On Sunday I made my way up to Cave Creek to go hiking and found myself in one of the loveliest settings I've seen in a while. The reserve is endless, there are loads of trails of varying distances and difficulties and all are clearly laid out on the free map provided at the entrance. My cousin and I made our way up the Tortuga trail to get a clear view of Elephant Mountain and then along the first half of the Spur Cross Trail. There was a HUGE group of hikers who'd arrived just before us, and we found out that rangers offer free guided hikes throughout the reserve. The group was testing out the newly opened Dragonfly Trail which branches off Spur Cross and heads southwest.
Cave Creek is verdant this time of year, which is a stark contrast to what I've seen in East Scottsdale lately and I even saw some new plants I couldn't identify. And on our way back down the Spur Cross trail we spotted a gila monster (see photos) and it was totally scary and rad all at the same time. I will definitely be back to explore more of this reserve this spring!