The Pinnacle Peak area is located on the western side of the McDowell Mountains in northeast Scottsdale, Arizona.  The Hohokam Indians settled here roughly 3,000 years ago, hunting along our washes, harvesting saguaro fruit from our mountain slopes, and building irrigation canals to grow corn and other crops.  Life in the Sonoran Desert offers current residents wonderful mountain and city views as well as a near-perfect climate and gorgeous desert landscape. The people here appreciate the feeling of being out of town yet enjoy the benefits of having access to all amenities including shopping, fine golf, wonderful restaurants and great schools. 

After a six-year closure, a new trailhead for Pinnacle Peak Park will open in summer of 2001 to provide public access to a planned 1.7-mile trail and the existing 150-acre park.  A police station has just been added to the area at Pima Road and Thompson Peak Parkway that will help officers be closer to the community they serve.

There are a variety of choices for anyone wanting to live in the vicinity including planned communities, un-gated subdivisions with an open feel to them, and more exclusive gated subdivisions with more privacy.  Some places of interest include Rawhide’s Western Town, the Westworld Equestrian Center, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesen West, Pinnacle Peak Patio steakhouse, and the newly constructed Four Seasons Resort.

FREEWAY INFORMATION - THE 101 LOOP

By the end of 2001, an additional 20 miles of freeway will loop around the valley.  One of the two biggest beneficiaries of these additions is Scottsdale, where 14.5 miles of the Loop 101 will be completed.

The construction of the Loop 101 has been somewhat of an inconvenience for residents of northeast Scottsdale and the Pinnacle Peak area primarily because of detours.  The completion of certain portions of the freeway, however, will eliminate much of this frustration.  By February 2001, 4.5 miles of the Loop 101 are expected to be completed from Shea Boulevard to Princess Drive.  By summer, 10 miles of the loop in northeast Phoenix should be finished from Interstate 17 to Scottsdale Road making it easier to travel east and west between northeast Phoenix and northeast Scottsdale.

The Pima Freeway will not be completed until Spring 2003, when the final two-mile leg between Scottsdale Road and Princes Drive is opened.  Crews will begin construction on the $30 million project in the fall.



MASTER PLANNED COMMUNITIES

The two primary planned communities in the northeast Scottsdale/Pinnacle Peak area are Grayhawk and D.C. Ranch, both of which have a variety of choices in housing that is attractive to residents whether they are single, families, retirees or executives.  Each offers a wide variety of builders and price ranges in both gated and un-gated subdivisions.

     GRAYHAWK

The master-planned community of Grayhawk features several fine homebuilders; two restaurants; 30 miles of hiking, biking and jogging trails; both private and public schools; senior living; a medical campus, and two world-class golf courses, Talon and Raptor.  Also available are tennis, neighborhood pools and the clubhouse providing a location for community gatherings.  The new Thunderbirds Branch of Scottsdale’s Boys & Girls Clubs has broken ground.  The new branch is located at Hayden Road and Thompson Peak Parkway in Grayhawk and hopes to serve more than 2,000 children and teens annually.

RESIDENTIAL:  Resale single-family homes are from the low 200’s to over $1,000,000 in the custom-home subdivisions.  Resale townhomes, condominiums and patio homes are from the high $100’s to mid $400’s.

There is an abundance of choices in new homes depending on your price range and preference.  This includes townhomes from the $230’s to $270’s, townhome/apartment living from $1050 per month, condominiums from the $170’s to $250’s, villas from the low $300’s to mid $320’s, and single-family homes by Monterey from the low $300’s to Geoffrey H. Edmunds homes starting from the $600’s.  Other builders include Engle, T.W. Lewis, and Columbia Communities.  Prices start from the mid $300’s for Columbia Communities to Engle homes starting from $540’s. 

Lots in Grayhawk are currently available from the mid $300’s with an average lot selling for just over $400,000 in this community’s custom home area.

