Congratulations to Burnsfire for First to Find
The Gateway Saddle is at the high point of the Gateway Loop Trail in Scottsdale's McDowell Sonoran Preserve. As Preserve policy prohibits placing physical geocaches, this is an ideal location for a virtual cache as all you will be doing is hiking on-trail and taking a photograph. Please, take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints. It will be helpful to review the McDowell Sonoran Preserve web page for open hours, rules, trail maps, etc. There are restrooms and drinking water at the Gateway trailhead, but not along the trail.
Your journey will require a hike of approximately 4 miles/6.5 kilometers along a generally rocky but clearly marked and well-maintained trail, with an elevation gain of about 700 feet/200 meters. It is a true loop that you can take in either direction. There's an abundance of scenery along the entire route. You'll see more than many visitors do, and see why the Preserve is such a natural jewel.
A view along the Gateway Loop Trail
To claim your find, take a photograph of the sign at the Gateway Saddle with you and/or your GPS/Smartphone geocaching app in the picture. Post the photo with your log submission. You're encouraged to post additional photographs you may have taken along the trail. All photos should be taken on or after the date this virtual cache is published. Logs that don't conform to the spirit of the logging requirements or to the spirit of geocaching are subject to deletion without notice.
Take all the usual precautions for hiking in the desert: Plenty of water, sun protection, awareness of "the jaws that bite, the claws that catch", etc. Be safe and have fun.
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.