Today we decide to head up Cave Creek Road past the Seven Springs Area and investigate a mystery trail, Tonto National Forest trail 8. It is a mystery trail because there is no description of it on the main National Forest site as well very few descriptions online. But before starting on the long dirt road towards the trailhead we take a look at the Wildcat staging area to investigate it for a future trip, there are lots and lots of ATV so it doesn’t look like a great area for a hike.
Cave Creek Road, which becomes Seven Springs Road, is paved the first few miles but is really curvy so it is best to drive slowly. After some time it becomes a good maintained dirt road and the only bad spots are when passing the Seven Springs area where during most times of the year you have to cross through a few inches of water. After about 1:30h we arrive at the side road leading to the trailhead. We drive half a mile on it and then continue on foot even though it is possible to drive to the trailhead carefully in a high clearance vehicle (4WD recommended). As we start walking we admire the snow-covered peaks in the distance and are surprised when we find also ice on the road even though it is relatively warm.
We decide as a goal to climb if possible on a mesa, Hutch Mesa, that towers the area to get a good look of the surroundings. The road is quite level from the point we left our car so we make good time towards the mesa which seems more imposing the closer we get.
Finally we arrive at the trailhead for trail #8 and it has a few parking spots and a sign pointing in the right direction. The trail however was one of the least maintained trails we have been on so we had to be really careful not to lose it as we made our way slowly to a crest from which we intended to access the mesa.
We still have to stop of course when we see a red-tailed hawk watching us from a tree and then flying around us and sounding really unhappy. Finally reaching the crest we start our ascent up the mountain. The ascent is really slow as the slope is steep but there always seems to be a way forward and in due time we reach the mesa top.
The view from the top is worth the climb for us with what seems unending views in the distance. We enjoy the view for quite some time and take a few pictures but then the sun starts falling towards the horizon and it starts to get cold which is a sign for us to return back to our car.
The return hike is uneventful with some nice views while descending. In fact the drive back is more stressful as we are a bit concerned that we will not have enough fuel to return, luckily there was more than enough in the end.