GOLF:  The Grayhawk community offers two fine golf courses, Talon and Raptor, which provide both challenging play and breathtaking views of the surrounding McDowell Mountains and the desert.  Former PGA and US Open Champion, David Graham and architect, Gary Panks designed the 6,973-yard, par-72 Talon course.  Talon was selected as one of Golf Magazine's "Top 10 You Can Play."   Raptor, Grayhawk’s second golf course, is a 7108-yard par-71 course designed by award-winning golf course architect, Tom Fazio.

     D.C. RANCH

D.C. Ranch is not just another master-planned community.   It is a place where intimate neighborhoods have returned so that residents have more of a sense of community and belonging.  Encompassing over 8,000 acres, some of which is incorporated into the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, almost every home site in D.C. Ranch borders open space or desert.  Grass parks are aplenty where children can gather to play, and the community center comes complete with staff to help coordinate activities. 

The latest additions include a City of Scottsdale police station and a Rural/ Metro fire station located right in the ranch at Pima Road and Thompson Peak Parkway.  Each provides community and surrounding area patrol.  The area is also awaiting the opening of Market Street, a 300,000-sq.ft. upscale shopping, dining and entertainment destination scheduled to open this year.  Copper Ridge School, which is part of the Scottsdale Unified School District, will open in the fall of 2001.  D.C. Ranch may be nestled in the McDowell Mountains yet it’s accessible to downtown Scottsdale and the surrounding valley.  Residents here have the benefit of both mountain and city-light views.

RESIDENTIAL:  All homes are uniquely designed with elevations and styles that will not be found anywhere else in the valley.  Homes offer front porches or courtyards as well as garages off to the side for additional aesthetic appeal.  Resale single-family homes range from the mid-$300’s to custom homes as high as $3,000,000.

New home builders include Camelot Homes, Geoffrey H. Edmunds & Associates, Standard Pacific Homes, and Columbia Communities.  Villas start from the high 200’s for Camelot Homes and Columbia Communities and single-family homes are available starting from the mid $600’s for Monterey or the low $700’s for Edmunds.  Growth of this Tuscan-style community will continue to focus increasingly in the custom-home market. 

Lots in D.C. Ranch are currently available from the high $100’s with an average lot sales price of about $450k.  There are at least eight exclusive custom builders offered by DMB Realty and the Custom Home Sales Center is open daily.

GOLF:  The private, par-71 6,864-yard golf course caters to players of all skill levels and was designed by Scott Miller, a leading golf course architect. With a targeted completion date of Fall 2001, a spectacular new Tom Weiskopf designed, par-72 championship course will span about 225 acres at the McDowell Mountain foothills and offer breathtaking city and desert views.

GOLF COMMUNITIES

There are so many possible communities from which to choose when you’re desire is to live in a golf community in the Pinnacle Peak, Troon and Troon North areas.  If you are interested in staying closer to the Pima Freeway (101) and also would like to be in a planned community, D.C. Ranch and Grayhawk are both attractive options.  While Grayhawk boasts two open courses, Talon and Raptor, D.C. Ranch is an exclusively private golf club.

The Grayhawk community offers two fine golf courses open to the public, Talon and Raptor, which provide both challenging play and breathtaking views of the surrounding McDowell Mountains and the desert. 

Grayhawk also features several fine homebuilders both production and custom (Serenity) in gated and un-gated subdivisions; two restaurants; 30 miles of hiking, biking and jogging trails; both private and public schools; senior living and a medical campus.  Also available are tennis, neighborhood pools and the clubhouse providing a location for community gatherings.  The new Thunderbirds Branch of Scottsdale’s Boys & Girls Clubs has recently opened and hopes to serve more than 2,000 children and teens annually.

In D.C. Ranch, the private, par-71 6,864-yard golf course caters to players of all skill levels and was designed by Scott Miller, a leading golf course architect.  With a targeted completion date of Fall 2001, a spectacular new Tom Weiskopf-designed, par-72 championship course will span about 225 acres at the McDowell Mountain foothills and offer breathtaking city and desert views.

