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I was reading some information about an historical trail that goes from the Winslow area down to Camp Verde. I would love to know more about it. The book called it the old Hopi name Palatkwapi but it may have other names as well. I can't find my book right now but when I do I will post a bit more info about it. There were no specific directions, just some history. Mary

Do you think the General Crook trail may have been part of this trail ?

Thanks to MaryPhyl for starting this topic! And Thanks to Nighthiker for posting a question!

First, in reply to Nighthiker: NO, the Palatkwapi Trail doesn't have any remote connection WHATSOEVER to the General Crook Trail. None whatsoever. Not even a nano bit. Trust me.

The General Crook Trail was laid out so as to be able to eliminate the Apache Culture in Arizona. It is simply a historical component of the American Military's systematic method of destruction of the Apaches. It did its job quite well, if shamefully!

The Palatkwapi, on the other hand, is a Trail of Cultural Celebration!
It is one of the best links between the Culture of Hopi and the Verde Valley, even today, right here in the 21st Century.

We have no doubt that this topic will become rather deep and, hopefully, quite esoteric, as well. The Palatkwapi Trail deserves nothing less.

We consider it to be the First Arizona Trail. Kudos to Dale Shewalter, of course, but the Palatkwapi Trail pretty much was the "Mother & Father" of The Arizona Trail. Ok, maybe it didn't technically go to Mexico, but it was the main artery of the trail system that stretched from Anazasi-Land to those shell-laden beaches beyond Caborca in the Heart of Upland Sonora.

The Palatkwapi Trail will live forever in the Heart of Hearts of history buffs for its role in bringing the first "white men" to the Verde Valley in Year 1583.

Many historians now postulate that the appearance of such "white men" was the beginning of the end for Native American cultures. The futures of the Hopi and the "Pai" speaking tribes in this region were arguably forever altered by Antonio De Espejo's fateful 1583 journey from those pueblo-studded mesas on the north slopes of the Little Colorado River drainage to what is now an internationally-known, Harley-Biker destination: Jerome, Arizona.

The "surface" has only just been scratched in reporting on the existence and role of The Palatkwapi Trail in our regional culture, much less the trail's attractiveness to day and overnight hikers.

Even though the Arizona Trail garners all of the attention for "thru hikers," The Palatkwapi Trail is a most valid option for someone seeking adventure, culture, history, opportunity and awareness--

Yes--Awareness--because, afterall, you simply cannot experience even a tiny portion of The Palatkwapi Trail without coming into face-to-face contact with the "heart-to-soul" emotional "baggage" and historical legacy of The Fabled Palatkwapi Trail.

The Palatkwapi Trail is one of Arizona's most unknown, unsung and unhiked places. However, The Palatkwapi Trail will always remain as one of Arizona's Most Significant Historical Legacies.

Totally!

J&S

Wow!! Thanks for the reply. Does anyone know where a map with an outline of this trail might be? I would not want to hike all of the flat parts from Oraibi but I would like to do the rim part--heck I might get the bug if I did that and want to find all of it. This sounds like a real adventure to me.

I have a book called Backcountry Adventures Arizona it is actually a four-wheel guide-book, but it gives good information on a section of the trail called Chavez Draw Trail. The starting point is 4.7 miles south of the northern Coconino National forest boundary (.2 miles south of mile marker 311) The finishing point is 2 miles south of Long Lake on Long Lake Road. This section is 9 miles long. I know there is more to this trail, but this is all I could find that wasn't just general information about the meaning of the trail and its relationship with native americans and whites (basically everything zuma already told us). The book offers a really great description of the trail (but its told from a drivers point of view). This book also has an incredible amount of general information about people, places, events, and things in Arizona.

OK--I found the book. It is a Museum of Northern Arizona Plateau magazine from 1988. The Author is James W. Byrkit. Some of you may know him (I don't) because he was born in Jerome and raised in Clarkdale--his father was the smelter superintendant for the mines. I picked the magazine up in the book section at Marble Canyon a couple of years ago.

This is a quote from the article:

One very well-used trail linked these various pueblos. This road extends south-southwest from the Hopis' First Mesa, past Comar Spring and Chandler Springs to Sunset Crossing on the Little Colorado, where Winslow is located today. Fording the river ar Sunset crossing, the trail then turns west-southwest, far enough south to avoid the impassible Canyon Diablo. Gradually ascending through Sunset Pass and Chavez Pass to Pine Springs and over a 7000-foot crest, the trail then descends to the Verde Valley by way of Stoneman Lake and Rattlesnake Canyon down to Beaverhead.
From Walpi to Camp Verde the trail is 145 miles long.

