McDowell Peak is a 4,036-foot mountain in the McDowell Mountains northeast of Phoenix, Arizona, within Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve, a large protected desert area owned and operated by the city. About half a mile north of Thompson Peak, it shares a ridge with Drinkwater Peak and sits between Bell Pass to the south and Windgate Pass to the north, among a tightly connected group of summits and saddles. Its location within the preserve governs public use: local ordinances require visitors to remain on designated, posted trails, and as of August 2016 no trail reached the summit, restricting access to the top.