Located in S.E Arizona, only 60kms from the Mexican border, Cave Creek Ranch is touted as a major wildlife and birders paradise. I can personally attest to the accuracy of this. Upon my arrival late one afternoon, and not 2 minutes from exiting my car, a coatimundi ( a large relative of the racoon) jumped down from a tree near reception, and four white-tailed deer (including an antlered buck) came to graze not 10 mtrs away. A blue throated hummingbird was loudly “seet-ing” nearby and a pair of red cardinals jumped excitedly in a bush in front of me. To add to my excitement, later that evening, after a superb home cooked meal in our spacious and well appointed self contained unit, a pair of javelina’s and a lone skunk trotted by.
I’d only been there for a couple of hours and I could already give the ranch the mental thumbs-up for truth and accuracy in its advertising.
Perched right on the banks of Cave Creek, the ranch is a beautiful oasis set amongst the sycamore trees and juniper bushes. The crystal clear water of Cave Creek burbles an inviting tune as it cascades over the well rounded granite rocks and waterfall that the creekside cabin balconies overlook. The well appointed units have recently been renovated in a rustic “exposed rock and timber” feel, featuring tiled floors. Timber furniture completes the décor. Fully equipped and self contained, you only need to bring your food. This is essential because of the “outback” nature of the location. There are no regular local eating houses for approx. 40kms although on specific nights of the week the local Portal café (come general store ) does do dinner. There are two ways to get to Cave Creek Ranch. When you take exit 382 off the I-10 ( coming from San Simon) and turn onto the Portal road you have a 15km stretch of black top followed by a 24km unsealed ( but regularly graded ) road ahead of you. This winter the creek was running strongly after some unusually unseasonal rains, and we were forced to negotiate through a water crossing on the road. The other way to get to Cave Creek is via US80, which is sealed road all the way into Portal and Cave Creek Ranch.
Your drive brings you closer to the gradually increasing height of the Chiricahua Mountains, and once you arrive in Portal you are enveloped by the height and closeness of the steep rise of them. You are now in Cave Creek Canyon. You are so close to the mountains that the actual suns rays don’t hit the valley for an hour and a half after sunrise even though the valley is fully lit by daylight. Thats how close and how high they are.
Your host, Reed Peters, owner of Cave Creek Ranch for the past seventeen years, meets and greets arrivals in the spirit of local bonhomie, giving guests a guided tour of the ranch, your unit, all the while effusing knowledgably about the flora and fauna, the ranch and surrounding district and how best for you to gain the most from your stay. His personal touch allows him to identify each guests desires and how to ensure that you fulfil them. Cave Creek Ranch ‘s idyllic secluded location, nestled very close to the sheer lichen covered stone walls of the canyon, affords it its beauty, serenity and diversity of the whole wildlife experience. Part of the “sky islands study program” the Cave Creek Canyon area also features flora and fauna unique to the area.
Reed diligently keeps the bird feeders full which brings a wide variety of wildlife to the property each day. Javelina’s, deer, coatimundi ( who loves both peanut butter and red jelly), skunks, hummingbirds, cardinals, thrashers, Mexican jays, titmouse, woodpeckers, wrens, finches just to name a few of the birds and animals that are viewable at the Cave Creek Ranch.
We wanted to have the best opportunity to see as many birds as possible, so we arranged a guide for a day from Naturalist Journeys, a Portal based international guiding service run by Peg Abbott. She provided Dodie Logue to take us out for the day (8 hrs) and with her wonderful expertise and quick eye for spotting anything that flew (and she knew the names of them all and something about them) we had a marvellous day travelling around the Portal locale and its beautiful scenery and wildlife.
To cap off our incredibly exciting couple days in the mountains, we spent a relaxing couple hours, sitting with a beverage close by, the ranches bird feeders and surrounding trees, counting another dozen or so bird species as dusk fell, laughing at the antics of some mischevious deer as they too tried to eat from the bird feeders. As well, a very determined coatimundi snuck a snack from a feeder, and ended up with red jelly all over its face.
Each guest cabin has a “signature book” full of testimonials and glowing comments from previous guests from all over the world. Comments range from:
- What a wonderful place!
- Ive been coming to CCR for over 17 years, and it should be designated a sacred site, and protected and cherished in perpetuity
- Thanks for such a restful stay. It was just what we needed.
- .the Stars! I love this place.
- Hospitable and cooperative hosts. A delightful and remarkable place of refreshment and renewal. A lovely place, a delightful stay, but much too short.
…and on they go, personal endorsements dating back years and years. Many from visitors who return again and again.
Cave Creek Ranch is one of those very special locations in the world where even as you are driving towards the ever increasing stature of the Chiricahua Mountains and into the Cave Creek Canyon, you have the very real sense that you are about to experience something out of the ordinary, and you certainly wont be disappointed. For additional information about Cave Creek a wonderful book has been produced and co-edited by Reed and contributed by 45 authours covering topics as wide and diverse as Trees and Grasslands, Raptors, Snakes, Hummingbirds, Bats, Mammals, Mining, Dragonflys, Early Settlers, etc. It is a comprehensive guide to the Heart of the Chiricahua Mountains.
Cave Creek Ranch and the very special Chirichua Mountains were a delight and offered so much more than we had time to explore. An 11 out of 10 and we will definitely be back. Thanks Reed!
