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| Difficulty |
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1.5 of 5 |
| Route Finding |
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1 of 5 |
| Distance One Way |
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1.2 miles |
| Trailhead Elevation |
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2,450 feet |
| Elevation Gain |
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154 feet |
| Avg Time One Way |
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0.5 hour |
| Kokopelli Seeds |
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1.71 |
| Backpack No | |
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| Collective Slideshow |
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15 |
2018-12-14 |
Limestone Trail #252 - Spur Cross |
kingsnake |
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8 |
2018-11-04 |
Spur Cross Limestone Loop |
KBKB |
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8 |
2018-04-01 |
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26 |
2018-03-19 |
Dragonfly Trail - Spur Cross |
RowdyandMe |
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18 |
2018-03-18 | Yoder |
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14 |
2018-03-16 |
Black Mesa - Cave Creek |
KBKB |
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20 |
2018-03-10 |
Elephant Mountain Summit - Spur Cross |
Naferg323 |
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7 |
2018-03-04 |
Elephant Mountain Summit - Spur Cross |
friendofThunderg |
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Historical Weather |
| Trailhead Forecast | |
Radar |
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| Preferred Feb, Jan, Dec, Mar → Early |
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| open | | import | | set | | begin |
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Official Route
23 Alternative
Water
| Spur Cross Limestone Loop
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6.86 mi
1,396 ft |
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| Dragonfly Trail - Spur Cross
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8.05 mi
1,715 ft |
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| Elephant Mountain Summit - Spur Cross
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7.4 mi
2,038 ft |
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| Elephant Mountain Summit - Spur Cross
| 2018-03-04 |
friendofThundergod |
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7.96 mi
2,122 ft |
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| Spur Cross Double Loop SCCA Cave Creek
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9.08 mi
1,580 ft |
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| Sugar Loaf Mtn Loop
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9.3 mi
1,945 ft |
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| Dragonfly-Elephant-Limestone-Chalk
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15.74 mi
2,733 ft |
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| Spur Cross Loop
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6.18 mi
914 ft |
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| Spur Cross Loop
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7.3 mi
1,044 ft |
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| Elephant Mountain Summit - Spur Cross
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5.98 mi
1,696 ft |
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| Spur Cross Loop
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6.42 mi
1,025 ft |
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| Elephant Mountain Summit - Spur Cross
| 2015-11-26 |
friendofThundergod |
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7.73 mi
2,280 ft |
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| Black Mesa - Cave Creek
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12.94 mi
3,556 ft |
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| Elephant Mountain Trail - Spur Cross
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7.23 mi
1,623 ft |
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| Spur Cross to Rondo Spring
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7.19 mi
1,805 ft |
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| Elephant Mountain Loop
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7.93 mi
1,396 ft |
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| Elephant Mountain Trail - Spur Cross
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6.86 mi
1,337 ft |
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| Snow Spur
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8.92 mi
1,901 ft |
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| Black Mesa - Cave Creek
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12.43 mi
3,323 ft |
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| Black Mesa Limestone Loop - Cave Creek
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16.13 mi
4,584 ft |
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| Elephant Mountain Trail - Spur Cross
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7.59 mi
1,336 ft |
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| Spur Cross Loop
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8.45 mi
1,431 ft |
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| Elephant Mountain Trail - Spur Cross
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6.41 mi
1,292 ft |
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 | | Metate Trail - Spur Cross
0.3 mi away
| |  | | Towhee Trail - Spur Cross
0.4 mi away
| |  | | Elephant Mountain Trail - Spur Cross
0.4 mi away
| |  | | Black Mesa - Cave Creek
0.6 mi away
| | | | Skull Mesa - Cottonwood Creek Loop
0.6 mi away
| |  | | Skull Mesa from Spur Cross TH
0.6 mi away
| |  | | Skull Mesa Ruins
0.6 mi away
| |  | | Spur Cross Loop
0.6 mi away
| |  | | Cave Creek / Cottonwood Loop via Spur Cross
0.6 mi away
| |  | | Cave Creek Indian Ruins at Chalk Canyon
0.6 mi away
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| | [ View More! ] |
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| Fauna |
Nearby |
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Cardinal |
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Common side-blotched lizard |
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Desert Cottontail |
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Mule Deer |
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Phainopepla |
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Western Diamondback Rattlesnake |
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Western Patch-nosed snake |
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| Flora |
Nearby |
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Banana Yucca |
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Blue Dicks |
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Brittlebush |
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Buckhorn cholla |
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Chia |
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Christmas Cholla |
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Chuparosa |
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Common Sunflower |
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Coulter's Lupine |
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Desert Chicory |
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Desert Marigold |
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Desert Mariposa |
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Dudleya |
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Filaree |
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Flat Top Buckwheat |
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Globe chamomile |
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Golden-Beard Penstemon |
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Microseris |
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Miniature Wool Star |
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Owl Clover |
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Saguaro |
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Velvet Mesquite |
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Wild Cucumber |
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Yellow Menodora |
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| Named place |
Nearby |
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Black Mesa |
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Cave Creek |
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Elephant Mountain |
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Metate Pond |
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Skull Mesa |
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Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area |
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| Culture |
Nearby |
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Aircraft |
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Cactuscat Pose |
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Gila Petroglyph Style (Anthropomorphic) |
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Historical Marker |
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Informational/Interpretive Trail Sign |
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Projectile Point (unknown culture) |
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Trail Signs and Markings |
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 Overview: Used to access Elephant Mountain Trail or as a loop with Spur Cross Trail. Hike: From the northeast junction with Spur Cross Trail you immediately head up a gentle slope. Soon you top out on a small deck with nice views north of Sugarloaf Mountain. On this trip, Sugarloaf was covered in yellow brittlebush blooms. As noted in the elevation profile the trail soon heads right back down to a usually dry ravine. Here I encountered a Parks & Recreation truck. Signs remind you going off trail is not allowed. Perhaps they were enforcing park law. Maybe somebody tried to shortcut the 250 feet down to the Spur Cross Trail... who knows!
Across the ravine you head up a huffer slope. Even at it's worst it's only a 150 foot climb. Perhaps no worse than the first switchback of Piestewa. All the lower trails up to this point could practically be negotiated in flip flops. Here the footing gets loose. Good news being the old jeep road is beyond Parks & Recreation cruiser negotiable. Especially due to the fact there's a couple boulders lined at the top as a mammoth waterbar.
Soon you'll find yourself at a junction with Elephant Mountain Trail. Take a left and head south onto the ridge-of-views. On this trip the ground was literally covered in green flora and wildflowers. The views are top notch all around. Looking ahead/SSE Black Mountain dominates the horizon. Even in this above average rainfall year the ground sports deep drought cracks.
A half mile down this subtle sloping ridge you come to the southwest junction with Spur Cross Trail. A majority of my late afternoon hike was shaded by New River Mesa. Talk about a bonus!
 guide related   area related
One-Way NoticeThis hike is listed as One-Way. When hiking several trails on a single "hike", log it with a generic name that describes the hike. Then link the trails traveled, check out the example. |
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