The Clay Mine at Night - Cave Creek Regional Park

The trail for this hike is located in the Cave Creek Regional Park which is located north of Phoenix.  For more information on the park, including a list of upcoming events, see here.  This hike was a bit of a workout, but there was an incredible reward at the end.  We started out on the Overton Trail and then turned onto the Clay Mine Trail where it intersects with the Overton.

At the point where the Clay Mine intersects with the Overton, the ranger stopped for the rest of the group to catch up.  It was also here that he explained that one could often hear a great-horned owl hooting off in the distance.  We also got a fairly nice view of the city here.

Shortly after we had turned off onto the Clay Mine Trail, we came upon one of the many abandoned mines in the area.  I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed at first as I initially thought this was our destination.  It was a hole in the ground approximately five to ten feet across and maybe five feet deep, the floor of which was covered with rock.   The ranger warned us to stay away from these as the "floor" can give way and one can fall in.  In fact, I believe the ranger said that someone had actually been killed a couple of weeks before when they fell into a mine.

I'm happy to say that the Clay Mine exceeded my expectations!  It was very interesting to see the inside of it.  I think the fact that I saw it at night added to the experience.  The entrance to the mine is gated and locked.  Apparently, they've had some problem with vandalism and theft of some of the artifacts in the mine.  After he unlocked the gate, the ranger went in ahead of us to check for animals (I believe he said he was going to make sure there was “nobody home” – eek!) and light candles which he placed along the sides of the tunnel so that we could see where we were going.  The mine is small, so we went into it in groups of five.  After putting on protective helmets (one can hit their head on the ceiling of the tunnel and small rock can fall from the walls of the mine), we walked along a tunnel that was about one hundred feet in length.  The mine itself is very small.  Only about five people can fit in the main portion of it, and then there are two raised areas off to the sides.  The sides of the mine are covered with a substance that feels a bit like talcum powder, and you can see the night sky as you look upwards.  It was really interesting.  The next trip I took to this mine took place during the day and I learned more about the history of it.