HIKE OF THE MONTH

hike of the month A Roller Coaster City Park Trail Pays Off With Solitude and Scenery

The Go John Trail in the Cave Creek Recreation Area just north of Phoenix starts out tough but quickly shows another side. This challenging 4.8-mile loop, named for the peak just east of the mountain it contours, travels through a rugged landscape full of the charm and untamed beauty of the Sonoran Desert while offering great views as well. The initial slog up the mountain pays off at the top with saguaro-studded mountains visible to the north and Phoenix's urban landscape sprawling to the south. In true roller coaster fashion, the trail then careens down the mountain's north face, requiring caution on a talus slope, into a shallow wash filled with the pungent smells of desert vegetation. The hike's high drama calms down by the end of the first mile as the trail climbs out of the wash and becomes a pleasant ramble through a quintessential desert landscape on the backside of the mountain. Hikers should watch for occasional mine shafts on the mountain's backside. They're dangerous, and the Maricopa County Park District does not allow entry into any of them. Fences and warning signs restrict approach to the adits. "There's a remarkable variety of minerals in the area," said Bob Skaggs, Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department's trail planner. "Earlier prospectors were scratching for higher minerals, like gold, silver and copper, but dug for what they could find, such as chrysocolla, cinnabar and jasper." Aside from watching out for mine shafts, hikers will have an easy time with the rest of the trail. As it winds back around to the mountain's south face, it dips deeply into a saguaro-filled crevice. After a short trudge, the path continues on its gentle bob across the rumpled terrain as it heads back toward the trailhead. Along the way, more mines (also off-limits to hikers) appear on neighboring mountainsides. Though most of the mines in the area never paid off, a clay mine just west of the trail did. Lelia Pearl Irish staked her claim in 1946 and marketed clay powder as an elixir for good health under the Mineral Springs label. A spoonful of Mineral Springs clay in a glass of water was said to hold the promise of a cure for many of mankind's ailments. Winter is the best time to hike the Go John Trail, but morning or evening hikes in the warmer months work well, too. Early mornings might find hot air balloons drifting over the desert against an azure sky; sunset hikes feature a flaming horizon in the west and a muted gold moonrise over the mountains in the east. Such bonuses, added to the trail's scenery and enchanting atmosphere, could produce even better results for what ails you than Lelia Pearl Irish's elixir. Not bad for a city hike.

(LEFT) Treacherously spiny teddy bear cholla cactuses grow beside a stretch of the Go John Trail in the Cave Creek Recreation Area. (BELOW) The barrel cactus' tendency to lean toward the south when it grows has earned it the nickname "compass cactus." (RIGHT) Foreshadowing a winter storm, clouds gather over Sugarloaf Mountain, north of the Go John Trail.

WHEN YOU GO