How many of the 38 open studios on this year's Hidden in the Hills tour can you reach without leaving Cave Creek? By the official 2026 directory's host list, 24 have Cave Creek addresses. Six are in Carefree and eight are in Scottsdale.
The Sonoran Arts League runs the 30th annual tour over the last two weekends of November: Friday through Sunday, Nov. 20–22 and Nov. 27–29, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's free and self-guided, with 150 artists showing in 38 studios across Cave Creek, Carefree and North Scottsdale, as the City Sun Times reported. Some versions of the coverage say 151 artists. The League's directory says 150.
Those totals are smaller than they were two years ago, and that's what makes this year's map so concentrated around town.
Three Years of the Same Two Weekends
Here are the headline numbers the League has announced for the past three tours:
| Tour year | Edition | Studios | Artists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 28th | 44 | 179 |
| 2025 | 29th | 41 | 164 |
| 2026 | 30th | 38 | 150 |
The 2024 figures come from the City Sun Times preview of the 28th tour. The 2025 figures come from the paper's 29th-year story, and Phoenix New Times reported the same numbers. That's six fewer studios and 29 fewer artists in two years.
Even so, 38 studios is about twice the size of the first tour. The City Sun Times says the 1997 tour had 44 artists in 19 studios over a single weekend. Two years later it grew into the two weekends around Thanksgiving. Phoenix New Times gives a smaller count for that first year, 35 artists in 16 studios. Both outlets agree it started in 1997. Thanksgiving falls on Nov. 26 this year, so the tour once again sits on either side of the holiday.
Where the 38 Doors Actually Are
A smaller tour packs the same weekend into fewer stops, and most of those stops are in Cave Creek. Here's how the directory's host list breaks down by mailing city:
- Cave Creek, 24 studios: Studios 1, 2, 3, 16 through 25, 27 through 37
- Carefree, 6 studios: Studios 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 26
- Scottsdale, 8 studios: Studios 7, 10 through 15 and 38
That puts the directory's cover artist outside town this year. Jeanne Bonine's oil painting "Welcome to My World" is on the cover of the 2026 directory, and she hosts at Studio 15, 6240 E. Quail Track Drive in Scottsdale. The Foothills Focus calls her studio the tour's southernmost stop. The rest of the map runs north toward Spur Cross.
Start in Stagecoach Village, Then Pick a Road
Studio 1 is the Sonoran Arts League Studio in Stagecoach Village, 7100 E. Cave Creek Road, Suite 144. It's the tour's Information Headquarters, where you can pick up the directory and map. It also has a youth art exhibition, and new this year is a hands-on art activity open to visitors of all ages. The League's Hidden in the Hills page also has a printable PDF map, a Google map and an online directory if you'd rather plan from the kitchen table. The League's separate gallery is at 30 Easy Street, Suite A, in Carefree.
From Stagecoach Village, the Cave Creek studios sit in a few tight groups. You can do any one of them in an afternoon:
- North 55th Street. Studio 20, Beth Zink Studio, is at 33444 N. 55th Street. Studio 21, Jane Boggs Studio and Gallery, is a few doors up at 33488. Boggs works in gourd, acrylic and assemblage.
- Lone Mountain Road North. Studio 35, Light Hunter Studio, is at 6447 E. Lone Mountain Road N., where host Light Hunter Fatali shows photography with several other photographers. Studio 36, Sema Cohen Fine Art, is down the road at 7313. Studio 19, Naturesio, is at 5123 E. Lone Mountain Road, the plain Lone Mountain address just west of the North road.
- Spur Cross Road. Studio 33, Studio Terra Nova, at 42595 Spur Cross Road, is hosted by ceramic artist Carol Fleming. Studio 34, Harmony Hollow, at 44316 Spur Cross Road, is hosted by Lori Greenberg, who works in jewelry, fiber and paper.
- The 60th-ish corridor. Studio 17, Marless Fellows Studio, is at 31031 N. 61st Street. Studio 18, Jules Gallatig Studio, is at 30420 N. 60th Street. Studio 30, The Sculpture Studio, is at 6051 E. Hidden Valley Drive, Suite 4, with host Mark Carroll working in metal, stone and wood.
Every one of those studios keeps the same 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours on all six tour days. So a group you skip the first weekend is still there the second.
A Host Who Has Seen the Whole Run
Some of the hosts have been part of the tour long enough to remember when it was a fraction of this size. Glass artist Carole Perry hosts Laughing Glass Studio at 4944 E. Sawmill Circle. It's Studio 22 this year after being No. 26 last year. In 2025 the City Sun Times named her one of six artists who had hosted a studio for all 29 years. She told the paper, "I don't think any of us realized how big Hidden in the Hills would grow." Perry also told Phoenix New Times how it began. A League member came back from a studio tour in Northern California, and the group liked the idea of visitors coming to the artists' own studios instead of artists setting up under street tents.
That idea is still the reason to go. Cave Creek metal sculptor Carlos Page, who hosts Studio 23 at 5242 E. Barbie Lane, put it this way to Phoenix New Times last year: "It's a great opportunity for people to come and see how we work, where we work, and learn about the processes we go through." His studio shows metal, wood and cement work, with guest artists including photographer Jon Linton and ceramic artist Myron Whitaker.
Two Studios Down the Road From Spur Cross Ranch
The two Spur Cross Road studios are on the same road as Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area at 44000 N. Spur Cross Road, so you can walk the desert before the studios open. Maricopa County Parks switches to winter hours on Sunday, Nov. 1. Spur Cross and Cave Creek Regional Park will both be open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily through April 30. With a 6 a.m. gate and 10 a.m. studios, a morning hike fits easily before Studio Terra Nova and Harmony Hollow open.
Bring the right payment. The county says the Spur Cross entry station takes annual passes, Cave Creek resident cards and cash, and it doesn't take checks. The county's invasive species and fire fuel work there was scheduled for early March through mid-May, and the park page says more work could be added later in the year.
The Calendar After the Last Studio Closes
The tour wraps up Sunday, Nov. 29. Two December events keep the local art calendar going:
- Winter Artisan Gift Market, starting Dec. 4. The Holland Center and the Sonoran Arts League are putting on the sixth annual juried market at The Holland Center, 34250 N. 60th St., Scottsdale. Admission is free. The City Sun Times lists it for Dec. 4–5, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Chamber's calendar shows only Dec. 4, starting at 9 a.m., so check The Holland Center for final hours before you go.
- Carefree Art Night, Dec. 17, 4 to 7 p.m. More than a dozen galleries, shops and studios in Carefree Town Center take part.
If one of those studio visits leaves you wondering what it would take to have room for a kiln or a welding bench at your own place, the team at 1912 Realty knows these Cave Creek roads well. Book an Appointment and we'll talk through it, after you've finished your Spur Cross Road loop.
