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| Hiking | 6.94 Miles |
795 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.94 Miles | 3 Hrs 36 Mns | | 2.39 mph |
| 795 ft AEG | 42 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | We planned to visit Indian Mesa Ruins last year but didn't end up getting out there before the seasonal bald eagle closures started in December, so we wanted to make sure we made it this year. Rather than driving the rough 4x4 roads that would take us right to the base of the mesa with the ruins, we parked at the Lake Pleasant Table Mesa Road parking area and paid the $7 day use fee. It was surprising to see bear-proof trash bins at the parking lot--I wouldn't expect bears at this elevation.
The hike is very easy, following the road and the riverbed the majority of the way. We saw the first wild burro of the day near the boat launch at Boulder Creek, walking away from us across the dry river bed toward a larger group of burros clustered together in the cockleburs. There were six or seven standing side-by-side, all facing the same direction, and they started approaching us but then ran off as we passed. A lot of burros and cattle were grazing near White Bluffs, and it's a beautiful area with the stripes in the white rock.
We stayed in the riverbed to avoid the cockleburs and then cut over to Cow Creek Road just before we started to see water up ahead. The unofficial trail up to the east side of the mesa is well-worn and free of brush, and it's a steep but short and easy ascent. At the top, the Agua Fria River and Lake Pleasant come into view, and there were a few boats down on the water. We made our way up to the ruins, and it's an impressive site, with a large complex of white-walled rooms on the west side of the mesa.
There's a large post hole in the ground among the rooms, which was likely used to hold up a log for roof support. There was one larger room with taller, more intact walls that had a lot of pottery sherds scattered around. It's interesting, though, that there were almost no structures farther east on the mesa, just one more standalone room with low walls. There was plenty of space up there, but the dwellings were clustered together in one area. We found a few larger pieces of pottery away from the dwellings and also located the USGS benchmark on a rocky ridge in the middle of the mesa. It had "CNWD 23" stamped on it...not sure what that strands for.
As we made our way back down toward the riverbed, we could hear wild burros braying in the distance...certainly an upgrade from the sound of gunfire from the shooting ranges we'd passed on the way in that we could hear for most of the hike. We saw a few more wild burros near Boulder Creek, and it was a quick hike out on the road. We hadn't seen anyone during the hike, but there were two vehicles in the lot when we returned. Overall, an easy hike to an interesting historical site with some great scenery, and I was happy we made it out before the eagle closures next month. Since this was a short hike, we headed for Governors Peak in Hells Canyon Wilderness next to get another one in today. |
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