The park is well maintained and there is a good bit of parking near the trailheads. With the new year, it is $10/car to enter or you can purchase an annual pass that covers all of the Maricopa County Parks (this is a great deal if you live here and enjoy getting outdoors). It has probably been ten years since I was last at this park -- mostly because I live on the opposite end of the Valley, but I still remember hiking the Go John Trail from twice that long ago. (Back then, we didn't have Internet-based recommendation systems or online trail guides, so we relied on books or the maps provided at the ranger stations.) That trail is no joke and the climb was a bit of a surprise as it has roughly 849 ft of elevation gain with some 10-15% grades over the course of nearly 6 miles. The elevation gain means some really nice desert views. I was here this time for a trail race, which is not run by the park, but we used the facilities and trails, which were well maintained and amazing to run on. I had a family of deer run across the trail about 100 yds in front of me on the home stretch of the race. I recommend all of the Maricopa County Parks and this one is no exception: each one has its own character and they're all worth visiting. read more

Slate Trail is a really enjoyable hike with classic Sonoran Desert scenery--towering saguaros, rocky hillsides, and wide open views that make it feel peaceful without being remote. Parking was easy, and I appreciated the clean, convenient restrooms at the trailhead. That said, I do think the trail is slightly misrated. While it's listed as easy, the rocky footing and a few stretches with noticeable incline push it more into easy-moderate territory. It's absolutely doable, but hikers should be prepared for uneven terrain and some effort, especially if they're expecting a flat stroll. I brought my walking stick, and I'm glad I did. Overall, this is a beautiful, well-kept trail and a great way to experience Cave Creek Regional Park. With a more accurate difficulty rating, it would be a near-perfect hike. read more

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This is an excellent park to camp , ride bikes and hike. First class camping as we did. Main camp area paved asphalt with picnic tables water and 50 amp. electrical hook up. Most sites level and ample size. Beautiful sunsets. read more

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It has been awhile since I've been to the CCRP. Not much has changed. It cost $7 per car to enter. We only had a $20 bill and were told they didn't have change! They did accept credit card. They also offer a yearly pass. Be sure to save your receipt and place it on your car dashboard. There's plenty of different hikes but we usually hike the "Go John" trail. It's approximately 6 miles. There's a same parking lot and bathroom close to the trail. I've never noticed it being completely full. I think the $7 entry fees keep the traffic down. Beautiful and quiet and polite hikers. read more

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This is a beautiful natural area fairly local to me. It's perfect for hiking and mountain biking. There are some public restrooms at the side of the road. Enjoy the scenic views and natural flora and fauna. This does of course include rattlers - so enjoy them from a safe distance and leave them in peace. read more

Such a great spot for a lil "outdoor" time . You have options from easy to moderate, moderate- difficult trails to choose from . Very well kept surrounding areas very clean, minus the horse poop, yet plenty of parking and there are restrooms available! Would def recommend. Enjoyed very much the sense of peace for the couple hours we were out. read more

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A A fantastic park!! Ann and daughter Jenna are amazing ladies at the entrance gate. Always, smiling and cheerful. Loving hiking here read more

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Cave Creek Regional Park turned out to be a nice place for photos, especially at the time I visited.  That's because everything was blooming and nice. Tip: I came here primarily for hiking the first time, but if I return I'll consider horseback riding instead.  That's because the trails are rocky, narrow, with lots of steep elevation changes. Regardless of why you come here, make sure you keep your eyes peeled for snakes, and remember to bring lots of water! read more

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Even though there's a small fee required to enter Cave Creek park it was still a great visit. Initially we stopped by for horseback riding but afterwards we explored this park and visited their information center. There's number of hiking trails here (probably best hiked in winter) and a unique play park for the kids.. The learning center has many live reptiles and scorpions on display plus a small giftshop. - $7 per car - The on-site horseback riding company is called Cave Creek Trail Rides and I highly recommend it.. read more

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Nice trails with great views. Horseback riding available and picnic areas are clean and well maintained.

