Hiking enthusiasts love Arizona for its wealth of trails and interesting locales. There is one Arizona trail in particular that is both friendly to beginners and creepy, with it eventually taking you through an abandoned mine.
Only In Your State serves as a resource for finding things to do locally and in nearby areas. Arizona happens to host a number of hiking trails and parks for outdoor enthusiasts. One lesser-known one, however, happens to be Clay Mine Trail at Cave Creek Regional Park. The creepy trail leads you straight through an abandoned mine and even has a fascinating history behind it.
First things are first though, what is on the trail itself? Clay Mine Trail is a three-mile, moderately difficult out and back hike. Luckily, its elevation gain is just under 350, so it is still suitable for all skill levels of hiking, including dis and dogs.
The trail sees you traveling through a mountain landscape, lined on both sides with unique desert vegetation. At various spots, you’ll find lookout points for panoramic views of the wide-open area around you. Of course, awaiting you at the end of the trail is the abandoned clay mine. Left to decay over time, a single glance at it may be enough to dissuade you from entering.
As for the backstory, the mine originally came to be in hopes of finding gold. Unfortunately, as the name suggests, it only contained clay. A woman named Leila P. Irish bought the land and decided to bottle the clay. Labeling it a “miracle elixir,” she claimed it cured all disease. Obviously, that was a lie, but it did manage to heal dysentery, funnily enough. She made such a fortune from it her descendants still enjoy it to this day.
A New Denver Building Will Include a Built-In Hiking Trail
If you don’t happen to be near Arizona or hiking trails through a mine aren’t your thing, a new building in Denver may have you covered. The city plans to make a huge glass building and it will include a hiking trail built into it.
According to Travel and Leisure, the building will feature more than 13,000 square feet of open-air spaces inspired by Colorado’s landscapes. One of the best things about it though is a 10-story rift that lets you see a trail-like walkway spanning four stories. It will also feature a 6,813-square-foot rooftop terrace, complete with a pool, garden, and spa.
Davis Partnership Architects in Denver and the famous Chinese architecture firm MAD Architects designed the concept together. The two parties hope the new tower will be complete in 2023 and will include 187 residences for rent. Ma Yanson, MAD founder and principal partner spoke about it in a press release, believing future architecture will include features like this one.
“If we regard modern cities as man-made landscapes on the Earth, we need to design canyons, woods, creeks, and waterfalls, transforming concrete forests into second nature,” Yansong stated.
