Bell Pass Trail

I was back in the McDowell Mountains last Saturday to tackle the Bell Pass Trail. Originally, the plan was to hike to the end of the trail and back. At some point midweek, however, I decided to utilize some of the connecting trails and turn this out-and-back trek into a 10.5-mile loop.

At 7:18 a.m. I headed for the mountains via the Saguaro Trail. I took note of the time because I had to be at my daughter's soccer game by noon. If I wasn't at least halfway through the loop by 9:30 a.m., I would have to turn around. Because of this time crunch, I was setting the trail ablaze. My brand new hiking shoes may have had something to do with this. My feet had never had it so good. My legs may have been singing the blues, my feet were loving me Cadillac style.

Peekaboo Sunshine along the Windgate Pass Trail

Before I knew it, I was at Inspiration Viewpoint. I had passed by here in the opposite direction just two weeks prior, so I paused only for a drink of water and a quick once-over of my surroundings before getting back to business. Thanks to an early start, I had been hiking almost exclusively in the shade of the mountains up to this point. I would lose this coverage at Windgate Pass, but regain it 3.2 miles later at Bell Pass. In Arizona, it's always worth mentioning anytime you find shade.

The Bell Pass Trail makes its way across the terrain

The trail had been downhill from Windgate Pass, but turning onto the Bell Pass Trail meant I would now be moving on up in the sky, just like George and Weezy. But before making it all the way to the top, I took a detour along the Prospector Trail to the scenic view, where I enjoyed a box of raisins and some refreshing sips of warm water. Returning again to the Bell Pass Trail, it was back to work getting up the mountain. Not until reaching Bell Pass would I allow myself to relax. When I did make it there ahead of schedule, I felt a sense of accomplishment but, at the same time, wished I hadn't been in such a hurry.

Fountain Park, as seen from the Bell Pass Trail

Prospector Trail

View from Bell Pass

I read an article from May '07 titled, The Workout: Hike Farther, Hike Stronger, on backpacker.com quoting Jonathan Chang, a sports-medicine orthopedic surgeon, who said though it doesn't feel as tiring, an individual actually spends three times as much energy walking downhill as walking up. The reason, according to the article, is that when you descend, you actually lengthen your quadriceps muscles as you contract them. When I checked my phone later in the day, it showed I had climbed the equivalent of 188 floors. The trail map lists an elevation change of 1,202 feet for the Bell Pass Trail. In other words, there was a lot of lengthening and contracting and calorie consumption going on as I made my way down the last two miles of the mountain trail. I should've packed another box of raisins!

Descending along the Bell Pass Trail

The Bell Pass Trail terminates at the Gateway Loop Trail and this is when I began to see more hikers, many of whom were just getting started for the day. I was glad to be coming off the trail just as the masses were forming. Exiting the trail less than 3.5 hours after starting out, I had plenty of time to spare and arrived at the soccer field before my wife and daughter, meaning everyone was happy. Morning in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve: it's a great way to get your day started right!