Over its 315-mile-plus course, the Maricopa Trail unfurls its tendrils to link regional parks, suburbs, urban public spaces, canals, historic paths and remote stretches of national forest. To hike the full loop is tantamount to a walking tour of the Valley’s multifaceted landscape.
The epic, nonmotorized route that circles the Valley broke ground in 2007 in the Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area, and the main loop was completed in 2018.
The trail continues to improve, evolve, build connectivity and add length as it adapts to accommodate growing community interest, and enthusiastic hiker, biker and equestrian users.
The Maricopa Trail is for hikers, bikers and equestrians
Built to encourage hikers of every ilk to get outdoors, the route’s many trailheads and neighborhood access points make it simple to hop on and off the trail from anywhere in the Valley, with two notable exceptions: the Spur Cross to Bronco and Bronco to Granite Mountain segments.
Where the northernmost segments of the trail pass through Tonto National Forest, there’s an average of 13 miles between drive-up trailheads. For seasoned, well-prepared trail users, that’s where the best stuff resides. Segment 22, which runs for 16 miles from the north border of Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve to the Bronco trailhead in Tonto National Forest, was among the last passages to be completed.
Rugged terrain, scoured washes, nasty back roads and stubborn rock contributed the difficulty encountered by trail construction crews. Then, in September and October 2020, the 15,000-acre Sears Fire took a toll on several miles of the segment roughly 20 miles northeast of Cave Creek.
Within months, crews restored the damaged trail, fixing drainages and stabilizing eroded slopes. While the moderately difficult entire 12.6-mile Segment 22 hike can sound intimidating for some, there’s an option for an out-and-back day hike that includes a visit to one of the Valley’s most beloved natural wonders.
How to hike to Camp Creek Falls on the Maricopa Trail
Beginning along Bartlett Dam Road, Segment 22 heads north through a shadeless expanse of catclaw and saguaros. The path briefly traces a powerline, then veers east into wash-riddled backcountry with unobstructed mountain views.
The rocky domes of Kentuck Mountain (5,013 feet), Maverick Butte (4,870 feet), Humboldt Mountain (5,204 feet) and St. Clair Mountain (3,252 feet) populate the foreground with Mount Ord (7,128 feet) and the cloud-bumping Mazatzal Range standing high over the Verde River basin in the distance.
The trail twists downhill, clinging to foothills and stony edges, landing hikers at the sandy corridor of Blue Wash at the 3.4-mile point.
From a barbed wire and wood gate, an American flag planted on a prominent knoll with a Fresco Mines claim sign across the wash marks the beginning of a side trip to Camp Creek Falls.
The side trip veers left from the Maricopa Trail and follows the glassy slip of Camp Creek to a box canyon where a perennial stream of water spills about 20 feet over solid rock into a shallow plunge pool. Desert waterfalls are rare enough, but this one, in its tiny grotto fringed by cottonwoods, willows and reeds, is a real gem.
The spring-fed fount is a critical water source for deer, javelina and myriad little critters that live in the surrounding desert and makes for a scenic stopover for long-distance treks and short day hikes on the Maricopa Trail.
Support the Maricopa Trail: Join the Prickly Pedal Bike Race
If this wild and wonderful segment of the Maricopa Trail has inspired you, consider supporting the effort by attending the Prickly Pedal Bike Race, the trail’s main fundraising event.
Prickly Pedal on the Maricopa Trail will run 36 miles from Cave Creek to Lake Pleasant in Peoria. It starts at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024. The annual event is produced by Aravaipa Rides to benefit the Maricopa Trail + Park Foundation, which funds trail building and maintenance projects.
Riders should register in advance at the website below. The public is invited to enjoy the finish line party from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with beer garden, exhibitors, music and more.
Heads up that trail closures will be in effect along the racecourse.
Details: pricklypedal.com.
Maricopa Trail to Camp Creek Falls hike
Length: 7 miles round trip to the falls.
Rating: Moderate.
Elevation: 2,833-3,303 feet (793 feet of elevation change).
Getting there:
South trailhead/Bartlett Dam Road-Wildcat Hill OHV parking: From Loop 101 in Scottsdale, take Exit 36 (Pima/Princess Drive), go 13 miles north on Pima Road and turn right on Cave Creek Road. Continue 4.1 miles to Bartlett Dam Road, turn right and go 0.4 mile to a dirt road on the right 0.1 mile past the Tonto National Forest ranger station. Turn right and park in the dirt turn-outs. Follow the Maricopa Trail signs to cross Bartlett Dam Road and continue north.
Tonto National Forest Cave Creek Ranger Station: 40202 N. Cave Creek Road, Scottsdale. May be closed on weekends and holidays. Use the 0.2-mile connector that starts at the big Maricopa Trail kiosk.
Details: www.maricopacountyparks.net.