Cave Creek Regional Park

I love hiking in Phoenix, but Cave Creek’s beauty is phenomenal. And although there’s a $ 6 entrance fee for vehicles and I believe $ 2 for hikers/​cyclists — it’s totally worth it.
My review is specifically for the Overton Trail. The trail is 2 miles long and it loops around with amazing views of the Saguaro cacti and Cholla cacti. We hiked here the day after it rained, and so the Cholla were in full bloom! The trail is well maintained and mostly flat with the exception of slight hills so you can easily choose to run the trail of you want. It’s a popular trail for the horseback riding company next door so you’ll more than likely pass a group of horses (and horse dung) if you visit. It’s also well connected to other, harder trails so I recommend it as a great starting point if you’ve never been to Cave Creek. Unlike Camelback, Cave Creek always seems secluded, as if you are the only person there at all! Because of this, my other strong recommendation is to catch the sunset. Imagine being alone atop a mountain seeing all of Phoenix as the sunlight hits the tops of hundreds of Saguaro. Breathtaking!

While I have not done extensive hiking in the park, I wanted to write a review in case anyone wanted to use the facilities for an event. My husband and I got married at the Cave Creek nature center last weekend and it was such a wonderful experience. The venue is gorgeous (which anyone whose been there knows) and everyone we worked with was kind, thoughtful and helpful. We will be coming back to the park for years to come!

I love this park! I have been a pass holder for nearly a decade. The trails are well maintained making them inviting for anyone yet the scenery feels so secluded. My neighbors and I have come out a few times on Thanksgiving Day for a pre-​feast walk. Parents and kids alike love the Overton for the mild inclines, the stunning scenery, and the convenient 3 mile length. I have yet to meet a staffer who wasn’t Pleasant, Professional, Knowledgeable and Kind. The wildlife I’ve met out her include deer, rattlesnakes, tortoise, and tarantulas! Finally, the other park enthusiasts I’ve met have all been pleasurable, friendly, genuine folks.

This is a gorgeous park and is perfect when looking to get outdoors. This is not a park where you can bring a stroller with all-​terrain tires. I’ll be back when my child is older and he can ride in his hiking back-​pack.
The staff was helpful in assisting me to find a trail that might work for the two of us. I really appreciated that. We ultimately just ended up walking the paved road and still enjoyed our day in the park!

I would hike this again and again. It’s strenuous enough so being at least 2 bottles of water and more when it’s hot. I enjoyed the different views and meeting horses on the path too. It’s a two hour hike maybe more if you stop along the way.

Love this park. It’s gorgeous, clean and unobtrusive. You feel like you are walking through the real desert despite being easy enough to access. Every time I go there is barely anyone there (even on weekends). It’s 6 bucks for a car to enter and 2 for a pedestrian or bike. There are grilling and picnic options and I see people on horses and mountain bikes often. Everyone you pass is very friendly.
I need to come here sometime in the Spring when everything is in bloom!

What a great hidden gem. Take the slate –quartz-​go john loop and you will remember it for a long time for its classic desert beauty, sweeping vistas and generally total solitude.
An easy 2 hour hike with all the desert vegetation and colorful rock specimens.

This park is absolutely fantastic and worth the entrance fee. There is plenty of parking and even a «real» restroom… but the true reason it shines? It is absolutely isolated. Camelback hikers will be shocked at the few people they will see. I park at Overton, merge to Go John. I do the Go John loop in its entirety and end up coming back down Overton the way I came. It is a «lollipop» loop for those looking for a loop. Plenty of hills, an occasional rattlesnake and gorgeous views in a little over 9 miles. Takes about 2 hours running/​hiking. There just aren’t enough good things to say about this park.

