Adero Canyon Trailhead
Fountain Hills, Arizona
J2 was selected to provide the town’s first public trailhead facility located within the McDowell Mountain Preserve. This trailhead, designed to grant access to an existing hiking trail recently constructed by the Preservation Commission, overlooks the entire town and town lake at the apex of the trail. J2 devised a site sensitive design to both reduce the impact on the adjacent neighborhood as well as minimize the visual impact by a sensitive placement of the new facilities. The Sonoran Desert Foothills location, with its accompanying drainage issues from the steep slopes and desert washes, along with the plants and native habitat, was integrated into the final design considerations. The design allows accessibility for people from nearby communities to walk to the trail, vehicular parking of up to sixty vehicles, the ability of school busses to drop off children for interpretative learning as well as providing accessibility for the disabled. Amenities include a restroom facility, two (2) scenic overlook plaza areas with picnic ramadas, decorative entry gates, and gabion baskets filled with native rock material utilized as retaining walls where needed.