A saguaro forest spreads across a hill that sits along Cottonwood Creek north of Lake Pleasant. Other plant life along the trail includes cottonwood, sycamore and willow trees. © Jerry Sieve Click on image to view it larger in a separate window.

by Brian Minnick | photograph by Jerry Sieve

"They ridiculed me, my own people, and I was left to wander the Earth alone. I am nobody.” These words, spoken in the 1995 Johnny Depp movie Dead Man, strike an inner chord during my trips to places where few people venture. Even walking up mostly dry Cottonwood Creek with my Uncle Ray and friends Mitch and Jerry, I feel alone in that quiet way I find only in the wilderness. Something about a desert arroyo or mountain meadow gives me hope.

This creek, north of Lake Pleasant and about 45 miles northwest of Phoenix, has become my personal Xanadu, where I may sit alone listening to the birds. Or I may impersonate a tour guide for long-suffering friends, pointing this way and that, saying things like "Well, here on this east-facing rock is a good example of an ancient Hohokam petroglyph,” or "Here, at the base of this outcropping, I nearly stepped on a Gila monster and screamed like a little girl.”

Today, I can ditch the tour-guide persona and concentrate on this desert oasis. We park, load up and step over the dilapidated barbed wire and onto a path that threads between cholla cacti and paloverde trees along the edge of the creek. After a quarter-mile, we drop into the creek bed and a grove of cottonwood trees. We follow the creek bed past occasional burbles of water and pools wriggling with spry tadpoles and tiny frogs.

Wild burros—survivors from when prospectors scoured these hills—also concentrate around Cottonwood Creek, leaving droppings and tracks. The federal Bureau of Land Management more or less manages the population, keeping a semitight leash on the invasive species. As we hike along the main arm of the creek, we spot 11 burros on the hillside, their ears standing up in unison as a big male snorts a loud, intimidating warning.

At the 2.5-mile mark, a sign notes we're entering the Hells Canyon Wilderness. This imposing name reflects the hardships of a different time, but today it elevates my spirits with the promise of adventure.

The trail passes a natural amphitheater, pocked with caves up on a ridge. We climb toward the alcove through the paloverde and mesquite. Bird calls echo down to us, and we flush a startled Harris hawk, which drops its lunch and flees. The would-be lunch, a dazed Gila woodpecker, lies for a moment in shock before it recovers, counts its feathered blessings and flurries away.

Noting the dwindling day, we decide to turn back toward the car. The warm autumn weather wears on the senses and allows me to test my old adage about rattlesnakes. I have always believed that the second hiker in line will be the one bitten. The first person makes the hidden rattler mad, but the second hiker suffers the repercussions. Sure enough, we pass a hidden diamondback. The first two in our group pass without incident, Mitch blunders along third in line and gets the snake"s attention just in time for me. The rattler buzzes and I dance out of the way to safety.

My feet hurt after hiking 3.5 miles each way; I sport a sunburned face, and I came within a split second of a good dose of venom, but I'm grinning uncontrollably. The wild has that kind of effect.

TRAIL GUIDE:

Length: Varies on how far hikers want to follow the mostly dry streambed. Return along the same route.

Elevation Gain: Negligible.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Payoff: A pristine desert experience close to Phoenix with excellent saguaro forests, varied wildlife and petroglyphs.

Getting There: From Phoenix, travel north on Interstate 17 to Carefree Highway. Exit and turn west onto Carefree Highway, State Route 74, for 35 miles to Castle Hot Springs Road. Turn right onto Castle Hot Springs Road, and drive 5.1 miles north to parking area on west side of road.
The trail starts at the north side of the parking area beyond a lowered barbed-wire fence.

Travel Advisory: Wear hiking boots and always carry plenty of water.

Warning: Watch for rattlesnakes.

Additional Information: Bureau of Land Management, Phoenix District, (623) 580-5500.

While You're There
Don't miss these other area attractions

Lake Pleasant Regional Park
Just 45 minutes north of downtown Phoenix, Lake Pleasant Regional Park offers visitors many recreation opportunities including boating, swimming, hiking, camping and fishing. Stop at the Lake Pleasant Visitor Center to get an overview of the park, learn about the desert critters you might run into and get a look at the Waddell Dam. Check the Web site for upcoming events, which range from fishing tournaments to a campground cook-off. (33 miles north of Phoenix off State Route 74) (602) 372-7465; www.maricopa.gov/parks/lake_pleasant/.

Pioneer Living History Village
Located on 90 acres only 30 minutes north of downtown Phoenix, the Pioneer Living History Village has 30 historic buildings dating from the 1880s. Started in 1956 by concerned Arizona history enthusiasts who felt that progress was erasing Arizona's rich and colorful past, the village is sometimes called a “classroom without walls.” Some of the structures have been moved from historic locations around the state, and others have been reconstructed. Structures include a blacksmith’s shop, community church and an opera house. (21 miles north of Phoenix off Interstate 17) (623) 465-1052; www.pioneer-arizona.com.

Cave Creek Museum
This museum houses historic artifacts that tell the story of the Indians, miners, ranchers and pioneers who once inhabited the Cave Creek area. See exhibits on early Hohokam life, animals of the desert, textiles and modern life. Of particular interest is a tubercular cabin, one of 16 cabins once part of a tubercular camp in the 1920s and 1930s, where victims of tuberculosis lived in isolation. The cabin became part of the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. (Off Cave Creek Road at the intersection of Basin and Skyline) (480) 488-2764; www.cavecreekmuseum.org/index.htm.

Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area
Open 365 days a year, the conservation area covers 2,154 acres of upper Sonoran Desert where visitors can enjoy more than seven miles of hiking, mountain biking and equestrian trails. The trails vary in length from 1.2 miles to 4.6 miles, and some are more difficult than others. Look at the park’s schedule for upcoming events that include park ranger interpretive talks about plants, archaeology and the ecology of the Sonoran Desert. (At the intersection of Cave Creek Road and Carefree Hwy., go north on Cave Creek Road for 3 miles to Spur Cross Road and turn north. Go 4.5 miles until you reach the public parking area. Be advised that after 3 miles the road turns to an all-weather graded surface.) (480) 488-6601; www.maricopa.gov/parks/spur_cross/.