Second or third time here and every time I'm like, I need to both write a review and two, come back sooner than last time. Once again, Phoenix and Arizona blow the lid off the great outdoors. Disclaimer, there is a nominal fee of like $7 a carload to get into this gem-so everyone chip in and you'll have a great day! This area pretty much covers the holy trinity: Camping, hiking, mountain biking! Plenty of excellent campsites and the Go John trail is a wonderful 6 mile-ish hike or bike with just enough challenges to ask yourself, why am I doing this :) We did the GJ trail on the bikes counterclockwise as someone recommended and it's a workout! Big climb right out of the gate but the trail is really smooth and well maintained. The backside is pretty techie with some challenging terrain, mainly steep ups and rocks. Use your dropper post and get back on the bike and you'll be fine. Last climb before the drop into the trailhead is a long pull but the views are so worth it. Annual parking passes are available and highly recommended. If you've a little tired of Apache Wash up at 7th Ave, this is a great alternative! Grab a bottle of water and someone you like to talk to and get outside! read more

Beautiful park, fun playground, and helpful staff. My kids loved searching for the three amigos. read more

Cave Creek Regional Park - Parks Near Me - Cave Creek, Arizona

Cave Creek Regional Park was our first experience in Maricopa County parks and it's an amazing park. The park is very well-kept and brimming with ways to enjoy the landscape.  Our site was level and spacious with easy access for our 50' of truck and toy hauler. The bathrooms and showers were always clean and we never encountered a line or wait to use them, even in peak season which was a surprise. I'm thoroughly impressed by the park system. It's very well run and drive-throughs by the county deputies multiple times give an added sense of safety and security. Multiple camp hosts keep things running smoothly. The price point for partial hookups would normally be a negative in other places. But given how wonderful these parks are, the free showers, dump station, and the popularity of the park system, it's reasonable.  The reservation system can be cumbersome if you're trying to piece together your stay since you reserve specific spaces and you sometimes have to move within the park to get the nights needed for your visit. But it is doable but definitely reserve well in advance since they are in such high demand at certain times of the year. read more

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Gorgeous! We got here early on a week day and had most of the Go John trail for ourselves. About 2.5 hr total walking, 6 miles, with some "picture breaks". We went clockwise to get all the elevation out of the way first, when it was still cool outside. Bring plenty of water, I drank almost 1.5 liters/half a gallon and it was only 72F outside! Not any shade and some loose rocks, so glad I was wearing long hiking pants and sturdy shoes. We saw lots of jackrabbits and the dessert was blooming. So beautiful read more

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This area offers many breathtaking-views hiking trails. Go John loop trail is one of my favorites, a 6+ miles medium-level with great nature views & good cardio-workout (depends on your paces). I like it ! Out & About among nature to enjoying & sharing with other like-minded people, eg. hikers, mountain bikers, dogs-lovers, horse-riders... I enjoy this trail & like to my friends ( family & visitors) out here. Life is good! Life is happier when I spend more time outdoors read more

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Superb park with a variety of trails with varying levels of difficulty. The gate attendants are always super welcoming, friendly and helpful! A campsite, horseback riding and a visitor center are also available. There is a $ 7 entry fee to the park payable by cash or credit card. read more

We visited the park for a hike today and chose to do Quartz loop! It was a pretty easy to moderate trail with only a little bit of an incline at times. There were beautiful views of cactus and wildflowers when we went. We brought our dogs on the hike- they are welcome as long as they are leashed! (Always make sure to clean up after your dog!) Although the All trails app warned us that the trail was "heavily trafficked" we only saw a handful of other hikers and a few mountain bikers using the trails. The trails were clean, apart from some horse manure we had to watch out for! The trail was about 3.5 miles- a perfect length for a hike under two hours! Everything was well-marked and easy to navigate. We are excited to come back next time to camp! read more

We visited this wonderful recreation area on Christmas Eve 2018. It is wonderfully staffed and appointed. Clean campgrounds that were very busy during our visit. Clean and well appointed restrooms too. The trails we will sample another time, but we grabbed a map from the well stocked kiosk. Go John trail looks killer. All trails are rated for difficulty. There is a nature center too, but it was closed during our holiday visit. We will be back. read more

