Brown’s Ranch TrailheaD
The Brown’s Ranch trailhead is part of the large (over 30,000 acres) and unique McDowell Sonoran desert preserve located in North Scottsdale, Arizona. Browns Ranch features multiple desert trails with varying degrees of difficulty for hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders alike. With a large parking lot and a architecturally stunning trailhead building complete with restrooms and other facilities, this beautiful and diverse high desert setting has become one of the most popular outdoor activities destinations in the Phoenix AZ area. See more Browns Ranch Photos below.
As a photographer, Brown’s Ranch is one of my favorites trailheads because of all the different landscape options it provides when shooting Arizona desert images. This includes mountains, cool rock & boulder formations, cactus studded ridgelines, and many long and mostly unobstructed Sonoran desert views. Because of its size, this is also a good choice if you want to potentially see some desert wildlife including Mule deer, Javelina, Coyotes, Great Horned Owls, and of course Rattle snakes. The sheer size of the Browns Ranch trail system also gives you a real chance to find some solitude.
My favorite time to shoot images at Brown’s Ranch is undoubtedly either sunrise or sunset. There are many ideal and elevated points along several hiking trails that offer expansive wide angle views of this desert landscape and the ever present Saguaro cactus. You will see this demonstrated in many of the images I have posted below.
With a colorful explosion of blooming desert wildflowers, plants, and cactus flowers, Spring is also a great season to visit and shoot photography at Brown’s Ranch. Depending on winter precipitation, Spring wildflowers traditionally start popping up in mid March in the high desert here. Be aware that this is also high rattlesnake season in the Sonoran desert so its advised however tempting not to wander off from the designated trail. From what I have heard the vast majority of people who have been bitten by rattlers in the Scottsdale’s Sonoran desert preserve had strayed off the trail.
Below are images with some additional info as well as some basic photography tips when visiting Browns Ranch Trailhead. Please click on the images to see full size high resolution versions that are available for sale. Wall Art: You can also purchase canvas, metal, and poster prints of many of these images here.
Please contact me if you have any questions or special requests including photography tours. All images and video footage are copyrighted.
This is the entrance to the Brown’s Ranch Trailhead which is located at 30301 N Alma School Pkwy, Scottsdale, AZ 85262. This image was taken near sunset time as monsoon summer thunderstorms were rolling in.
A sunset reflection on the Browns Ranch trailhead building. The building itself has great restrooms, trail and local history information panels, and an amphitheater.
Wide ratio view of a colorful sunset sky in the foothills of the Browns Ranch preserve.
This is a “Sky on Fire” sunrise image I took off the popular Jane Rau Trail at Browns Ranch. This is a very easy circular trail suitable for most hikers.
Sunset off a trail at Browns Ranch.
A brilliant “Sky On Fire” sunrise at Brown’s Ranch trailhead .
A vibrant sunstar emerges behind a saguaro cactus at sunrise time near a popular mountain biking trail at Browns Ranch. You can also purchase a high quality metal print, canvas print, or poster print of this unique sunrise image.
A panoramic landscape view of sunrays and splintered sunlight filtered through earl morning clouds. Like what you see? You can purchase a metal print, canvas print, or poster print of this unique sunrise image.
Sunrays blast through an early morning cloudscape at the Brown’s Ranch desert preserve.
Saguaro cactus at sunset time along an elevated hiking , horseback, and mountain biking trail at Brown’s Ranch. You can also purchase a high quality metal print, canvas print, or poster print of this unique image.
A colorful panoramic view of Browns Mountain at sunset time.
This is a sweeping sunset image I took from one of the many elevated hiking trails at Browns Ranch. Using a tripod for stabilization can be very helpful for these low light sunset shots.
Below is a short time lapse video that was filmed the same night as the image above.
With an explosion of vibrant colors, the Spring season is a very popular time to hike in the Sonoran desert. The image above was taken heading up the Browns mountain trail and is a good representation of the expanse of the preserve.
Because it sits at a higher elevation than the Valley floor of the greater Phoenix-metro area, the Browns Ranch trailhead at 2,700 feet elevation does occasionally receive some snow.
You can also purchase a high quality metal print, canvas print, or poster print of this unique image.
This is an image of the actual trailhead sign at Brown’s Ranch covered with snow after a rare heavy snow storm in February of 2019. Just 500 feet lower in elevation down the hill from the trailhead there was no snow falling or accumulating.
The Browns Ranch trailhead building covered with snow in February 2019.
Because of its large and varied trail system, which was designed for all riding skill levels, Mountain Biking has become extremely popular at the Brown’s Ranch Trailhead and preserve.
This is am image I captured of a Great Horned Owl that was perched in a dead tree along a hiking trail at Browns. There quite a few of these intrepid birds in this preserve and the best time to see them is right before sunrise.
Two mountain bikers heading down one of the many trails open to mountain biking at Browns Ranch.
Mountain Bikers riding on a remote trail at Browns Ranch.
Many of the trails at Brown’s Ranch are open to horseback riding. In fact there is a large designated parking lot set aside just for horse trailers as well as other equestrian faculties.
Sunset skies at Browns Ranch with the trailhead building off in the distance
A horseback rider on the Latigo trail during spring season.
Sun rays beaming down at Brown’s Ranch.
It’s tough to beat Arizona sunsets….
This sunset and moonrise time-lapse was recorded at Brown’s Ranch.
Stocky Mule deer are a fairly common sight at Brown’s Ranch particularly in the Morning and late afternoon.
As noted earlier, Rattlesnakes are fairly common throughout the Scottsdale Sonoran desert preserve. These snakes are not out to attack humans, but will react defensively and possibly strike if they feel threatened. And yes, most of the times in my experience you will get a warning with a rattle if you get to close.
Please feel free to contact me if you have general or image purchasing questions. This is just a sampling of the images and videos I have taken over the years in Brown’s Ranch and other trailheads in the greater McDowell Sonoran desert preserve.