D.C. Ranch is not just another master-planned community.   Both production homes and custom homes are available in gated and un-gated subdivisions.  Encompassing over 8,000 acres, some of which is incorporated into the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, almost every home site in D.C. Ranch borders open space or desert.  Grass parks are aplenty where children can gather to play, and the community center comes complete with staff to help coordinate activities.  Retail, dining and Copper Ridge School are within the community as well.

Pinnacle Peak Country Club is another fine golf community that is gated, more ‘mature’ as well as close in to restaurants, shopping and other services.  The golf course opened in 1976 as the first private country club in the Pinnacle Peak area and was renovated in 1996.  Many of the homes are from the late 70’s and early to mid-80’s; however, there are some newer customs in the subdivision as well.  A very quaint neighborhood!

Adjacent to Troon and Pinnacle Peak Mountains are the golf communities of Troon, Troon North, Estancia and Desert Highlands.

Troon Golf Club is a private, member-owned club and one must be a Troon Village property owner to be eligible for membership.  Troon Village is comprised of no less than 20 separate subdivisions, most of which are gated.  Golf-course lots are available in the subdivisions of Windy Walk, Troon Fairways and Glenn Moor.  The immediate communities are enveloped by views of Pinnacle Peak Mountain, Troon Mountain and the McDowell Mountains to the south with stunning city light views.  While there are some production homes available, the majority of the homes are custom and semi-custom.

Troon North is an 1800-acre master planned community offering a semi-private club to Troon North properties owners only and two types of membership:  A Club membership including current initiation fee and monthly dues or a Resident membership available at no charge to all property owners within the Troon North Development.  Members of either type are able to play both the Pinnacle and the Monument golf courses.  In addition to the world-class golf, there are production homes, semi-custom homes, custom lots and custom homes.  Both gated and un-gated communities are within Troon North.

Estancia is positioned on the northern slopes of Pinnacle Peak Mountain offering unmatched views north as far as the eye can see. Superiority, individuality, and environmental sensitivity are the key elements of this refined and sophisticated community.  The club structure is an invitation-only private, equity golf club that will have a maximum of 325 equity golf members and up to 120 social members.  The clubhouse itself is 30,000 square feet and the par-72 course, designed by Fazio Golf Course Designer, Inc., is located on 640 acres.

Desert Highlands, an established guard-gated community, is one of Scottsdale's premier residential neighborhoods and embraces 850 acres nestled on the south side of Pinnacle Peak and west of Troon Mountain. The elevation of downtown Phoenix is more than a thousand feet lower than that of Desert Highlands providing unobstructed views of the city!  It offers a par-72 Jack Nicklaus designed, 18-hole championship course. A full golf and tennis membership is included with the purchase of property in Desert Highlands. Upon resale of your home or home site, your membership is passed on automatically to the new owner with a transfer fee.

School Districts

Scottsdale Unified School District-DC Ranch

Paradise Valley Unified School District-Pinnacle Peak Country Club and Grayhawk

Cave Creek Unified School District-Troon North communities and Estancia

No Designated School District-Troon Village communities and Desert Highlands

NON-MEMBERS ONLY GOLF!

THE BOULDER’S CLUB
34831 N. Tom Darlington Dr., Carefree, 480-488-9028
Course fee (Peak Season):  $50.00 to $100.00

GRAYHAWK GOLF CLUB
8620 E. Thompson Peak Parkway, Scottsdale, 480-502-1800
Course fee (Peak Season):  more than $100.00

KIERLAND GOLF CLUB
15636 Clubgate Dr., Scottsdale, 480-922-9283
Course Fee (Peak Season):  more than $100.00

LEGEND TRAIL GOLF CLUB
9462 E. Legendary Lane, Scottsdale, 480-488-7434
Course Fee (Peak Season):  more than $100.00

PAVILION LAKES GOLF CLUB
8870 E. Indian Bend Rd., Scottsdale, 480-948-3370
Course Fee (Peak Season):  less than $50.00

THE PHOENICIAN GOLF RESORT
6000 E. Camelback Rd., Scottsdale, 480-423-2449
Course Fee (Peak Season):  more than $100.00

