Grandmaw’s Cave – Harding/Cookstove

The Skyliner’s have a hike to Grandmaw’s Cave scheduled for 22 September 2011, and our leader Lila did not wish to attempt that hike with knowing exactly how to get there. We had already tried twice without being able to locate the cave, even though we knew we were in the immediate vicinity. Thus it was that six stubborn Skyliners set out on yet another scouting hike in a last ditch effort to locate the cave before the hiking season begins in October.

The following group photograph, taken in front of the cave, demonstrates our success on this attempt.

Left to right: George Everman, Lila Wright, John McInerney, Akemi 

Tomioka, Gordon Bice and the author 

– photograph by George using the authors camera

Lila, John, Gordon and Ellis met at the Safeway parking lot in Cottonwood at 0700. Kwi was missing, not having received word of the scheduled hike. We drove to Harding Spring Trailhead at the entrance to Cave Springs Campground on Hwy 89A where we were met by George and Akemi. A parking lot is provided just to the right of the entrance to the campground.

We donned our packs, walked across Hwy 89A and headed up Harding Springs Trail; the trailhead is marked by a rusty metal sign located very near the sign for Cave Springs Campground.

Harding Springs Trailhead sign and Cave springs Campground sign

We headed up the trail at a reasonable pace so as not to tire ourselves out too early in the hike. Harding Springs Trail is fairly steep, climbing over 900 feet in just 0.7 miles; however, it is well developed and a reasonably easy climb if you pace yourself.

An old post marks the point where the trail tops out on the rim; it probably once hosted a sign announcing the Harding Springs Trailhead.

The old post (right) marks the start/end of Harding Trail at the rim. From here a trail leads off to the southwest for about 100 yards to an excellent overview point from which you can see back down Oak Creek Canyon and across the way to the cliffs on the other side. A second trail (Telephone to Cookstove) leads to the northeast along the rim to connect with Cookstove Trail 1.4 miles away. Finally, a third trail (also Telephone to Cookstove) leads to the southeast. One takes this trail for approximately 0.3 miles before turning off to the right, heading almost directly south (about 140 degrees true) to cross a wash; emerging on the south side of the wash, the trail (indistinct but marked by cairns along the way continues for about another 0.1 miles (you should never be out of sight of a cairn) before crossing another wash. It then turns to the northwest (about 292 degrees true) for around another 0.3 miles to the very tip of the ridge you are on. At this point you are just about on top of Grandmaw’s Cave; however, a hard scramble down the face of the cliff along a steep, barely discernible trail to the cave opening awaits you. (NOTE: these interim distances are approximate)

The cave itself is quite large, running approximately 100 yards back into the mountain ridge along which we had traveled. The following picture was taken as the photographer approached the cave.

Approaching the cave – photograph by George

Just inside the cave mouth is located a geocache, securely chained to the wall. The next two photographs show the cache and George placing a golf ball in the box. Akemi left the paper swan; not being into geocaching, I left nothing and took nothing.

Geocache box showing, among other items, Akemi’s paper swan and 

George’s golf ball - by George

George placing a golf ball in the Grandmaw’s Cave geocache

The end of Grandmaw’s Cave – photograph by George

Looking out from inside the cave – Gordon, Lila and John are shown

The following two pictures (below) were taken as we climbed back up the cliff from the cave.

Akemi and John climbing back up the trail to the top of the ridge 

after our visit to Grandmaw’s Cave

Lila and Gordon climbing up the cliff from Grandmaw’s Cave

Back on top of the ridge above Grandmaw’s Cave, I took a photograph of a tree that grows from approximately just above the cave opening and then found another one taken on 17 August 2011 showing the same tree. We had almost found the cave on that trip.

Photograph showing tree growing just above the mouth 

of Grandmaw’s Cave

Taken 17 August 2011 – George appears to be pointing at the tree 

growing above Grandmaw’s Cave

As we continued our way up the trail along the ridge from the point above Grandmaw’s cave, I took several photographs looking back just to remind myself what the trail looked like on the way to the cave.

