Pinnacle Peak and a majority of the surrounding land were once part of the Arizona State Trust Land, which was held by the State and managed for the benefit of the State’s educational trust.  It was not, however, public open space or a park.  Nonetheless, for many years, the Peak and surrounding area had been used for hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing and horseback riding.  

In 1982 a large area of land including the Peak was annexed into Scottsdale. In 1985  “Troon North” was approved by the Scottsdale City Council, which included the preservation of Pinnacle Peak as a 185-acre City of Scottsdale Park to preserve the historic use of the land for public recreational uses and a “Desert Discovery Center” museum.

In 1994 The site for the “Desert Discovery Center” and the future Pinnacle Peak Park was reduced to 150 acres.  Because of this, the developer offered to pay for and develop the primary Pinnacle Peak Trail as shown on the City’s General Plan.  The trail would connect to the future planned trail along the Jomax Road alignment on the west side of Pinnacle Peak. 

In November 1999, the City received the title to the 150 acres of Pinnacle Peak Park.  The main trail was completed and the City of Scottsdale received the title to the land.  In 2000 the City received the formal appraisal for the 3 acres from the State Land Department and the review appraisal concurred for the construction of the Office and Trailhead area.

The Grand Opening was April 20, 2002 and attracts over 1200 visitors!  The Park Wildlife log is started and Interpretive tours and Moonlit hikes begin in November of 2002.

In 2004  construction of Owl’s Rest viewing area near the mile marker begins.  This  project was funded by Pinnacle Peak Rotary Club.

In 2005 In December, Friends of Pinnacle Peak (FOPP), a non-profit organization separate from the City of Scottsdale, is established to accept donations for our park programs, preserving the park and various educational activities.