RANCHO MANANA GOLF CLUB
5734 E. Rancho Manana Blvd., Cave Creek, 480-488-0398
Course Fee (Peak Season):  $50.00 to $100.00

SANCTUARY GOLF COURSE AT WESTWORLD
10690 E. Sheena Drive, Scottsdale, 480-502-8200
Course Fee (Peak Season):  $50.00 to $100.00

TPC OF SCOTTSDALE
17020 N. Hayden Rd., Scottsdale, 480-585-3939
Course Fee (Peak Season):  more than $100.00

TALKING STICK GOLF CLUB
9998 E. Indian Bend Rd., Scottsdale, 480-860-2221
Course Fee (Peak Season):  more than $100.00

TATUM RANCH GOLF CLUB
29888 N. Tatum Ranch Dr., Cave Creek, 480-962-GOLF
Course Fee (Peak Season):  more than $100.00

TROON NORTH GOLF CLUB
10320 E. Dynamite Boulevard, Scottsdale, 480-585-5300
Course Fee (Peak Season):  more than $100.00

COMMUNITIES WITH TWO PLUS ACRE HOME SITES

If your preference is for large lots sizes with room to roam and the privacy to do what you wish, there are quite a few communities from which to choose in the Pinnacle Peak area.

The un-gated subdivisions of Pinnacle Peak Heights Two, Three, Five and Six along with Lost Canyon (guard-gated) and Canyon Heights (gated) are all nestled in the McDowell Mountains and offer city views as well.  Lost Canyon offers the most privacy, of course, and is enveloped in the mountain ranges with many custom sites whose residents will never have any neighbors behind but only the beauty of the preserve and open space.

Desert Highlands, while it is comprised of many different sizes of lots, does have some that are two+ acres.  Every property owner is a member of the club at Desert Highlands, and it is a guard-gated community at the southern base of Pinnacle Peak that offers wonderful views of the city.  Just south of Desert Highlands is a community called The Peak, also guard-gated, where lot sizes are primarily two to five acres.  Views are spectacular in this neighborhood, and the existing homes are of larger square footages naturally.  There is no club at The Peak.

The Estates at Desert Crest is a neighborhood of homes at a higher elevation than most in the area, each with absolutely spectacular views of Four Peaks, boulder-strewn outcroppings and wide-open desert space as far as one can see to the east.  It is necessary, however, to drive through production (tract) homes to get to this special, un-gated neighborhood.

Merit Crossing is a newer, gated subdivision just west of Estancia on the northwest side of Pinnacle Peak also offering a number of lots where sizes exceed two acres.  It is a beautiful setting with views of not only Pinnacle Peak but also of gorgeous desert scenery as far as one can see to the north.

School Districts

Scottsdale Unified School District-Pinnacle Peak Heights Two, Three, Five and Six; Lost Canyon; Canyon Heights.

Cave Creek School District-Merit Crossing

No Designated School District-Pinnacle Peak Heights One and Four, Desert Highlands, The Peak, Estates at Desert Crest

COMMUNITIES WITH ONE TO TWO-ACRE LOT SIZES

For those who enjoy spreading out and having more land and privacy to themselves, there are a number of subdivisions in and about the Pinnacle Peak area in which there are homes with larger lots, particularly one to two-acre lots.

Tucked between Pima Road on the west and the McDowell Mountain ranges on the east are the communities of Pima Acres (directly south of DC Ranch) and Pinnacle Peak Vistas (just north of DC Ranch).  Neither of these communities is gated, and each has a wide-open, inviting feel to it.  There are fabulous views of both the nearby mountains as well as city light views and the landscape of each of the communities is primarily natural desert vegetation.

A little farther to the west are no less than eight communities, situated fairly closely to one another, which include homes on larger lot sizes.  These subdivisions are Pinnacle Paradise, Pinnacle Peak Estates One, Two (gated), and Three as well as Happy Valley Ranch One, Two, and Three.  The communities of Vista Monterey and Sonoran Hills are comprised of semi-custom homes by well-known builders Monterey, Trimark Homes and M/I Homes and have similar sized lots.

