Wind Cave

Great hike. This was a great workout and excellent place to see lots of cactus. Out and back and the view at the top and the caves were awesome

Beautiful trail with amazing views! Short and sweet and plenty of places to free climb and scramble around and above the cave!

I love how the entire hike was shaded (if you get there by 5:30 am). You will pass other hikers, especially on the weekends. Moderate hike that’s kid and dog friendly. Very scenic! Parking is $7, unless you have a pass. I believe the annual passes are $70. Restrooms are clean, and near the trail-head.

Great hike! It was difficult, specially when we went to the top, above Wind Cave. Moving past the sign marking that you are going further at your own risk was a bit daunting but warranted. The past hikers who marked the trail with blue and white spray painted dots were much appreciated!!

The Wind Cave Trail is located inside the Usery Mountain Regional Park which is a Maricopa County Park. To access the park, there's a $7 entrance fee per vehicle. For people entering on foot, bike, or horseback, the fee is $2. Annual passes for all Maricopa County Parks cost $85. There are also fees for the archery range and camping that's also inside the park. The trail goes up Pass Mountain and is approximately 1.6 miles up to the cave. It's an out and back trail so total distance is about 3.2 miles. It's moderate to challenging and all up hill getting to the cave. The first .5 miles is pretty moderate but then it gets steeper and rougher. Elevation gain is approximately 800 feet from trailhead to the cave. The trail is shady for the first couple hours of the day so earlier is better during the hot part of the year. Be sure to bring plenty of water, especially when it's hot I recommend wearing a wide brim sun hat as the desert sun can get intense. I also recommend bringing a small 1st Aid Kit. Coming down it's easy to stumble and there's sharp rocks that you can fall on. The views are great and you can see downtown Phoenix on a clear day. When sharing the trail, hikers who are going up hill typically have the right of way. Off in the distance you can see "Phoenix" written on the side of a hill. Below that is Rio Salado Sportsman's Club which is a gun range. Just after 7am you can hear gun shots coming from there. The trail gets busy during the weekends and parking is limited. Usery Mountain Regional Park is located in the NE part of the Sonoran Desert. The Sonoran Desert is considered the wettest desert in the world and can get anywhere from 3-15 inches of rain annually. It's also the most biologically diverse and is bristling with plant life, which attracts a wide range of animal life. I spend a lot of time kayaking on the Lower Salt River which is only a few miles from Usery Park. While paddling down the river, I've seen big horn sheep, wild horses, deer, rabbits, fox, cougar, eagles, cardinals, otters, ducks, egrits, turtles, coyotes, several fish species, snakes etc.