"Spur Cross Ranch and Cave Creek Regional Park are some of the best trails in the state," Richard Meyers, president of the Desert Foothills Mountain Bike Association, said in the Carefree/Cave Creek Chamber of Commerce listing for the Cave Creek Cactus Classic. The race takes place Saturday, November 14, on a 25-mile course with roughly 2,000 feet of climbing. Riders pass through both of those trail systems and also use a section of the Maricopa Trail.
The race is a useful way into Cave Creek's November because the whole month works the same way. Almost every event uses one of two maps. The first is the trail system north and west of town, and the second is a short run of Cave Creek Road addresses where the art openings happen. A handful of dates carry most of the activity. Learn those dates and the month gets much easier to plan.
November 1 Resets the Trail Clock
Maricopa County Parks switches to winter hours on Sunday, November 1, and the change runs through April 30. Cave Creek Regional Park and Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area both follow the same schedule.
| May 1 to October 31 | November 1 to April 30 | |
|---|---|---|
| Park gates | 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily | 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily |
| Nature Center | 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday | 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily |
The gates now open an hour later and close an hour earlier. The Nature Center gains two afternoon hours and opens on Sundays for the first time since spring, which makes it a good stop after a weekend hike. The county's park updates page also notes that the Spur Cross entry station takes annual passes, Cave Creek resident cards and cash. It does not take checks.
The new hours apply to everything else on these trails this month, including the race on the 14th and a December evening hike that starts at the Spur Cross lot.
The First Week Belongs to the Rodeo Grounds and the Visitor Center
The Turquoise Circuit Finals Rodeo opens the month on the Town of Cave Creek calendar. It runs Thursday, November 5, through Saturday, November 7, at Memorial Arena Rodeo Grounds, 37201 N. 28th St. The Chamber lists the opening session from 3 to 9 p.m. on the 5th.
On Friday the 6th, the Cave Creek Visitor Center at 6528 E. Cave Creek Rd. holds a Mini-Gallery Open House from 5 to 7 p.m. The Town's announcement says the gallery holds 24 works of local art. Eight of them belong to the Sonoran Arts League's Art in Public Places program, and local artists will be on hand over refreshments. The center is back on full-time hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekends. Together with the Cave Creek Museum, it also serves as a base for the Local Landmarks passport program.
The open house kicks off the studio side of the month, which gets much bigger two weeks later.
Saturday, November 14 Is the Month's Busiest Morning
Two of November's biggest community events land on the same Saturday, and their posted hours overlap. The race window runs until 1 p.m., while Empty Bowls opens to VIP ticket holders at 10:30 a.m. and to everyone at noon. Anyone hoping to do both will need to leave Local Jonny's before the race wraps up.
- 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.: The Cave Creek Cactus Classic. Local Jonny's, 6033 E. Cave Creek Rd., serves as race headquarters for packet pickup, the start and the finish. Expect riders on Spur Cross, Cave Creek Regional Park and the Maricopa Trail all morning.
- 10:30 a.m.: VIP early entry at the 27th Annual Empty Bowls Market at Foothills Food Bank & Resource Center, 4250 E. Carefree Highway. VIP tickets cost $75 and include complimentary refreshments.
- Noon to 2 p.m.: General admission to Empty Bowls, with free entry and free parking.
According to Foothills Food Bank, the market offers handmade bowls and art for sale, plus an auction, raffles, food, drinks and live music. The proceeds support the food bank's hunger-relief work for local families. The auction opens online on November 1, so you can bid before the doors open.
The race supports trail work too. Proceeds from the Cactus Classic go to DFMBA's work building and maintaining sustainable trails across the Desert Foothills, and to local youth cycling programs. If you hike Spur Cross on a weekday in winter, those are the trails this race helps pay for.
The Cave Creek Road Address Run
The studio map starts along a short stretch of Cave Creek Road. Here are this month's event addresses in street-number order:
- 6033 E. Cave Creek Rd.: Local Jonny's, headquarters for the Cactus Classic on November 14.
- 6528 E. Cave Creek Rd.: The Cave Creek Visitor Center, home of the mini-gallery and its November 6 open house.
- 6554 E. Cave Creek Rd.: Twisted Stitches, which holds its grand-opening ribbon cutting on Tuesday, November 10, from 5 to 6 p.m. The Chamber lists the shop as a new member.
- 7100 E. Cave Creek Rd., Suite 144: The Sonoran Arts League studio in Stagecoach Village. It serves as Information Headquarters and the Youth Art location for Hidden in the Hills.
The League calls its Stagecoach Village space a creative classroom hub. It is a separate location from the League's gallery and office in Carefree. During the tour, it's the first stop: you pick up a map there and then head out into the hills.
Hidden in the Hills Turns 30 Across Two Weekends
The Sonoran Arts League's Hidden in the Hills Artist Studio Tour is a free, self-guided tour of working artists' studios in Cave Creek, Carefree and North Scottsdale. This year marks its 30th edition. The 2026 map lists the dates as November 20, 21, 22 and 27, 28, 29, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with free admission.
This year's tour includes 38 studios and about 150 artists, according to CITYSunTimes and The Foothills Focus. The first few studios on the map are right in town. Studio #1 is the Stagecoach Village headquarters, which hosts the Youth Art display. Studio #2 is Coyote Crossing Studio. Studio #3 is Judy Bruce Studio, where Judy Bruce, Jim Bruce, Gedion Nyanhongo and Leonor Pisano will show their work.
If you want to plan your route ahead of time, the League sells a 164-page directory. It costs $10 if you pick it up at the gallery or $30 if you have it mailed.
The second tour weekend falls on Thanksgiving weekend, and it's the busiest stretch of the month. The Chamber's November calendar shows a lot happening on those three days:
- The Carefree Farmers Market runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday the 27th, the same as on the 20th.
- Kiwanis Christmas for the Kids takes place Saturday the 28th, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Spirit in the Desert holds its second annual ThanksLiving Music Fest at its retreat center at 7415 E. Elbow Bend Road, just over the line in Carefree. The festival is officially listed for November 27 to 30, and the concerts run Friday through Sunday. The lineup is a Trop-Rock bill with Mark Mulligan, John Patti, Carrie Welling and Rudy B, plus a Jimmy Buffett tribute show on Saturday. Concert tickets cost $50 to $85 and include a meal.
The first tour weekend, November 20 to 22, has fewer competing events. If you're planning to bring guests to the studios, that weekend should be easier to get around.
December Hands the Trails Back
After the tour, the trails get the last event of the season. The Town calendar lists the Harmony Hallow Luminaire Hike from the Spur Cross parking lot on Friday, December 18, from 6 to 10 p.m.
One more item from November will matter for a while. The Foothills Focus reported that on October 21, Town Council approved a first reading of a site plan for a retail and restaurant center. It would sit on 4.5 undeveloped acres on the north side of Carefree Highway, between 50th and 51st streets. The plan calls for three one-story buildings with shaded areas for outdoor seating, on a stretch of road that already has Harbor Freight, Pet Suites, Starbucks and Verizon. The article said a second reading could come as early as the first council meeting in November. However, the Town calendar shows the November 3 regular meeting canceled because of the election. The project is still a proposal until the second reading is held and the council votes.
At NEW HAUS, we pay attention to the details that make a place feel like home, and in Cave Creek this month that means paying attention to the calendar. If the studio tour gets you thinking about how your own home would look to buyers, NEW HAUS Real Estate Team would be glad to walk through it with you. Request your complimentary home valuation, and we'll talk it over at a pace that suits you.
