Take A Hike Arizona

Had the opportunity to participate in a one hour hike with Take A Hike Arizona.
It’s located at the entrance of Spur Cross Conservation Area, sharing premises with Spur Cross Stables. (Don’t forget to say «hi» to Chile the Burro — she is so sweet!) The buildings are old-​timey West, with false fronts and a wide, shade-​y porch. Evidently it’s the spot where the workings of the famous old Phoenix Gold Mine was located.
And apparently there’s a bunch of other mines located in the area. That’s how Cave Creek was originally settled. And while we have hiked the Conservation Area many times (thank goodness the Creekers saved it from developers!), how cool was it to be guided by someone who could fill us in about the history of the area? Like the original Spur Cross Ranch was a dude ranch opened by two former felons who met in prison and decided to go into business after they served their time! Our guide, Tom, who happened to also be the manager of Take A Hike, was a font of interesting facts and stories as we hiked up to Turkey Rock, and he was very knowledgable about the local flora and fauna.
We took the short hike, but he was telling us that he also has a three hour (rt) trek that takes you up to the cave where Cave Creek originates and there are all sorts of ancient Indian petroglyphs to view that the uninformed hiker would never find plus jaunts that extend much longer and farther, into the depths of the Tonto National Forest (really a desert!) where few dare to tread.
I really want to do the Cave Creek hike! I want to see the ancient Indian art! And, how great is it to do it in company with an informed guide. Plus, it’s not so hard to get a little disoriented in the desert once you are out of sight of the familiar. I think if I was planning to hike several miles into unknown and harsh territory, I’d prefer to do it in company with someone who is familiar with the terrain and can not only share a lot of interesting details, but get me home safe.
We had smaller kids in our party, and Tom set a nice pace. He’d pause occasionally to point out a plant or share a fact and everyone got a chance to take a breath if they needed or drink some water and the kids got to rest their shorter legs.
I would totally recommend doing a guided hike if you are new to the area or have guests, or if you are just visiting briefly and you want to get the most bang in a limited amount of time.
Thanks for a great hike, Tom!