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Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Metate-Spur Cross Loop

Metate-Spur Cross Loop

Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area
Snow-covered Skull Mesa reflects in Cave Creek
A wet autumn and snowy start to 2019 has boosted the benefits of hiking in Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area in Cave Creek. 
Located just a few clicks north of Metro Phoenix, the 2,154-acre preserve has a surprisingly remote feel, a variety of hiking trails and a plethora of native vegetation that bursts with color when infused with a little extra precipitation.
Saguaros on the Metate Trail
The site, which is part of the Maricopa County parks system, bumps up against the foothills of Tonto National Forest where mountain-borne moisture flows through the area’s creeks, washes and drainages in year-round fits and spurts.
Tonto National Forest peaks seen from Spur Cross Trail
Spur Cross Trail
Sometimes the water arrives in a rage such as during spring snow melt season and monsoon rains, but mostly, the water that spills over the site’s hiking trails passes through in lazy trickles.  Getting around the water-centric park rarely means getting your feet wet, though. When water levels are high, the park ranger places plank bridges to assist crossings of Cave Creek.
Skull Mesa had a dusting of snow on January 1, 2019.
There's a bumper crop of wolf berries this season.
This year, ample moisture has coaxed out the greenery in a big way making a hike on the classic Metate-Spur Cross loop a botanical smorgasbord.  This short, moderate-rating hike is a perfect place to introduce winter visitors to area trails. Desert newbies will be awed by the medley of ecosystems and even locals will likely gain wider appreciation for the rare cocktail of vegetation living in this tiny plot. 
Although the preserve is the smallest of the ten county parks, it has the most diverse and profuse collection of Sonoran Desert plant species growing within its hilly space. 
Cave Creek flows across the Spur Cross Trail.
Recent storms have caused the desert to bloom.
To optimize the plant tour, begin hiking northwest (go left at the main trailhead kiosk) on the Spur Cross Trail.  The wide path makes a gradual descent among acres of brittlebush, jojoba and multiple species of cacti.  Most prominent here are wolfberry shrubs dripping in ripe orange fruits and a demonstration garden of agaves. 
Tiny Desert rock peas bloom along the trails.
In less than a half-mile, the ragged floodplain of Cave Creek hosts a riparian community of cottonwoods, willows and bunches of desert marigolds sprouting from the sandy corridor.  Cross the creek and head right on the Metate Trail for a walk through a massive saguaro forest and an enchanting mesquite bosque—a streamside gallery forest .
Wild cucumber vine on the Towhee Trail
Be sure to make a stop at the solar oasis, a wildlife water hole and an ancient Native American metate or grinding stone. A detour on the 0.2-mile Towhee Trail reveals a damp, birdy enclave entwined with wild cucumber vines and desert hackberry shrubs.
Plank bridges aid creek crossings.
After a second creek crossing, the trail heads up an embankment where ocotillo, cholla and prickly pear cacti dress the walk on a ridge high above the water while sweet views of New River and Skull Mesas stand as imposing bastions on the horizons.  
Brittlebush colors the Metate Trail
At the 1.3-mile point, head right on the Spur Cross Trail for the final leg back to the trailhead.  For a longer trek, consult the park website for maps or to join a ranger-led hike to the many hidden gems within the preserve.
Ancient Native American grinding stone (metate). 
New River Mesa seen from Metate Trail
LENGTH: 2.2 mile loop
RATING: moderate
ELEVATION: 2179 – 2250 feet
GETTING THERE:
Spur Cross ranch Conservation Area:
37622 N Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek.
From Loop 101 in Phoenix, take Cave Creek Road north to Spur Cross Road (on the left just as you enter the downtown area) and go 4.5 miles north to the parking area. 
FEE: $3 per person daily fee. Bring exact change for the self-serve kiosk.
INFO & MAPS:
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