Wind Cave hiking trail
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Audiobook Recommendation
Location: Usery Mountain Regional Park
Park Hours: Sun-Thu: 6am – 8pm / Fri-Sat: 6am – 10pm / 365 days a year
Difficulty Rating: Moderate
Route Type: Out & Back
Length: 3.0 miles round trip
Usage: High
Trailhead Elevation: 2,000 ft.
Elevation Gain: 812 ft.
Park Fee: $7.00 per vehicle
Trailhead Amenities: parking, restrooms, vending machines, trail map and information
Directions: From central Phoenix, take I-10 east to US 60 east. Exit Ellsworth Road, follow Ellsworth Road/Usery Pass Road north to the Usery Mountain Regional Park entrance.
Wind Cave Trail is a 3-mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Mesa, Arizona that is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from November until April. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
It will take a total of about 2 hours for the entire hike. If you go early in the morning the ascend will be shaded.
This hike begins at a popular trailhead which is equipped with restroom facilities. Parking fills up quickly. The trail is well marked from the trailhead and is very easy to follow.
Desert cacti and palo verde dominate the landscape. Heavy concentrations of Saguaros pack the area.
Not long after starting on the trail you will junction with Pass Mountain Trail. Continue straight and gently ascend towards the mountainside you see in front of you. The trail will continue to ascend for over 800 ft. over 1.5 miles and will eventually bend right towards the “cave”. You will see a sign pointing left towards the cave. The “cave” at the end of this trail is not so much a dark, cavernous hole full of bats or anything that dramatic. This cave is about 10 to 12 feet high and is more like a gash carved out of the side of the mountain. It provides welcome shade in the summer, and a place to catch your breath before beginning the descent. The real treat at the end of your hike is the nice views that look over the valley floor.
If you’re ready for a next adventure and want to plan it right, check out some of these hiking guides – Arizona has so many awesome destinations to explore!
52 of the best day hikes in Arizona one for each weekend of the year, organized by seasons. Selected hikes ranging from easy walks in the woods to challenging journeys to Arizona s highest peaks and deepest canyons including the Grand Canyon. In-depth trail guides, descriptions, warnings and GPS coordinates are included with each hike, along with the magazine's classic fine photography.
It’s out there. Go find it! The Arizona Journey Guide by Jon Kramer and Julie Martinez is your resource to discovering the best of Arizona. Informative and entertaining, this guide leads you to 59 of the most amazing sites and scenery that the Grand Canyon State can offer: ancient ruins, secret canyons, hidden waterfalls, mysterious petroglyphs, and exotic places.
Stretching from Hidden Valley to the south to the Superstition Wilderness to the north, the book contains clear trail maps and profiles complemented by detailed descriptions and useful at-a-glance information. All roughly within an hour's drive of the Valley of the Sun, the trails highlighted in this updated edition begin right inside the city limits with popular Camelback Mountain.
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