Farther north away from the mountain ranges yet still able to appreciate their beauty are the neighborhoods of Sincuidados and Monterra both of which are in the Cave Creek Unified School District.  There are both semi-custom and custom homes in each.  The surrounding natural desert vegetation enhances the beauty of these communities and a concerted effort is made to preserve it. 

West of the Troon Villages area are Desert Highlands and Desert Skyline Estates, both of which offer some homes on lot sizes of one to two acres.  In Troon North, the exclusive newer communities of Talus and Boulder Crest also offer some lots/parcels that are of the same size.

School Districts

Scottsdale Unified School District-Pima Acres, Pinnacle Peak Vistas

Paradise Valley Unified School District-Pinnacle Paradise, Pinnacle Peak Estates, Happy Valley Ranches, Vista Monterey, Sonoran Hills

Cave Creek Unified School District-Sincuidados, Monterra

No Designated School District-Desert Highlands, Desert Skyline Estates

PLACES

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport – Go to this site for travel information including flights and airlines, maps and directions, parking and transport and traveler’s assistance.  http://www.phxskyharbor.com/

Rawhide Western Town
23023 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85261. Phone: (480) 563-5600.

Admission: $2 or less. Rawhide is a great place for locals and tourists who want a taste of the (fun) Old West. Highlights include street skits and mock gunfights, train rides through the desert, a petting zoo and stage show, and an old-time saloon and steakhouse. http://www.rawhide.com/

Taliesen West

12621 Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ 85261. Phone: (602) 860-2700. Admission: $12-$30. Open Monday-Friday 9am - 4pm. Guided tours with discussion of Wright's architectural concepts. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the home was the architect's primary residence for 20 years. It's a National Historic Landmark and a mecca to architecture students and Wright devotees from around the world.  For more information about Frank Lloyd Wright, his life and work, visit the following web site: http://www.franklloydwright.org/

Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North

10600 E. Crescent Moon Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85255. Phone: (480) 515-5700

Surrounded by towering Saguaro cactus and majestic mountains, Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North is a jewel in the high Sonoran Desert. Under the blue Arizona sky, the challenge of the Monument and Pinnacle golf courses at Troon North awaits resort guests.  Guests enjoy priority use of the two highly acclaimed Troon North championship golf courses (Monument and Pinnacle) and guest privileges at the award-winning Clubhouse.

There is also a Kid’s Concierge on board at the new Four Seasons Resort to cater to the needs of youngsters under the age of 12 and assists with anything child-related from making reservations at kid-friendly restaurants to scheduling children’s golf tee times at Troon North. 

 http://www.fourseasons.com/locations/Scottsdale/index.html

Spas, Spas, and more Spas…..here are but a few

Fairmount Scottsdale Princess Spa 7575 E. Princess Drive off Scottsdale Road north of Bell. (480) 585-2732.  For a special experience, try the Massage in Symphony with not one but two masseuses.

Four Seasons Spa at Troon North  10600 E. Crescent Moon Drive. (480) 515-5700.  Located at the new Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North.

Sonoran Spa at The Boulders 34631 N. Tom Darlington Drive, Carefree, Arizona. (480) 488-7358.  Spectacular scenery awaits you.

Pinnacle Peak Park And Hiking Trail

A new trailhead for Pinnacle Peak Park will open in late summer or early fall after the city's purchase of 3 acres of State Trust Land.  Scottsdale bought the trailhead at Jomax Road and Alma School Parkway to provide public access to a planned 1.75-mile trail and the existing 150-acre public park.   Interpretive displays at the trailhead will tell the natural and cultural history of the area. Parking facilities, restrooms, a shade ramada, a few picnic tables and an office will be located at the trailhead. The city also is working on a trail along Jomax Road that will connect the park with another trail planned along Pima Road.   Pinnacle Peak Park Coordinator, John K. Loleit (480) 312-7955 or jloleit@ci.scottsdale.az.us

Not enough?  For a comprehensive guide to our beautiful city visit:

http://insider-scottsdale.com/

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