Lots of well marked and maintained trails for different levels of hikers. The staff at the office is great and Ranger Mark will happily answer questions. Looking forward to doing a guided tour of an old mining shaft. Ranger Mark said last time there were rattlesnakes and a bat to see! He gave hikers the choice and they wanted to leave the rattlesnakes (they were in the cold cave and VERY inactive=safe) to see rather than clear them out! After all, they were there first and it is there to preserve nature!!!

Really enjoyed my hike here. Today was my first visit, and 2^nd hike (on a real hiking trail). I’m a beginner, not in bad shape but not super fit either. I took Overton Trail counterclockwise. Enjoyed this hike because the steep include was in the beginning, rigorous, but didn’t last forever. Before I knew it I was at the top and taking a scenic gradual decline back down.
Plenty of parking.
Clean
$ 6.00 to park.
I’m looking forward to heading back to hike Go John.

Love this little park for hikes and walks! It’s quiet, well kept, and beautiful. For the most part the hikes are all easy without much elevation gain. Tons of cactus and open views, creating a nice calm. If you live in the area, I highly recommend this park for hikes!
If you don’t live in the area, there are probably closer hikes to you with free admission (this park is $ 6) and it may not be totally worth the drive.

I think I went the wrong way, but I ended up doing a very isolated trail that wasn’t too scenic, but at least it was quiet. It sort of just «ended» though and didn’t wrap around. So then I walked the same way back which was kind of boring. I like trails that are on loops.

Just spectacular,
Majestic, beautiful and a very welcome break from the city. Just 35 – 45 minutes from Phoenix, 10 minutes into the hike and you are in another world, air is cleaner than Camelback, and literally within minutes, even on its busier days, you can very quickly be alone on the many easy to marginally challenging trails, easy 2−4k, up to 7 k. easy for even the novice, great nature center, and very clean.

This place rocks. Lots of space between camp sites, immaculate facilities, great hiking trails. The only detraction is no sewage at the camp sites. It’s a minor inconvenience compared to the overall excellence.
The volunteers really do a great job. They come around the night before your last day with a reminder in case you want to move to another site for another 2 weeks. They also do trail maintenance and staff the nature center. They are the nicest people. The facilities are spotless.

We drove in late and was able to get a spot with our RV no problem. You pick up an envelope at the gate and drop in your money for the night in a mail box. The sites have electric and water with a dump station at the entrance of the park.
The park is beautiful with lots of hiking trails, horse trails and amazing sunsets.
The staff was a rude however stopping in both days we were there to make sure we paid (which we did) and were going to leave exactly at check out time (which we did). I understand they do not want people taking advantage of the park, but my goodness is it really necessary to constantly stopping and being rude.

I wanted to go out for a hike and to shoot some wildflowers and thought I’d try this place. Good thing I brought my wallet! I wasn’t expecting the $ 6.00 fee! That’s the only thing I didn’t like about it.
At least for the money, the park ranger did point out where I would find the best flowers for pictures.
It was nice and quiet outside. The grounds were beautiful and clean. I also hiked the Go John trail. I would definitely come back, but not as often as I would without the cost!

Get an annual pass then get your hike n bike on. CCRP is the best park in north Phoenix to do it.
It’s close enough to be convenient & far enough, like Jake writes, to feel like you’re out in the desert, not a backyard park like Papago (which is also a great park).
Great hiking, some great views and, with over a dozen miles of trails (+ more on the connected state trust land), great mt. biking. Cosmic ray gives it an 8 on the puck-​o-​meter (
)
Also, if you or your kids are into riding ponies CCRP has a corral where you can rent horses.

I came here about a year ago and took the usual freeway to freeway to freeway route of most destinations in Arizona. I recently discovered a more direct route (from where I live) driving up Tatum Blvd/​Cave Creek Rd.
I like this park because it is detached enough from urban to Phoenix to feel as if you are truly in the desert. My trail of choice is the «Go John» Trail, the longest in the park. It’s about 5 miles in length, though at times it seems as if one of those miles is UP at times. Parking is plentiful, and keep an eye out for some desert wildlife!