Slate at Cave Creek Regional Park
We’re back to check out another trail! If I didn't already mention my affinity for Cave Creek Regional Park, you may start picking up on it as I leave you with my second trail review from this park!
If you’re looking for an easy way to get outdoors, Slate Trail is the perfect stop for you. This out-and-back route can be perfectly tailored to meet your desired distance or difficulty level. With a little over 300 feet of elevation gain, there’s not much climbing to do; giving you time to focus on the conversations you may be having with your hiking buddies! On an early morning a few days ago, I met some friends and we made our way up to Cave Creek Regional Park. I go hiking often, but some of the people I went with weren’t as experienced; so, I picked a trail that I knew would be pretty easy and a whole lot of fun! One of the best parts of Cave Creek Regional Park, is that the whole place is beautiful. Picking an easier route does not mean skipping out on any amazing views, you get a great look at the park no matter where you turn!
Talking most of the way made the short hike go by even quicker, but even if you’re exploring on your own, this trail won’t take you much more than two hours. The journey gives you just enough outdoor time, escaping the city and exploring all that Arizona has to offer! My favorite thing about Cave Creek Regional Park is that all routes and trails are easily modified to your desired difficulty level. On our out-and-back adventure, I think we saw three different trail intersections. Trails at Cave Creek can be easily tied together to add distance or elevation, and they all have unique features among them! We kept it simple, just hiking out to the creek and back, but Slate can definitely be adapted to fit into a longer route.
Even if you’re an experienced hiker, don’t write off Slate! This trail is a great introduction to Cave Creek Regional Park, showing off the area’s beauty and adaptability. For a full experience, I definitely recommend heading into Cave Creek for some food when you’re done. Make a morning out of it, there are a ton of great restaurants all around town!
My friend Zoe graciously provided me with some pictures from our hike since mine didn’t turn out so great. She also got me motivated to start writing about my winter break explorations, which I’ve definitely been meaning to do!
