Cherry Creek

Cherry Creek is an epic adventure! It is somewhat of a schizophrenic trail that seems easy at first but will test you and your equipment. After nearly 40 miles offroad, you will feel like you have accomplished something. The trail is in the middle of Tonto National Forest and brings the best of the desert, as well as the green forest. The early stages of the trail are easy dirt roads and sprout lots of trails worth exploring. Saguaro cactus is abundant in these lower elevations and during the spring, flowers erupt like a psychedelic carpet. During the rainy season, Cherry Creek is the gatekeeper and you may not be able to cross. Provided that you get through Cherry Creek, you still have 8 miles of easy rolling. Shortly after passing halfway at mile 20, the trail tightens up and starts rising to run along the eastern edge of the Sierra Ancha wilderness. The mountains rise sharply to the west and are home to numerous ruins. Whether in the morning with the sun radiating off the rock face or in the evening as the sun drops over the ridgeline and creates a silhouette of the mountains, the beauty is remarkable along this trail. The second half of the journey is full of twisty trails, washed out stream crossings, and a large boulder that may be too much to cross if not prepared. This section is also at a higher elevation and there are more trees that are vibrant in the autumn with the changes in color.