Usery Mountain Regional Park

A Worthwhile Mesa Climb

A Worthwhile Climb (Usery Mountain Regional Park: 3939 Usery Pass Rd, Mesa, AZ 85207)

After living in Arizona for three years, I must’ve been recommended the Wind Cave Trail over a dozen times by locals when I asked about good hiking routes. I finally decided to take my whole family this past Thanksgiving weekend, when the kids had school off for the holiday. They weren’t enthusiastic about the hike to begin with, but by the end, they were begging me to keep going for another loop! I’m sure we’ll return to the trail many times over the years being this close to home.

The trail starts in Usery Mountain Regional Park, an area which is home to just under 30 miles of hiking trails. The Wind Cave Trail is by far the most popular route, because of the beautiful views it offers. When we arrived at the park on a Saturday morning, there were already a good number of cars in the parking lot. Some families had already started out on their hikes, and we also saw some older folks in jogging outfits going up the trail. At the front gate, the ranger told us they also had an archery range at the park, and my older son’s ears immediately perked up. He’s a huge fan of Lord of the Rings, so we got him engaged in the hike by promising to return the following weekend for some archery lessons.

The trail started off fairly easy, with a very slight incline and a well-worn path. I felt a little silly for packing so much water, SPF, and energy bars! But after the first half hour, the difficulty really ratcheted up. By the time we got to the summit, we had been boulder-hopping for what seemed like an eternity. We took in the beautiful view from under the shade inside the cave, and had a nice picnic lunch. The scene was straight out of a Thomas Moran painting, full of stark beauty and striking color.

We made the somewhat ill-advised decision to start our descent at high noon, and even in November the hot Arizona sun baked us completely dry. We stopped for frequent water breaks, but eventually depleted our supply. Luckily, another family making their way down had extra water to spare. The descent was almost more difficult than the ascent, on account of the bad knees that run in my family. My joints creaked and cracked, but luckily no one took a spill or any injuries. Time to loosen up at the Rockin R’ Ranch tonight.  We left the park exhausted and happy, still floating on the endorphins from the tough climb and breathtaking scenery.

Driving Directions From: Tile Installation Mesa 235 S. 85th St Mesa, AZ 85208 (480) 681-1825