Wind Cave Trail

Dogs Leashed

Features Cave · Geological Significance · Views · Wildflowers

This is probably the most popular trail in Usery Mountain Park. The upper half of the trail is steeper and a bit more difficult than the lower half: you switch pretty quickly from gradual climbing to what feels a lot like many flights of stairs before cutting across the face of the mountain and then climbing more "stairs" up to the cave.

Usery Mountain Park charges $7 day-use fee. Annual Passes are available from Maricopa County Parks. As with other popular trails in the area, expect the parking to fill up quickly on weekends. The trailhead has restrooms and a water fountain.

Don't expect to run this on holidays or weekends unless the weather is hot enough to scare away the crowds. If I am seriously running this one, I try to hit it an hour or two before sunset or, even better, just at sunrise when the park opens.

The climbing workout is excellent, but having to constantly stop and wait for crowds to pass becomes tiresome. Watch out for gravel, especially on the descents. In the rain, the limestone gets really slippery. Use the Pass Mountain Trail for a longer run, better views and fewer people, but this is still a good climb up to the saddle on the east side of the mountain.

If you're looking for a truly solitary outing, consider the east side trails that don't get much traffic at all: Ruidoso Trail County Line Trail, and Meridian Trail.

The trail becomes pretty steep and rocky not far from the outset. Expect the climb to the cave to be much harder than the 1.5-mile distance would suggest. Take your time and take in the beautiful scenery that surrounds -- proud saguaro cacti with desert understory and knobby rock gardens. Blue blazes lead the way. Look for them in the rocky switchbacks where the trail becomes hard to follow.

The "cave" at the end of this trail is not so much a dark, cavernous hole full of bats or anything that dramatic. It's more of a rock overhang or a gash carved out of the side of the mountain, about 10 to 12 feet high. It provides welcome shade in the summer, and a place to catch your breath before beginning the descent. The scenery is excellent on clear days, and you can even see the Fountain Hills fountain shooting water into the sky if you're up there at the right time.

Take a minute to get a drink and snack, enjoy the view, then make sure your shoes are laced tight before starting back down. Remember the uphill runner has the right of way.

Bonus: Many people turn around at the cave, but the trail continues to reach the top of the peak. It gets a bit more scrambly, so if you thought the climb to the cave was hard, then best to save the peak for another day. If you're up for it, however, go the extra 15 or so minutes to stand on the summit!

Typical Sonoran desert cacti, lizards, the occasional snake, horned toad or desert tortoise. In early mornings, look for deer and listen for coyote in the evening. Ocotillo, saguaro, prickly pear, and a few trees.