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| Hiking | 7.00 Miles |
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| | Hiking | 7.00 Miles | | | |
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| no partners | | If you like ruins, petroglyphs and scrambling on boulders, you will like this hike. My friend Tom Kuhn, who writes for Arizona Highways, led a group of 12 of us on an excursion to Perry Mesa. You see a different type of village & tradition when you visit Perry Mesa. I want to especially recognize Gary & Andrea who joined us - they are the stewards for the Arizona Trail Section from Marshall Lake to Fisher Point and they had a very successful trail maintenance last weekend. Lots of hunters out this weekend, but we heard no shots. These rolling plains are great antelope country but we did not see any today.
We started at Pueblo La Plata (Hike 24 Silver Creek in Dave Wilson's book "Hiking Ruins Seldom Seen"). Lots of potsherds on the ground. Went out to the fort. About 2 ¼ miles of hiking. Joes Hill and Cordes Junction USGS topo maps.
Next we went to what Tom calls the Brooklyn Mine petroglyphs. Lots of bouldering. Found a red deer which is rare. Sophia saw a rattlesnake which let us know that they are not yet hibernating. We could see the talings dump for Brooklyn Mine so we hiked to it. I haven't been able to find out much about the history of this mine. Tom thought it was a gold mine, but my research indicates it was a copper mine. Probably started in the 1880's and continued to shortly before WWII. It is not named on the Brooklyn Peak USGS topo map, but is about 2 ½ miles SW of Rosalie Mine. Big bunkhouse that is starting to crumble. Big chimney from what might have been the foreman's house. No abandoned machinery, just an abandoned refrigerator and some box springs.
Next we went to Squaw Creek. (Hike 23 in Dave Wilson's book "Hiking Ruins Seldom Seen"). A big village with very interesting petroglyphs. Found an interesting potsherd with a pattern. The Perry Mesa villagers made unadorned pots, so this pot would have been from some other location. Lots of bouldering to see the petroglyphs, but worth it. On the way we saw a small satellite village, but did not take the time to explore.
Tom took the group to El Pato (Hike 22 Perry Tank Canyon in Dave Wilson's book "Hiking Ruins Seldom Seen"). It is called El Pato because of a petroglyph of a duck. But I had to leave early for a commitment in Tempe.
If you are looking for exercise hiking, this isn't it - look elsewhere. This has a lot of driving for the amount of hiking. And some of the roads are very rough - high clearance required, 4x4 recommended. If the Agua Fria River is running, this hike might not be reachable. But this hike has some very special features that you won't find anywhere else. If you are an aficionado of ruins and petroglyphs, this is a must. |
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Anybody can make a hike harder. The real skill comes in making the hike easier.
life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes. Andy Rooney |
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