I wish my typing were not so slow and painful and I would tell more.

Whoa this is freaky!

I did a Google search for Palatkwapi Trail & found info on HAZ

Man I gotta pay more attention, I'm missing all the good stuff
Way to go Zuma's!!!

Ironic to myself... back in 97 or so I listed a laptop computer in the Republic. A lady called, she said bring it over. I drive up to this house on the tail end of the PHX mtns. A smiley lady invited me in, I went over the computer with her etc... Nicest lady in the world, invited me to come back anytime and go swimming ...anyhow As I'm leaving I couldn't help but comment on the hundreds of Kachina dolls in the family room. OH her eyes lit up! She went on for fifteen minutes about this and that, I learned all about Father Sun or Sky?, Mother Earth... you name it. Then as I'm like trying to crawl out of this house she's goes WAIT! She said "I normally don't do this but here" she grabbed a piece of art, signed it, stuck it in my hands and once again invited me back
I think she started to notice I was a BIT concerned with her in general at this point. She goes "it's okay take it, I'm an artist", I'm like"oh that's interesting", she's goes "my husband is the mayor" (Paradise Valley I guess?), again I'm like "oh", "that's nice", "well I gotta get goin'!"

Man I bolted out of there like a bat outta... I just didn't know what was going on. For a sec I thought she was gonna adopt me, she liked me so much. Anyhow, I ended up tossing the art, come on I had the $800 check

Looking back I probably shoulda kept the art

Anyhow, sorry to get off subject but I gotta start paying more attention to the Hopi culture. Obviously I'm suppose to learn something from it!

Oddly enought I had written an AZT critical review in 2000. I never posted out of respect for all those that have worked so hard on the AZT. However, it never felt correct in the mid section.

Thanks Mary for posting, I look forward to finding out more and tracing historical Arizona steps!

Other names and results of frustrating google searches. I am inclined to believe the author of the book I have just because he is an historian. Aparently Chaves never went over Chavez pass--he kept missing the trail LOL. Chavez is a modern spelling--the man's name was Chaves.

Chaves trail http://www.kaibab.org/gcps/gcps3_09.htm I belong to the Pioneers Historical Society (the name was changed this year) but I missed this one.

Chavez trail
http://www.pine-strawberry-az.com/merri ... chall.html Fiction.

Hopi-Chavez trail http://www.azcentral.com/travel/arizona ... olovi.html
Hopis object to the name Anasazi because it is a Navajo word.

http://www.infomagic.net/~keyah/montezuma.htm This is a little funny because the page was done by a company with a Navajo Name (Copyright 1996 Keyah Hozhoni Tours)

I have not really found anything of value here. MP

Wow look what I just stumbled on. It appears our trip to Rattlesnake Canyon has an important historical connection. http://hikearizona.com/photoset=32495
I didn't know this till someone on FB pointed out that we were on this trail and a search found among other things this thread on the forum. I have a new mission now.

@Alston Neal
Which Rattlesnake Canyon is that?

big_load wrote:@Alston Neal
Which Rattlesnake Canyon is that?

OK, I see from the photo comments where I should be looking.

Rattlesnake Canyon is one of those place names (like Rock Creek or Round Lake) that's devoid of specificity. (My favorite local Rattlesnake place around here is the aptly-named Rattlesnake Swamp).

@big_load
My favorite is just upstream from this Rattlesnake Canyon and it is called the Rattlesnake Quite Zone.

Hi all,

In an effort to keep info rolling about the Palatkwapi Trail, I discovered that a HAZ member unknowingly hiked it back in 2012.

Here's their track: [ gps route ]

Here's a blog post from 2013 describing the hike: https://ellisfprice.blogspot.com/2017/0 ... il_19.html

I'm pretty sure this old route still can be found in areas around Chavez Pass. Otherwise known as "Chavez Draw Trail" or "Chavez Ditch" or the western end of FS 69, labelled 69B.

I'd love to find a high-res version of this map. Maybe in Byrkit's book Lt. Col. J. Francisco Chaves and the ‘Chavez Trail’ & The Palatkwapi Trail


Map by Kathleen Bartlett circa 1942

Thanks for the post up. I book marked Ellis a few years ago, but never caught this blog.

@Alston_Neal
This is all very interesting...I also used to read Ellis' stuff...I believe he passed away a few years ago.

@Hansenaz
Yes, passed away on March 4, 2018

It kind of jolted me to see MaryPhyl's handle on an active topic. Last fall she made the campfire discussion again in CO, where she had quite a few hiking buddies.

[ Mary Simpson--Maryphyl ]