Cave Creek / Cottonwood Loop via Spur Cross • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Limestone Trail #252 - Spur Cross

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We decided to link sections of the Spur Cross, Skull Mesa and Cottonwood trails to make a 8.3 mile loop. This gave us a chance to check out the beginning of Skull Mesa Ruins hike for possibly checking this out later, it's a long one, but looks like it has great views.

Didn't realize it at the time, but crossed paths with Crzy4AZ going on the Skull Mesa Ruins hike the same morning. Bummed out I didn't say hello to them that morning, but generally we avoid other folks... we tend not to be very sociable.... need to work on that more.

Anyhow, the part of the ruin hike we did was very reasonable. The trail actually is easier to walk on than most of the trails in the Conservation area. Most of there trails has alot of the fist size rocks in the trail that ware on the feet after a while.

All-in-all a pretty pleasant hike.

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J. Yoder

Jan 24 2017

arizona_water

Guides 9
Routes 118
Photos 1,079
Triplogs 118

35 male

Joined Mar 06 2016
Salt River Valle

Phoenix, AZ

Run/Jog		Jan 24 2017
		arizona_water • Triplogs 118

Run/Jog	3.71 Miles	277 AEG

Run/Jog	3.71 Miles	49 Mns	4.54 mph
	277 ft AEG

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Spur Cross Loop

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After work Trail run - turned hike. Cave creek was raging. So cool!
Crossing cave creek is not possible without getting your feet wet. The water is cold, but not too bad. Several of the eastern side canyons have some small flows that confluence with Cave Creek about 1.5 miles upstream of the parking area.

I looked for a dry fall I had seen on the topo but I forgot to preload the map and there's wasn't any cell reception, so I just explored along the creek for awhile. It started raining as I ran back to the trailhead at sunset.

This was my first time to Spur Cross, and I definitely plan on returning!

	Cave Creek - SPRCA	Heavy flow	Heavy flow
	Nice consistent flow. The snow and rain last weekend certainly helped out.

	Cottonwood Creek	Medium flow	Medium flow
	Looking good!

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- there's nothing like finding Water in the Desert -

1 archive

Mar 06 2015

CdnInAz

Routes 57
Photos 305
Triplogs 114

61 male

Joined Jun 02 2008
Cave Creek, Az

Spur Cross Loop

Spur Cross Loop

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Mar 06 2015
		CdnInAz • Triplogs 114

Hiking	5.50 Miles	600 AEG

Hiking	5.50 Miles	2 Hrs		2.75 mph
	600 ft AEG		3 LBS Pack

no photosets

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Limestone Trail #252 - Spur Cross

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awesome afternoon for a hike. I've been on each end of this loop with other hikes but this was my first time making connection across top which is at bottom of Tonto. That section was a bit tough because many spots have heavy spring growth so I lost trail a few times - glad I had HAZ route on my phone with gps

Was a bit concerned when down in several riparian zones - very lush - wondered about snakes coming out of hibernation for an afternoon in sun - a concern with dog - but saw none.

my gps route is incomplete because did not charge phone battery before hike, so it died.

Wildflowers Observation Light
a few moderate areas but I'd call the average at light

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Feb 07 2015

JasonCleghorn

Routes 173
Photos 1,613
Triplogs 285

50 male

Joined Nov 11 2014
Manchester, NH

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 07 2015
		JasonCleghorn • Triplogs 285

Hiking	14.00 Miles	2,800 AEG

Hiking	14.00 Miles	6 Hrs 12 Mns		2.44 mph
	2,800 ft AEG	28 Mns Break	15 LBS Pack

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mt98dew

SpiderLegs

My first hiking failure since moving to AZ. I learned a valuable lesson to go with your gut (pun intended) feeling about your health. Woke up this AM feeling bad, thought I could fight through it. Made it to mile 7 and gastrointestinal issues arose that became scary and dangerous. At the springs on the way back, I wasn't sure I would make it back. Projectile, well you get the picture. Took all I had to get back to the car. Still 14 miles and 2800 AEG isn't bad. Sorry, guys...

