Get Hooked on the Maricopa Trail in 2021

SPUR CROSS-MARICOPA TRAIL

Beautiful back country on the Maricopa Trail

Sometimes, an addiction is a good thing.  Swapping a junk food obsession or a movie streaming fixation for a commitment to healthful foods and regular outdoor recreation are the kinds of addictions that improve quality of life.  Kicking bad habits isn’t easy, but hiking can help wean even the most devout triple-burger-with-the-works aficionados off the artery-hardening stuff.

The route crosses Cave Creek several times

That’s because, like eating potato chips, once you start, it’s difficult to stop.  And when you really get into it, you’ll be inspired to get fit to take on longer, more difficult treks.

A bird verifies Audubon Arizona important bird area

As with goals in general, it helps to have a plan. 

An old forest service sign on the Maricopa Trail

For Phoenix-area hikers, there’s a ready-made plan already in place. It’s called the Maricopa Trail.  The 315-mile route circumnavigates the Valley, connecting 10 county regional parks, urban centers, suburbs and national forest trails.  Outfitted with dozens of trailheads and community access points, the trail is easily accessed from anywhere in the Valley.  While the route is still expanding and improving, the main course is complete. There’s a beginning, middle and end which makes it a perfect choice for anybody who wants to earn the feeling of accomplishment that comes with completing a long-distance hike without committing to a months-long, non-stop journey. This one can be knocked off in approachable day hikes. 

The Maricopa Trail is 315-mile route

The route passes through a stony corridor

Of course, to get “addicted” it’s best to start with the juiciest segment.  While naming the “best” segment of the Maricopa Trail is purely subjective, the bit that goes from Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area in Cave Creek to the Skull Mesa trailhead in Tonto National Forest is as fine a candidate as any.

Rich in biodiversity, ecozones, history and scenic beauty, this short, easy hike is a great way to sample and possibly get hooked on the Maricopa Trail. Begin by hiking north on the Spur Cross Trail, an old ranch road that has been incorporated into the trail.  Right from the start, the hike embodies a remote feel as it delves into hilly back country along the leafy corridor of Cave Creek.  The waterway fosters a healthy community of cottonwoods, sycamores and mesquite trees where many species of birds thrive in the area that has been named an important bird area by Audubon Arizona. 

An abandoned corral on the Maricopa Trail

The Tonto National Forest boundary

After a mild uphill walk and a couple of usually dry creek crossings, the trail enters Tonto National Forest. Staying close to the creek bed, the last mile passes through rocky corridors and cliffs cluttered with enormous saguaros. A few creek hops later, the path meets the Skull Mesa trailhead where a vintage wood sign displays a map and key mileage notes.

Huge saguaros grow along the route

From this point, the Maricopa Trail continues on through one of its most remote, rugged and mountainous sections.  But for an introductory outing, the wood sign makes for a good turnaround point that will inspire you to come back for more.

Elephant Mtn is a dominate feature on the hike

LENGTH:  4 miles roundtrip

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 2,263 – 2,407 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.

INFO:

https://www.maricopacountyparks.net/things-to-do/activity/maps/

White Mesa Trail

WHITE MESA TRAIL

 The view from the top of White Mesa

From the hyper popular Bell Trail, the imposing, vertical cliffs of White Mesa appear as an unsurmountable wall of stone. 

Hike goes to the top of the mesa:center horizon

Rising over 1,000 feet above one of the most heavily visited trails in Coconino National Forest 40 miles south of Flagstaff, the mesa is composed of colorful layers of red sandstone, buff-colored sediments and a cap of dark volcanic rock. 

Trail departs Bell Trail 1.7 mile from the trailhead

For those willing to make a detour from the water-centric trail that traces perennially flowing Wet Beaver Creek, the mesa’s secrets may be explored by way of the White Mesa Trail #86. 

The only tricky spot on the trail passes a rock jam

White Mesa towers over the Bell Trail

To get to it, first hike 1.7 miles on the Bell Trail.  Along this easy stretch that follows a wide dirt road that was once used to access mid-20^th century ranch operations, keep an eye out for petroglyphs pecked into boulders on the north side of the road and foot paths that lead to icy pools in the creek.  The route enters Wet Beaver Creek Wilderness where the White Mesa trail departs the road at the head of Casner Canyon.  Leaving the leafy riparian corridor dominated by sycamore and cottonwood trees, the trail heads uphill on the western flanks of the canyon. While there are no switchbacks to ease the climb, the trail makes a constant but manageable ascent on a rocky single track.

The trail is clear and easy to follow

Like the Bell Trail, this one was originally used to move cattle to graze on high pastures.  Its straight-up, edgy course passes through mostly shade less grasslands, cacti, rockfalls and the occasional mesquite tree clinging to steep slopes. 

A hiker nears the summit of White Mesa

The grassy summit of White Mesa

The trail is clear and easy-to-follow with only one spot where some hand-over-foot scrambling is required to get through a rock jam. 

A pastoral scene on White Mesa

At 3 miles from the trailhead, the path meets a barbed wire fence at the wilderness boundary that’s the official end of the trail. However, to enjoy the full experience of this hike, you’ll want to pass the gate (close it behind you) and continue on well-worn paths-of-use.

Part of the hike follows Wet Beaver Creek

The route tops out on a grassy, juniper-dotted plateau with excellent vistas all around.  

Watch for petroglyphs on Bell Trail

Directly below, a dizzying gorge wraps around the mound of 5,131-foot Casner Butte.

The edge-hugging path climbs over 1,000 feet

To the northeast, the tip of 7,307-foot Apache Maid Mountain, Round Mountain (6,328 feet) and Table Mountain (6,197 stand out over rows of less prominent hills and mesas giving a birds-eye view of the wild landscape that surrounds this beloved Verde Valley recreation hub.

Casner Butte (left) stands out over Bell Trail

Vertical volcanic rock caps White Mesa

LENGTH:  6.5 miles round trip

RATING:  moderate

ELEVATION:  3,828 – 4,925 feet

GETTING THERE:

From Interstate 17 north of Camp Verde, take the Oak Creek/Sedona exit 298. Head left (east) at the bottom of the off ramp and go 2.2 miles on Forest Road 618 to the main Bell Trail parking lot.

There’s a restroom at the trailhead. Forest Road 618 is maintained dirt and suitable for all vehicles.  There are no fees.

INFO:

Coconino National Forest

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recarea/?recid=55434