Cave Creek Thriller 2026

Cave Creek Thriller is a desert trail race in Arizona with four distances: 50K, 24K, 11K, and 5K. The long races are point-to-point runs that finish inside Cave Creek Regional Park, while the 11K and 5K stay fully inside the park. It opens the Desert Runner Trail Series, and runners should expect a hard, exposed course with steep and rocky sections, full sun, and temperatures that can reach the 90s. The 50K starts at the Agua Fria Trailhead near Lake Pleasant, follows the Maricopa Trail, uses a short stretch of the Black Canyon Trail, passes through Anthem on a desert corridor, climbs past Spear S Ranch, and finishes on the Go John, Quartz, and Overton Trails. The 24K starts at the Anthem Trailhead and follows the same final route into Cave Creek Regional Park. Shorter-distance runners get hilly mountain trails inside the park, with wide Sonoran Desert views instead of much shade.