The Wind cave trail is a very popular hiking trail in the East Valley. In the spring, after good winter rains, the promise of masses of wildflowers brings out the weekend adventurers. Therefore, Jack and I decided to hike this trail in January on a day that was threatening rain, so we basically had the trail to ourselves.
There is plenty of parking at the trailhead as well as restrooms and a vending machine. The trail at this point is fairly easy, but don’t let that fool you. This is a can be a tough trail, but the views are very rewarding.
One of the first sights you will notice is the Phoenix air marker on the side of Usery Mountain to the west. It is an impressive piece of engineering work that if stood on end would stand as tall as the Eiffel Tower. It was built in the 1950’s to aid pilots in finding the small desert airport some 30 miles away.
Shortly after, the trail starts to gradually climb and wind its way around some large ravines. The tall saguaros give way to large granite boulders and more of the Valley floor comes into view. Just before the real climb begins, you come to a walled area made of stone. A nice place to turn around or just rest before continuing on to the cave. It is past this point that little ones and even some dogs may find the going difficult. With their short legs, they will find that it is more climbing that hiking.
Once you get to the side of Pass Mountain, the real climbing begins. Total elevation gain for this 1.5 mile trail is about 800 feet. Warning, there is no shade and even in the winter, we felt the heat of the sun. It was especially hot once we got to the “scar”, the area of yellow volcanic tuft that can be seen slashing across the face of the mountian. Don’t despair, at this point you are nearly to the cave and the cool breezes and beautiful views make the climb worth it.
The “cave” is more of a large notch or alcove rather than a dark room full of bats and such. There are interesting mosses, loads of local bees and some very aggressive chipmunks. All was quiet until we sat down to eat a little lunch and that is when the habituated rodent hordes came out. Apparently people think it cute to feed these little beggars and now they associate everyone with food. That was a deal breaker for Jack. He had an unfortunate incident many years ago with a squirrel at the Grand Canyon and is now deathly afraid of anything remotely similar. So we packed up our lunch and abandoned the cool respite of the cave. We had to get about 1/4 of a mile from the cave before the chipmunks stopped following us and Jack could breathe normally.
Overall, the trail is well maintained and not too challenging. The views of the East Valley are sweeping and the area is a good representation of the Sonoran Desert fauna and geology.