The trail to the ridge point above the cave leads close against the 

cliff wall shown here

The going is steep and rocky in places

Fortunately, the rough part of the trail leading down to the point of the ridge above Grandmaw’s Cave is only about 0.1 miles. The rest of the way between there and the intersection of Harding Springs Trail and Telephone to Cookstove Trail is an easy hike – just watch for cairns and, if possible, load the Garmin gdb file sent along with this report in a GPS and follow it. That will help to avoid a lot of wondering as to whether you have taken a wrong turn.

We arrived back at the top of Harding Springs trail in short order and then continued the 100 odd yards out to the viewpoint to eat lunch.

After lunch we took the Telephone to Cookstove Trail north along the rim for about 1.4 miles to its intersection with Cookstove Trail.

The blaze on the tree shown here marks the end of Cookstove Trail 

at Telephone to Cookstove Trail

The Arizona topo map I am using in my GPS shows Telephone to Cookstove Trail running on north along the rim for about 0.3 miles, I think just to a viewpoint, before it ends.

Cookstove Trail seemed to me to be steeper than Harding Springs Trail had been. However, when I downloaded the GPS file and examined it in the computer, I found that we had descended about 200 feet less than we had ascended on Harding Springs Trail. The recorded distance was exactly the same – 0.7 miles.

The Cookstove Trailhead at Hwy 89A is, like the Harding Springs Trailhead, marked with a rusty metal sign (below left). A drinking water station (below right) is located directly across the highway from the trailhead and just a few yards from the north exit from Pine Flats Campground. The water was most refreshing and we all paused for a drink and a short rest before continuing on.

Trailhead sign

Water station

We were about 1.1 miles north along Hwy 89A from where we had parked at the Harding Springs Trailhead, and because there is hardly enough room to walk alongside Hwy 89A in places, we took a slightly longer (1.2 miles) route: we hiked through Pine Flat Campground to emerge at the south exit, walked along Hwy 89A for about 100 yards and then entered the Pine Flats community, crossed Oak Creek on a low concrete bridge and continued straight on Bear Howard Road which soon became a dirt road.

About 0.1 miles after leaving Hwy 89A we turned left (south) onto a trail (apparently unnamed) that starts in the edge of a private driveway and follows a power line across a saddle behind a hump that separates it from Hwy 89A. Our trail then crossed back to the east side of Oak Creek about 0.3 miles from Bear Howard Road. After crossing back over the creek, we continued straight toward the highway for about 40 yards, turned right onto another trail and followed it for about 50 yards before turning left on still another trail which we followed only 30 yards or so before turning right on a straight, open trail which led us directly to our parked vehicles about 0.1 miles ahead.

Akemi is headed back to Japan on the 27^th and this was her last hike with us this year, so while still at the Grandmaw’s Cave we took the time to wish her well and to toast our success in finally finding the cave with a spot of green tea.

Toasting our success in finally finding Grandmaw’s Cave with 

a spot of Akemi’s green tea

With the extra trip to eat lunch at the viewpoint and the searching we did to find the Cave, my GPS indicated that we hiked 5.2 miles. The highest elevation was 6335 feet and the total ascent was 1828 feet.

Some distances:

Harding Springs Trail: 0.7 miles (red).

Top of Harding Springs Trail to Grandmaw’s Cave: 1.0 mile (magenta).

Harding Springs Trail to Cookstove rail on rim: 1.4 miles (green).

Cookstove Trail: 0.7 miles (red).

Cookstove Trail to Harding Springs Trail along Oak Creek: 1.2 miles (dark magenta).

Lookout Point at top of Harding Spring Trail: 0.1 miles (white).

Note: The sum of these separate tracks differ slightly from the total due to rounding error.

The included map (below) shows the route we took for this hike.