DESTINATION Generic 223 Photosets
| |
| Point Extreme Loop Perry Mesa, AZ | |
|
| | Point Extreme Loop Perry Mesa, AZ | | | |
|
|
Point Extreme Loop Perry Mesa, AZ
| | |
|
| Hiking | 11.80 Miles |
2,952 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.80 Miles | 7 Hrs 30 Mns | | 1.57 mph |
| 2,952 ft AEG | | | | |
|
|
| |
| Linked |
|
none
[ show ]
| no linked trail guides |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | The plan was to visit some (probably) seldom visited ruins on the southwest end of Perry Mesa. The SW tip of the mesa above Black Canyon City is known as Point Extreme and I expected to find another ruin further north on a nearby rim edge.
The best way I could think of to get there was to start in Black Canyon City and walk the Agua Fria north (dodging the No Trespassing signs) then take a wash east up the unnamed canyon just south of Larry Canyon. The wash is pretty clear much of the way but I had satellite-scouted a trail that diagonals above the bottom. I'm guessing this is an old mule trail and it's overgrown and hard to follow in places but proved a useful way through the thicket.
I reached the mesa top and a short distance later found a real nice petroglyph area along the cliff band (sorry for all the pictures). The ruin was just a bit further, some nice wall structures visible due to digging and it's perched right on the very edge of the cliff.
I crossed the mesa and skirted the drop separating the southern finger. There's a line of wooden power lines (and a jeep road) that continues to Point Extreme. Along the way I tried to find a minor ruin on the north edge of this mesa portion but failed.
Continuing to the end I found the ruin near the tip. It had obvious collapsed walls but very little pottery and I saw only one minor glyph.
Now the interesting part: I wasn't sure the best way to get off the mesa and back to Black Canyon City. It was "cliffy" but I found a break through to the south (Squaw Creek) side and was happy to see another old trail there below the cliff band. I took this to the saddle between the mesa and the rocky prominence (pt 3077) where I lost it. From there it was a bushwack to the south: not too bad, the steep wash was mainly clear and only one cliff to bypass. Near the bottom a faint road branched off and joined a big dirt road going west above the creek. I thought I was home free but the private property issues in the area raised their head again when I ran into a locked gate. I had to go over two barbed wire fences, one on the way to Squaw Creek and one in the middle of it - but then it was straight forward getting back to the car.
Glad to be done with this one and the first rate petroglyphs at the fairly obscure ruin were a bonus. |
| _____________________
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
