Cave Creek Regional Park
Nature preserve
2,907 acres16.6 mi of trail
Go John TrailOverton TrailSlate TrailClay Mine Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Cave Creek
More than half of Cave Creek’s land is conserved: 55%
55% of Cave Creek’s land is conserved, about 13,184 acres. 2,837 acres are parks and preserves, 557 per 1,000 residents. 78 miles of mapped trail cross Cave Creek, 2.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #18 of 140 in Arizona. What drives it
Conserved land
55%
13,184 acres · of 37.7 sq mi of land
Trails
78 mi
2.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,837 ac
557 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
37%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.2 mi
7.2 mi lanes
Highest peak
3,911 ft
Elephant Mountain
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Cave Creek?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild55% of the land is conserved; a typical Arizona town, 14%.Room to roam557 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town2.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 94% of U.S. towns.History along the way3 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Cave Creek have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Cave Creek is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #18 of 140 in Arizona. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Cave Creek’s overall grade.
Conserved land55% of the land · typical AZ town 14% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (78 mi) · AZ 1.1 · U.S. 0.4APark land557 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,837 acres) · AZ 8 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home37% of residents within a half mile of a park · AZ 56% · U.S. 72%C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 93%
LessMore
Arizona towns of 2,500+ (140)Ahead of 88%
Arizona towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Cave Creek’s 55% is ahead of 88% of Arizona towns, while its trails per square mile lead 79% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Cave Creek Regional Park, with 16.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area
Nature preserve
2,131 acres12 mi of trail
Spur Cross TrailElephant Mountain TrailTortuga TrailBoca Grande Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
P.A. Seitts Preserve
Managed by Desert Foothills Land Trust
255 acres1.6 mi of trail
Slate TrailFlat Rock
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Jewel of the Creek Preserve
Managed by Desert Foothills Land Trust
24 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dragonfly Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Coroline Bartol Preserve
Managed by Desert Foothills Land Trust
4 acres0.4 mi of trail
Interpretive Loop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Gateway Desert Awareness Park
Managed by Desert Foothills Land Trust
23 acres0.3 mi of trail
Nature TrailSaguaro Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 8 parks & preserves
Cave Creek Regional Park2,907 acres · 16.6 mi of trail
DirectionsSpur Cross Ranch Conservation Area2,131 acres · 12 mi of trail
DirectionsP.A. Seitts Preserve255 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · Desert Foothills Land Trust
Jewel of the Creek Preserve24 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Desert Foothills Land Trust
DirectionsCoroline Bartol Preserve4 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Desert Foothills Land Trust
DirectionsGateway Desert Awareness Park23 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Desert Foothills Land Trust
DirectionsDesert Enclave Preserve15 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Black Mountain Summit Preserve75 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Who protects it
13,184 conserved acres
55% of Cave Creek’s land. Who manages Cave Creek’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State Department of Land7,600 ac
Regional agency2,949 ac
State parks2,120 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits640 ac
County78 ac
U.S. Forest Service56 ac
Town or city24 ac
State Resource Management Area · 7,600 acLocal Park · 2,973 acUnknown Easement · 2,120 acPrivate Conservation · 361 acLocal Conservation Area · 358 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,120 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 10 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Trust Land State Resource Management Area | State Department of Land | 7,600 | Restricted |
| Cave Creek Regional Park Local Park | Regional agency | 2,949 | Open |
| Desert Foothills Land Trust Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 361 | Closed |
| Go John Canyon Preserve (P.A. Seitts) Local Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 255 | Open |
| Black Mountain Summit Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 78 | Restricted |
| Tonto National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 56 | Open |
| Jewel Of The Creek Preserve Local Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 24 | Open |
| Gateway Desert Awareness Park Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
Things to do
82 places to go in Cave Creek
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Cave Creek
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Cave Creek
3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Cave Creek
Elephant Mountain3,911 ft elevation · In Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area
DirectionsGo John Mountain2,546 ft elevation
DirectionsGunsight2,493 ft elevation
DirectionsPlus 16 peaks without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Cave Creek
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Cave Creek
54 campgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 38.9 miHorses · 38.0 miUnpaved · 51.7 mi
Go John Trail5.8 mi
Spur Cross Trail5.1 mi
Maricopa Trail5.0 mi
Slate Trail3.7 mi
Saguaro Trail2.7 mi
Overton Trail2.1 mi
Elephant Mountain Trail1.8 mi
Dragonfly Trail1.6 mi
Flume Trail1.5 mi
Clay Mine Trail1.5 mi
15 more trails
Quartz Trail
1.4 miTortuga Trail
1.2 miDim Sum Trail
1.1 miBoca Grande Trail
0.9 miMetate Trail
0.8 miRockway Hill
0.6 miFairy Duster Trail
0.6 miFlat Rock
0.5 miBlack Mountain Trail
0.4 miInterpretive Loop Trail
0.3 miNorth Conestoga Trail
0.2 miMariposa Hill Trail
0.2 miTowhee Trail
0.2 miNature Trail
0.2 miJasper Trail
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Courts & fields
85Equestrian
8Tennis
1Football
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Cave Creek
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 65 | 68 | 74 | 81 | 90 | 100 | 103 | 102 | 96 | 85 | 73 | 64 |
| Rain (in) | 1.5 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.4 |
June is the driest month (0.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 103 °F). 1.7 inches fall in February, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 103 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Cave Creek →
Next door
Cave Creek and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cave Creek | 55% | 2.1 | 557 | 37% | A |
| Carefree | 4% | 0.4 | 2 | 36% | C |
| Phoenix | 33% | 1.6 | 26 | 84% | A |
| New River | 52% | 2.3 | 5 | 23% | B+ |
| Scottsdale | 30% | 2.4 | 15 | 71% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Cave Creek
Where can I hike in Cave Creek?
The longest trail networks: Cave Creek Regional Park, 16.6 miles; Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area, 12 miles; P.A. Seitts Preserve, 1.6 miles; Jewel of the Creek Preserve, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Cave Creek is conserved land?
55% of its land, against a typical 14% for an Arizona town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Cave Creek’s trails?
Cave Creek Regional Park and Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Cave Creek?
7.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.2 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Cave Creek?
143,541 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cave Creek or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,125 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Cave Creek have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #18 of 140 in Arizona. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Cave Creek neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →