While in Arizona, we spent a lot of time hiking. Toward the end of our trip, we wanted a longer-ish hike but nothing that was going to take all day. After looking around, we stumbled upon the Sonoran Preserve. Another perk is that this preserve was about 30 minutes from where we were staying. There were a few that we wanted to do that would've taken us some time to get to.
If you check out the website for this preserve, you'll notice that it has numerous trails ranging in difficulty. The 4.5-mile trip that we planned quickly turned into nearly 6 miles(if not longer). We decided to make our own loop out of the Sidewinder and Ocotillo trails.
From the small mountains on this trail, you can get a great view of a highway to your south as well as the immediate desert that surrounds you. This area is more of a workout trail in my opinion. You won't get those breathtaking views or the elevation that you'll get elsewhere.
The loop that we were on was fun. These trails do provide a great desert experience without being too far out of town. It's hot. There's limited shade. It's rocky and sandy. There are also plenty of plants and cactuses to observe as you walk along the trails. We went mid-afternoon on a Saturday and it wasn't crowded at all. We saw people but nothing crazy.
One thing to note would be the difficulty of the trails. On the website, the Sidewinder trail was listed as being moderate while the Ocotillo trail was listed as being easy. We were only on 2 miles(of 7) of the Sidewinder trail and it was much easier than the "easy" Ocotillo trail. It probably didn't help that our Ocotillo walk was mostly climbing elevation instead of all downhill at first. With that being said, make sure to take plenty of water with you... you'll need it. Also, give yourself more time than you think you'll need.
While this was the last place we hiked during our visit, I wish this would've been the first place we went. It is a great introduction to the landscape without being a strenuous climb up Camelback or a crowded walk up South Mountain.