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

Cottonwood Spring

Dripping

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Follow me on Instagram: hikingjason
"It's not the mountains that we conquer, but ourselves"

Jan 31 2015

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,760

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Skull Mesa Loop, AZ

Hiking		Jan 31 2015
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	19.52 Miles	3,612 AEG

Hiking	19.52 Miles	10 Hrs 30 Mns		2.05 mph
	3,612 ft AEG	1 Hour Break	16 LBS Pack

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Skull Mesa Trail #248

Quien Sabe Trail #250

Cave Creek TH to Spur Cross TH Shuttle

Towhee Trail - Spur Cross

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joebartels

It's been far too long since I've hiked out of Spur Cross. Especially since I live so close to it. There was a 70% chance of rain on the day, and with rain for two days previous, Cave Creek was sure to be running decently.

7:30 in the morning, and we were the first vehicle in the lot. We kept our feet dry by rock hopping the 1st and 4th crossings and going off trail to bypass crossings 2,3 5 and 6. I'd forgotten how steep it was in sections of Cottonwood #247 trail, just to get to the steeper Skull Mesa #248 trail. It was a temperate 55 degrees, but I was wringing wet and glasses fogging up from all the humidity.

Once on top of Skull Mesa, we made our way on the Skull Mesa "Trail" to the east side. The western portion is cairned and easy to follow. The eastern portion, not much to follow there. Still the rain held off, but we had periods of fog on top, and then rising fog from below as we started down.
35 seconds of sheer excitement :next:

http://youtu.be/xii8-a...
The top of the mesa was pretty muddy, our shoes picking up extra weight along the way.

On the Quien Sabe #250, we decided to take a short cut to Cave Creek #4 down a wash. There some sweet geology and flora along the way. On Cave Creek #4, we got our first sprinkles of the day. Not enough to to put on the coat or break out the chrome dome.

We cut off Cave Creek #4, down to the 6L ranch area, on a spur trail. I'd never been here or read too much about the area. This is a nice area the I need to come back and check out. We stumbled upon some Glymps and Metates and it looks like there much more to see here.

Getting back from here was easier, since we no longer had to try and keep our feet dry, we just walked on through all the creek crossings

The Metate Trail and Towhee Trail are always fun to hit when in the area. Some of the biggest Saguaros in the state, mixed with all sorts of greenery

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] HAZ - Selfie

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

	Cave Creek - SPRCA	Medium flow	Medium flow
	Cave Creek had a nice flow going.

	Chalk Canyon	Dry	Dry
	Observed dry where it meets Cave Creek

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry

Jan 21 2015

JuanJaimeiii

Routes 596
Photos 9,604
Triplogs 2,400

58 male

Joined Jan 30 2011
Chandler, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jan 21 2015
		JuanJaimeiii • Triplogs 2,400

Hiking	24.50 Miles	3,953 AEG

Hiking	24.50 Miles	6 Hrs 43 Mns	3.67 mph
	3,953 ft AEG	2 Mns Break

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Needed to stretch the legs and this Big O' Loop fit the bill. Perfect day to be out there.

The Cottonwood Trail could use a little maintenance however it is easy to follow.

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Jan 01 2015

toddak

Guides 13
Routes 38
Photos 1,651
Triplogs 577

60 male

Joined Nov 15 2005
Jackson, CA

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jan 01 2015
		toddak • Triplogs 577

Hiking	24.00 Miles	3,000 AEG

Hiking	24.00 Miles	10 Hrs	2.40 mph
	3,000 ft AEG

no routes

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Love hiking after a good storm, nice clockwise loop. #4 is in excellent condition, the north/east sections of #247 don't see much use, but are in OK condition.

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Mar 20 2014

rehlers

Routes 5
Photos 58
Triplogs 46

49 male

Joined Apr 18 2002
Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Mar 20 2014
		rehlers • Triplogs 46

Hiking	17.50 Miles	3,950 AEG

Hiking	17.50 Miles	9 Hrs	1.94 mph
	3,950 ft AEG

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Skunk Tank Trail #246

Quien Sabe Trail #250

Skull Mesa Trail #248

[ checklist ] Gila Monster Gopher Snake Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

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I've wanted to do the loop of trails in the middle of Seven Springs are for awhile, but 24 miles in a day from spur cross was a bit much for me. Instead, I drove in an alternate route from the north and cut the distance to around 17-18 miles total. Photo set includes rattlesnake, gila monster, and dead fox or coyote (not sure) on trail.

