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| Hiking | 12.23 Miles |
1,126 AEG |
| | Hiking | 12.23 Miles | 4 Hrs 7 Mns | | 2.97 mph |
| 1,126 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Pretty good pace, eh?
I must say, I am rather pleased with myself, even though this hike is not a rugged one. 
My wife & I left Sunnyslope at the usual 6:00 a.m., but since it’s only a 45-minute drive to Spur Cross, rather than the 2-3 hours my hiking drives often take, we arrived early in the Town of Cave Creek. So, on the way into town we stopped for breakfast at the Wagon Wheel cafe for breakfast. The food was cheap, hot & filling. 
When I started hiking at 9:00 a.m. it was overcast & breezy, and would remain so for hours. Taking flower photos with my crappy pocket camera is difficult enough, even on the macro setting: Poor light and breeze blowing light flowers about, makes it even more difficult. 
Cave Creek was a few inches deep, and still running pretty good. The wood plank ‘bridge’ had been replaced, so I took that rather than a rock hop crossing.
I found desert globemallow, Mexican gold poppy, owl clover, lily (no giggling!), flat top buckwheat, scorpionweed, brittlebush (of course), tons of globe chamomile, lupine, dandelion and a couple of more species I am clueless on. Let me know if you can ID them. 
There are five gates on this hike. None require struggling with a loop of barbwire to get them closed: You can walk right across them. (Cattle not so much.) The first gate is located at the south boundary of Spur Cross Conservation Area, just before Rodger Creek.
The Maricopa Trail portion of this hike is 4.2 downhill miles from Rodger Creek to the boundary of Cave Creek Regional Park. Part of it is on old jeep trail, part on pavement, and part on regular foot / MTB / horse trail. Not exactly exciting, especially when it passes by the nascent luxury development — 1-2 acre lots! — but it is still exercise. Even before the roads were put in, it was not the most scenic terrain: just desert scrub. But there are good views of Apache Peak, and the sun had finally made its debut. 🌤
Note that there currently is a luxury development bypass that runs from Gate #2, at Cahava Rd., south to Gunsight, where it rejoins this route just before it intersects with Go John Trail in CCRP. (Gunsight is the small peak southeast of Apache Spring.) It looks like the bypass may shave a mile off this hike’s total distance.
I found the best flowers on Go John Trail between the old mine and the CCRP nature center. Not only was the sun now bright, but the flowers were healthy, colorful & open. To photograph one cluster of lupine, I actually laid half in the road. 
Hike Video: https://vimeo.com/492839901 |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
At least 15 species, but most scattered instances. TONS of globe chamomile. Fair amount of Mexican Gold Poppy, but the ones in Spur Cross were closed up & dropping leaves. Brittlebush looking bushed. Scattered lupine and fiddleneck. Only globemallow along Dragonfly Trail. |
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Cave Creek - SPRCA |
Light flow |
Light flow |
| | | Still a couple of inches deep. Enough so, I made used of the replaced wood plank bridge, rather than attempt a rock hop crossing. | | _____________________
| http://prestonm.com : Everyone's enjoyment of the outdoors is different and should be equally honored. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
) And another tie, is the woman that sold it was married to a fellow Havreite (a divorce thing 
). Anyway, it is in a prime location in downtown Whitefish and a beautiful building.
Anyways, started from Spur Cross and completed most of the elevation gain within the first 3-4 miles... very gradual. Next, headed over to CC regional... passed by the trail that leads up to Elephant mtn on the way. We saw 2 other people in Spur that morning.. don't think the connecting trail is heavily used maybe by mtn bikes on the weekends. Anyways, finished at the Go John trail and then drove back to Spur to retrieve a car. Nice hike in terms of distance, scenery and solitude and a little bit of gain along the way.
