Two desert foothill towns, side by side. Cave Creek has Old West saloons, a historic town core and miles of Sonoran trails. Carefree has a famous sundial, a desert garden and the shops and cafés of Easy Street.
Photo: Marine 69-71 / CC BY-SA 4.0Walk Cave Creek Road from the museum to Harold's Corral. Along the way you'll pass a 1930s gas station, a 1951 trading post, a former bait shop turned saloon and a bar that has poured drinks since the 1930s. The stories come from the Cave Creek Museum's Local Landmarks program.
Start the tourTown trails link Cave Creek to regional parks, the Tonto National Forest and the 300-plus-mile Maricopa Trail.
Photo: Timothy A. Gonsalves / CC BY-SA 4.0About 2,150 acres of rugged upper Sonoran Desert north of town, on the edge of the Tonto National Forest. Trail segments run from 0.2 to 5.2 miles. Elephant Mountain is the challenging one. There is an entry fee.
Trails & fees →About 2,900 acres for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding, plus a Nature Center and a family campground. Trails include Go John, Clay Mine, Flume and Overton.
Park info →A very challenging 2.2-mile round trip with about 1,000 feet of climbing to the 3,398-foot summit. At the top you get 360-degree views over Cave Creek, Carefree, Scottsdale and Phoenix.
Trailhead map →Family-friendly guided rides through Cave Creek Regional Park for beginners and experienced riders. Reservations recommended.
Website →Desert basics from Maricopa County Parks: carry plenty of water, protect yourself from the sun and tell someone where you're going. Park gate hours change with the season.
Patios, live music and long histories along Cave Creek Road.
Photo: Marine 69-71 / CC BY-SA 4.0A big Western bar and grill with live music and country dancing, in a spot that has served drinks since the 1930s.
Website →A dance hall and steakhouse that began as a bait shop. There's a bull-riding arena out back.
Website →Fried chicken and an Old West saloon, in a building that started as a 1932 home.
Website →A motorcycle-friendly roadside stop that bikers come to from across the country, especially for April's Bike Week.
Map →Mexican food around a pond, in the 1952 Black Mountain Gas Company building.
Website →A retro diner in a 1930s Standard Oil station that's on the National Register of Historic Places.
Website →Owner-run shops, Western wear and working artists. Few chain stores in sight.
Photo: Marine 69-71 / CC BY-SA 4.0A re-created Old West main street with small independent shops, a gallows and Boot Hill cemetery.
Crystals, minerals, fossils, meteorites and stone fountains at the corner of School House Road.
Website →A local arts league active since 1975, with a studio in Cave Creek and a gallery on Easy Street in Carefree.
Website →Western boots, hats and leather on Cave Creek Road.
Website →Carefree is a 1950s planned town just east of Cave Creek, with whimsical street names like Easy Street and Ho Hum Road.
Photo: Marine 69-71 / CC BY-SA 4.0Built in 1959 and designed by architect Joe Wong and solar engineer John Yellott. The copper-clad gnomon stands 35 feet above a plaza about 90 feet across and points to the North Star.
The Sundial's home on Easy Street: labeled desert plants, a playground with a Gila monster slide, and the Kiwanis Splash Pad in the warm months.
Website →Have afternoon tea at the English Rose Tea Room, a bistro lunch at Venues Café beside the Sundial, or dinner at Giordano Trattoria Romana.
See places →CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa and The Boulders Resort & Spa are both in Carefree.
See stays →Dates come from the organizers' own sites. Always re-check before you go.
The Sonoran Arts League's free, self-guided tour of artists' private studios across Cave Creek, Carefree and North Scottsdale.
Tour info →A Thunderbird Artists festival at the Carefree Desert Gardens, 101 Easy Street. The Winter and Spring Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festivals follow in January and March 2027.
Festival info →Holiday lights in December, plus monthly Art Nights, the Sundial Community Drum Circle (4th Sundays, Oct–May) and live music on select Saturdays.
Carefree events →An annual PRCA-sanctioned rodeo at Cave Creek Memorial Arena. The 2026 edition ran March 26–29.
Town calendar →Motorcycles line Cave Creek Road, with live bands at the town's biker bars. The 2026 edition ran April 3–12.
Town calendar →
Install the guide for quick access, even with a weak signal on the trail.