Just north of the cave creek campground along FR24 is another dirt road, FR468. Turning left onto this road and following it to the very end, you stop on the side of the hill overlooking Cave Creek and the Cave Creek Trail #4 (almost exactly where it intersects with Skunk Tank trail). With about .25-.5 mile of off trail effort to the bottom, you can reach the cave creek trail. I then did a clockwise loop as follows:

Trail Conditions
Skunk Tank Trail #246 - mostly easy to follow and in good shape, with little to no overgrowth.
Quien Sabe Trail #250 - trail is faint in parts, but usually cairns help you along and the early parts are along an old road. Not much overgrowth either.
Skull Mesa Trail #248 - fairly faint in many parts, generally cairns available to help. A few spots where cairns were widely spaced. Not much overgrowth. Great views on top of skull mesa. Quite steep coming down.
Cottonwood Trail #247 - easy to follow and well marked. No overgrowth
Cave Creek Trail #4 - easy to follow and well marked. No overgrowth.

Road Conditions
FR24 - passenger car should be able to make it ok
FR648 - Pretty decent, except the last mile or so. Definitely need 4x4 for that section and at least high clearance for the rest.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

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Dec 15 2013

JuanJaimeiii

Routes 596
Photos 9,604
Triplogs 2,400

58 male

Joined Jan 30 2011
Chandler, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Dec 15 2013
		JuanJaimeiii • Triplogs 2,400

Hiking	24.52 Miles	4,040 AEG

Hiking	24.52 Miles	7 Hrs 26 Mns	3.31 mph
	4,040 ft AEG	2 Mns Break

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Spur Cross to CCRA - Maricopa Trail

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Couldn't help but take advantage of this beautiful day and get out and do some hiking. This spot can get real warm in the summer months so it's best to do it this time of year.

I didn't see a single person for the first twelve miles with the exception of the County employees collecting money. Then I saw 5 within a mile and nobody else all day. That seems crazy to me.

On my way out it was a little after 5pm. The Coyotes were starting to howl, and when I looked over I saw it was almost a full moon! Very cool!

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Saguaro - Crested

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cow

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cairn

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Moon

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Apr 13 2013

Uberdroog

Guides 2
Routes 174
Photos 1,554
Triplogs 179

47 male

Joined Jul 01 2011
Wexford, PA

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Apr 13 2013
		Uberdroog • Triplogs 179

Hiking	26.09 Miles	5,520 AEG

Hiking	26.09 Miles	10 Hrs 5 Mns		6.36 mph
	5,520 ft AEG	5 Hrs 59 Mns Break	35 LBS Pack

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Cave Creek TH to Spur Cross TH Shuttle

Quien Sabe Trail #250

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Eartheist

The_Dude

The overnight trip begins at 8amish in the parking lot of Spur Cross. The beginning of the hike started like pretty much all other except for the 30lbs on my back. The creek was flowing and everything was well. With the running stream we were confident that there would be plenty of places to refill along the way. We decided to skirt around the front side of Skull Mesa around the east side. The wild flowers were blooming all over. While it was only 85 outside the unrelenting sun took its toll rather quickly. We each burned through 3 liters of water before we made it to the east side of Skull Mesa. Luckily we found a small trickle of water at the second pool of Cottonwood Spring. Enough to be moving and sink our pumps. This water had to last as it did not look like we would get another chance until we got closer to seven springs. After we got water there was another good elevation push. From what I looked at online I knew it was mostly down hill from here and it was. The trail crossed over the dry creek bed several times after we veered to the north. This leg was much more easy going. At one point we did come to a cross road, up the hill or continue the creek bed. Well the creek bed seemed like a good idea all the way until we slammed right into private property. We lucked out and the ranchers were out and allowed us to cut through their property to the number 4 trail. I'm not sure if we shaved any distance off but I would recommend staying on the trail because the next group may not be as welcomed. Once we were on the number 4 we knew we were close to where we wanted to camp. A little over 15 miles into the trip we re-upped on water just to be sure one more time. A few yards more and we found a great camp spot. We found a scorpion trying to get warm by the fire. He was not aware of what caliber of people were camping. He was promptly charred and eaten. "Nutty" is the answer. Once huddled into our tents it felt like I had packed just the right amount of gear. At 2am I was cold. I no longer had good feelings about leaving my hoodie at home. The REI 1.5 mat however was the best decision ever. What a great bargain and comfortable enough to sleep on my side.

On the second morning at 8am it was good to know we had under 10 miles to go. Breakfast was good, water was replenished and the camp was left like we were never there. I had high hopes that we would be closer to the water and have some shade on the way out. This was not the case. The shade quickly disappeared again to a very rocky and uncovered trek. Beautiful scenery and many more places to explore along the way. There was one point along the second day that we popped up a few hundred feet in a very short distance. This did not feel pretty on feet but when it was done was almost all of the elevation we would experience and now it was only 5 miles of down hill. When we finally made it off trail around 1:30pm we were beat but happy.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Dichelostemma capitatum

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Elephant Mountain Sugarloaf Mountain

Wildflowers Observation Substantial
There were flowers sprouting everywhere.

