Hike Elephant Mountain Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area, AZ

Mar 30, 2024 — Elephant Mountain apparently resembles an elephant from some angles, but either I was looking from the wrong direction or I lack the creativity to imagine such a likeness. Regardless, I wanted to hike to its summit, facilitated by a trail system on the peak's eastern slopes. I drove into the Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area, a historic swath of land preserved north of Cave Creek, AZ, that hugs Tonto National Forest. I paid the $3 day use fee at the entrance and took the Spur Cross Trail. The trail is very wide, the remains of an old road. It passed over Cave Creek before ascending to a junction with the Tortuga Trail.

The Tortuga Trail dropped briefly into a drainage before reascending to join the Elephant Mountain Trail, which led through a short meadow before turning left and dropping down into a wash. Elephant Mountain was directly ahead of me, a nice-looking summit after the other bumps I'd done today. The Elephant Mountain Trail was well-marked and easy to follow, despite being labeled "primitive". I hiked up the wash for a time before a little arrow pointed me out of it and onto Elephant Mountain's northern slope. I passed a junction at Ringneck Spring and continued more steeply south to the saddle on Elephant Mountain's east ridge.

Along the way up to this point, I'd seen various pretty rock outcroppings along the ridge. At the saddle I noted a spur trail that leads to one of these outcroppings, past a sign that clearly asks not to enter. People seem to ignore it, a well-trodden set of switchbacks offering access to a good viewpoint. This does not lead to the summit, so I didn't bother. However, I noticed the Elephant Mountain Trail drops down from the saddle without actually leading west to the summit. Clearly, the Elephant Mountain Trail was named this because it just wraps around the peak, and I was mistaken to think I'd have an official trail to follow to the peak, my lack of research for this one becoming apparent. Fortunately, a decent social trail led steeply along the ridgeline up to an outcropping along the crest.

Past the initial ridge social trail, I hugged the base of the outcropping on the right above a steep and brushy slope. A clear path of erosion following hiker traffic continued up another steep section to regain the ridge crest above the outcropping, a bit of a loose undertaking. The ridgeline continued to be straightforward for a bit, and a brightly-colored short stretch of badlands formed a drop-off on the right side. Soon I reached the base of another outcropping, a single Class 2+ move required to overcome it on the left. Past here some light scrambling on boulders led to the summit of Elephant Mountain.