Cave Creek Regional Park - Parking and checking out the trails. - Parks Near Me - Cave Creek, Arizona

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Love this park. Has nice hikes. You can go horseback riding. Great nature center. Gorgeous sunsets. read more

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What a great place to hike! Especially now with social distancing, the park, at least when I was there, was pretty empty. I think it's because of the $7 entry fee. If you have a Maricopa County pass or don't mind paying the fee, I highly recommend it! One thing, the park is pretty big, so I'd recommend downloading the app, Avem. It will help you find all park amenities including camp sites! read more

Cave Creek Regional Park - A view of Cave Creek Regional Park's campground with the app, Avem. - Parks Near Me - Cave Creek, Arizona

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! read more

Cave Creek Regional Park - Parks Near Me - Cave Creek, Arizona

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This is a great area to go hiking and just look at the views and taking the natural Desrt. The trails are maintained very well with a lot of different options for links of trails.. read more

I highly recommend Cave Creek Regional Park for its hiking. Immensely peaceful and almost lush by desert standards. Lots of saguaro, cholla (be careful!), ocotillo, and hedgehog cactus. We hit a day when there were beautiful cool breezes running through the valley. I'm 60+ with an injured knee, and I was still able to do the roughly 6-mile Go John Trail with poles. Most people seem to do it clockwise, perhaps to climb the stone steps in the middle rather than descend. See picture for one of the more difficult stretches to get an idea of what to anticipate in spots. Most of the trail, however, is hard dirt with occasional rocks only. Go John is the most difficult trail in the park, so you might hike another trail to get a feel for the area. There is a $6/car day use fee. Totally worth it! read more

Cave Creek Regional Park - Parks Near Me - Cave Creek, Arizona

I was so pleased with Rita Hunter's customer service! I called in for details and restrictions for Tonto National Forest Due to Covid! She was knowledgeable and so kind! Thanks Rita! read more

Beautiful regional park with very clean amenities. The hiking trails are great and offer beautiful views. They appear to allow camping and horseback riding, although we have never taken part. It's around $7 to enter the park, but a day can easily be spent here hiking, having a picnic, and enjoying the scenery. read more

BE CAREFUL!!! Car thieves in location will break into your locked car and go though your things. Take anything of value with you. Other than that, pretty park, clean trails that were clearly marked, wildflowers, and clean bathrooms. Enjoy and be safe! read more

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 (http://www.rei.com/product/763648) Also, if you or your kids are into riding ponies CCRP has a corral where you can rent horses. read more

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!!! read more

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! read more

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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! read more

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. read more

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! read more

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. read more

We really enjoyed our hike today at this park. The volunteers at the nature center were very knowledgeable about the trails and recommended a hike that was perfect for us. We were on the Slate, Quartz, and Go John trails and each segment was beautiful and interesting. Trails were well-maintained and extremely well-marked so we felt safe. Today's hike was quiet and peaceful, and we look forward to returning in April when the desert is in bloom. read more

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. read more

Just had family in town and this is where they stayed with a camper. They loved it!! Beautiful grounds with great walking trails.

This is a great park for hiking. I did a quick search for the best hikes in Cave Creek and two of the trails at this park made the top of the list. We were hiking with kids so we decided to start on the Go John trail and then split off on the Overton trail which shaved off a couple miles. We only ran into a few other people on the trail and it was a weekend. Overall there we saw very few visitors. The park facilities were great, with lots of picnic areas and ample parking. Our only disappointment was the nature/visitor center was closed. We'll be back soon to check out the other trails. read more

A gem in North Phoenix. Great trails, never crowded, and cheap ($6) to enter. As soon as you park and get moving, you feel like you're in nature. Do not hike without a water bottle (safety first, people). I second the recommendation a fellow Yelper, Merichelle V., made about the Overton Trail -- not too long, but absolutely stunning views. I've hiked here many times, and never been disappointed -- I did have a close encounter with a rattlesnake once, but any hiker out in southern AZ should be prepared for that kind of thing. read more

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. read more

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. read more