My sis and I needed a good Arizona destination hike to impress our Louisiana brother so we chose to hike up to the ruins Friday. Didn't see another soul after we left the pavement which worked out well for the narrow blind-corner road in. Water was flowing pretty decent at the creek crossings and great along the hike. Started in the cold morning under some cloud cover. It dissipated as we climbed up, providing us with some great afternoon color. We saw a large group of Javalina, 2 deer, and two turkeys that must have been gaurding their nest because they didn't shy away at all. The fall color was almost all on the ground, as was some ice adding to some fun on the steep rockier parts. The trail was easy to find until the end, but we made it up anyway, sometimes loosing ground on the slope's black mud. The hike woes were quickly forgotten when we reached the ruins and much exploring ensued. After checking out the main structure we rounded the cliff to check out the others.
It was a very cool and successful trip.
Thanks again to those who went before and for the helpful HAZ intructions and photos.