| |
|
| | |
|
| Hiking | 11.50 Miles |
2,645 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.50 Miles | 9 Hrs 29 Mns | | 1.40 mph |
| 2,645 ft AEG | 1 Hour 17 Mns Break | | | |
|
|
| |
| Linked |
|
none
[ show ]
| no linked trail guides |
| Partners |
|
[ show ]
| partners | | This was our first time in the Cave Creek area since early this year, and neither of us had hiked to the cabin before, so we were looking forward to seeing something new. FR 254/FR 1099 were in good shape and were a non-issue for a high-clearance vehicle, though there were a few spots that might be challenging for low clearance. It was 41° and a little windy as we got started a little after 7AM.
The trail can be a little hard to follow in places once it branches off FR 1095, and there's some catclaw to deal with, but it's mostly avoidable. Once we reached the saddle, the views to the east opened up as we started the long, rocky descent toward Lime Creek...the trail definitely has a Y-Bar feel with the very rocky tread. Horseshoe Reservoir was visible for a while, with nice views of Sunset Mountain, Lime Peak, and the Mazatzals beyond.
We visited a few small, extremely deteriorated ruins sites on the hike in. They were only noticeable because of the high concentration of rocks in those areas, and the second site was the only one where there was noticeable rock stacking remaining. We didn't see any pottery at the sites, though there was a broken piece of a metate at the first one.
There was a little water in Lime Creek that required a few simple crossings, and it was a nice mix of fall color and big saguaros around there. The area near Lime Spring was dry, though we didn't follow it back to the source. A single cow greeted us near the cabin before running off as we approached. The cabin is well-stocked with tools, lawn chairs, food, cookware, utensils, a mirror, toilet paper and much more...looks like a popular camping area. We took a lunch break in the corral, and coincidentally, it was there that we found the only piece of pottery we saw all day.
Before we started back, we went over to the petroglyphs and explored that area, accumulating a lot of scratches in the process. The panels were bigger than I realized, and it's an impressive site despite decades of graffiti mixed in with the original rock art, including drawings in a fairly narrow crevice in the wall where a chunk of the cliff broke off. The "modern" graffiti dated back to the late 1800s and spanned most decades since then. The Cartwright name appeared several times on the walls...surely related to the Cartwright brothers whose name appears on the shed at the cabin site. There's a large beehive above the panels that had quite a bit of activity, so we gave that plenty of space while exploring.
On the way out, we saw a frog at the creek crossing, then started the long, rocky hike back up to the saddle. That part of the trail can get a little tedious, but it's an enjoyable hike with a lot of variation in the landscape over a relatively short distance. We didn't see anyone all day and had a nice sunset on the drive back home. We were both happy we chose this one today, it was a nice first visit to Lime Creek. |
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