	Cottonwood Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Low flow and dry spots along the way. Get what you can when you have the chance.

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Apr 13 2013

The_Dude

Guides 1
Routes 136
Photos 1,367
Triplogs 364

47 male

Joined Jun 10 2011
Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Backpack		Apr 13 2013
		The_Dude • Triplogs 364

Backpack	26.09 Miles	5,520 AEG

Backpack	26.09 Miles	2 Days
	5,520 ft AEG		32 LBS Pack

no routes

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Eartheist

Uberdroog

Great loop of Sonoran Desert. We went counterclockwise from a spur Cross to Seven Springs and continued a few miles before we made camp for the night. The Cottonwood side was pretty dry, and we took care of most of our elevation on the first day. Good camp spot not far from the creek, plenty of water to filter for drinking and cooking. The next morning we broke camp after breakfast and trudged our way back to the truck. Arizona flora was on full display, I don't think I have ever seen so many blooming plants out in the desert. The only downside to this trip is the almost complete lack of shade, you can really tell that this area is still recovering from the fires 10 years ago. I would gladly do this one again!

Wildflowers Observation Substantial

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Apr 13 2013

Eartheist

Routes 7
Photos 273
Triplogs 234

54 male

Joined Jul 16 2011
Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Backpack		Apr 13 2013
		Eartheist • Triplogs 234

Backpack	26.00 Miles	5,520 AEG

Backpack	26.00 Miles	2 Days
	5,520 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

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The_Dude

Uberdroog

Long lasso loop around Skull Mesa. Very dry on the Cottonwood 247 trail, just a few trickles, one of which we did filter some water from towards the very end, a couple miles from the Seven Springs, Cave Creek trail junction. Found a good camp site a mile or so in on the Cave Creek trail, headed back out in the a.m. Nice hike out, since it was mostly downhill(!), but there were some ups, and they seemed a little tougher after 20 miles

. A lot of the trail is loose rock, so a little slippery going down at some of the steep angles. Hell on the blisters that I acquired by the end of the previous day. Moleskin prep next time. Nice hike though, barely saw another soul the entire time, human or otherwise. Nice without the people, but sadly lacking any wildlife sightings. Saw a Robin, a couple squirrels, one garter snake, one scorpion. I was out here 2 weeks prior and saw lots more animals just on the spur cross and a few miles up Trail 4.

Wildflowers Observation Substantial

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Jan 09 2013

JuanJaimeiii

Routes 596
Photos 9,604
Triplogs 2,400

58 male

Joined Jan 30 2011
Chandler, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jan 09 2013
		JuanJaimeiii • Triplogs 2,400

Hiking	24.52 Miles	3,950 AEG

Hiking	24.52 Miles	7 Hrs 52 Mns	3.12 mph
	3,950 ft AEG

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fricknaley

Senior Frick came up from Tucson and we went for a loop hike that was inspired by Mt98Dew. I've done a decent amount of hiking in the area but never did the bulk of the Cottonwood Trail. The overall hike was better than expected with varied terrain. I will likely be doing this one again sometime soon.

Thanks for driving up Nick and a big thanks for the slurpee afterwards! :y:

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1 archive

Jan 09 2013

fricknaley

Guides 93
Routes 397
Photos 4,984
Triplogs 4,124

49 male

Joined Jun 20 2003
Tucson, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jan 09 2013
		fricknaley • Triplogs 4,124

Hiking	24.52 Miles	3,950 AEG

Hiking	24.52 Miles	7 Hrs 52 Mns		3.12 mph
	3,950 ft AEG		12 LBS Pack

no routes

no photosets

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JuanJaimeiii

nice long leg stretcher in a totally new area for me. weather could not have been nicer. really fun hike, thanks amigo

awesome to see water out in the desert

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hi

Nov 23 2012

CdnInAz

Routes 57
Photos 305
Triplogs 114

61 male

Joined Jun 02 2008
Cave Creek, Az

Phoenix, AZ

Backpack		Nov 23 2012
		CdnInAz • Triplogs 114

Backpack	9.20 Miles	1,490 AEG

Backpack	9.20 Miles
	1,490 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

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Cave Creek Indian Ruins at Chalk Canyon