving out, since the general rule across Scottsdale's Preserve trailheads is sunrise to sunset.
6. Marcus Landslide Trail
Roughly two miles out and two miles back, with granite landslide debris and mushroom rocks along the way, which makes it a natural four-mile turnaround for anyone who wants a fixed distance rather than an open network. Trailhead parking is at 23015 N. 128th St. Its 4.7 rating comes from only 10 reviews, so the score is promising rather than proven, though it has been named the top trail among the 66 in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve in at least one enthusiast ranking. The relatively easy grade suits a steady effort.
7. Bajada Nature Trail 3/1/21
A short, fully accessible interpretive loop in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, sharing the Gateway address at 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy. It is not a training run. Visitors describe it as an easy walk through the desert taking about an hour, with interpretive elements along the route, which makes it useful as a warm-up, a cool-down or an outing with someone who is not running that day. The 5.0 rating comes from just six reviews, far too few to mean much on its own.
8. Echo Canyon Trailhead
The highest-rated entry here, 4.9 from more than 2,700 reviews, and the one that least resembles running. Echo Canyon is a challenging scramble to the Camelback summit, sitting on the Phoenix side at E. McDonald Dr., and it puts hands on rock rather than feet in rhythm. Facilities are the best on this list: restrooms, water and parking at the trailhead. Parking and traffic are a known problem, hours are sunrise to sunset, and the mountain's 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. excessive heat closure applies here too. Go for the climb, not the mileage.