Wind Cave Trail

Place: Usery Mountain Regional Park - Part of the Maricopa County Park System

Date: 2/3/18

Time: aprox 9:30 AM

Temperature: mild Mid 60s at the start.

Distance: aprox 3.5 miles from parking lot.

Elevation Gain: 808 Ft

Rating: Black Diamond 

 The Wind Cave trail is listed at 1.5 miles out (up) and back, although our Map My Ride / Hike listed it at closer to 3.5 miles round trip (and we were lucky and parked right near the bathrooms at the trail head.)

The hike starts out very mellow and easy with a very gentle upward climb.  You quickly enter through a zig-zag gate into the  Tonto National Forest where the majority of the hike takes place.

The scenery is very rocky with a lot of larger boulders of granite and some quartz, I believe - but I am not a geologist, so don't hold me to it.  But suffice it to say, they are pleasant to look at with deep reds and brown in color.

The hike is somewhat deceiving, because you never actually "Summit" the mountain that is ahead of you the whole time.  You get very close, but the Wind Cave is actually a cut out along the side of the shear cliffs all the way to the right hand side (South) if you are looking at the mountain, which by the way, is named Pass Mountain.   But don't let that keep you from going, it is still a great view and a fun hike.

Once you get going and start to make your way up the mountain is where the switch backs start, approximately half way into the hike.  These are not bad and make the ascent bareable, however on this particular Saturday it was somewhat crowded and being that we are not fast walkers or runners, we would tend to pull out and allow others to pass or let the hikers coming down go through, due to the fact the trail from this point on is usually narrow and two abreast is not usually possible.

There were two or possibly three spots where using your hands to scramble over a boulder or two is needed but no technical climbing is required.  Again, don't let this scare you off.  I am approx 275 lbs and my wife is 5' 2'' with bad knees.  Plus we got passed on the way up by a group who was being led by a gentleman who did not appear to be the poster child for healthy living and I overheard them discussing plans for his upcoming 70th birthday!

This brings me to quick side note: I did begin to feel a bit uneasy and light headed about 1/2 way up.  I had thankfully brought plenty of water and some snacks.  Taking a few breaks to eat some of the trail mix that I brought and drinking plenty of water, and I was able to continue on and felt fine after that.  So, like any hike, make sure you have plenty to eat and drink.  I most likely had been dehydrated from the night before.  I had some coffee and a very light breakfast, but I'm sure that was gone by the time we reached the base of the mountain.  

Billy goat path

After the switch backs the trail begins to hug the side of the cliffs and head due south along what I can just discribe as a small billy goat path.  This path is steep and has some drop offs, but I never felt unsafe or as though I was going to have an issue going across.  If you look at the picture to the left you can see what I mean.  There are other hikers farther up as well to give you some perspective.  Also not that the tree that is kind of dangling over the edge is part of the path and gives you some ample branches to hold on to as you pass on by.


This billy goat path basically takes you along the cliffs and slightly upward still to the final stopping place, Wind Cave.  As I mentioned, this is more just a cut out made by the wind I would imagine and not an actual cave.  We sat down and had a nice break at the top and ate some more of our snacks as well as replenished some of the water we had lost on the way up.  This entire trip took about 2.5 hours.  Below are a few more pictures from the hike and some of the wonderful views.

At the top!

Looking UP from the Wind Cave

Looking back along the path from top

You can see people sitting in the Wind Cave

'nough said

View from the top looking out

Update: 4/18/2018

I have recently learned, that the "Wind Cave" is not the END of the trail.  If you continue onward you can actually summit the mountain above the Wind Cave.  See the picture I posted of the wind cave looking up.   I believe you will basically end up there.