Cities

Cave Creek

Cowboy heritage lives on in this character-rich city at the northern fringe of the Phoenix metro.

Ranching and gold mining put the city of Cave Creek on the map. Proud locals held onto the town’s industrious roots to create a modern city that reflects its heritage. Visitors are sure to hear country music pulsating from local watering holes and may even see horseback riders trotting through town.

This is Cowboy Country

There may be more places to purchase cowboy boots and Stetson hats in Cave Creek than any other destination outside of Texas. Start with new boots at Cave Creek Cowboy Co., a massive retail space that smells like leather. Cave Creek has its share of destination saloons, too. Learn how to two-step at the Buffalo Chip, which also has a bull-riding arena in the back that hosts live rodeo events weekly. Shop for Southwest gifts and folk art at Frontier Town, a recreated Old West main street that would fit right in in the late 1800s. Mexican import shops line the main drag, too, with colorful yard art and Southwest pottery spilling out into parking lots. Cave Creek Museum honors the areas grit with historic mining equipment and exhibits that preserve the area’s pioneer history.

Explore the Wide-Open Desert

Cave Creek is a gateway to some of the most remote, rugged hiking in the Phoenix metro area. All the trails in Cave Creek Regional Park surprise visitors with a riparian corridor teeming with native plants and wildlife. Take the Quartz Trail to find the Michelin Man saguaro. Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area offers many miles of remote hiking, from easy walks along the creek on the Dragonfly Trail to tougher treks up Elephant Mountain. Many visitors leave the heavy work to horses and explore the desert on trail rides. Outfitters such as Arizona Horseback Adventures and Cave Creek Trail Rides take visitors deep into the backcountry.

Patio, Please

It’s something visitors notice right away. Guests at restaurants and bars along Cave Creek Road spill out onto covered patios to enjoy the great weather year-round. Mountain View Pub is a popular spot for live music where dogs play on the patio. The Roadhouse and The Hideaway Grill cater to Harley-Davidson riders. Rival bars welcome Pittsburgh Steelers fans to Harold’s Corral and Kansas City Chiefs fans to Phat Turtle BBQ just down the street. The small patio out front of Local Jonny’s may fool visitors. There’s a huge patio out back with a stage for live bands. That’s very Cave Creek.

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