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| Loy Canyon Cliff Dwellings, AZ | | -
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| | Loy Canyon Cliff Dwellings, AZ | | | |
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Loy Canyon Cliff Dwellings, AZ
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| Hiking | 5.98 Miles |
1,405 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.98 Miles | 8 Hrs 33 Mns | | 1.39 mph |
| 1,405 ft AEG | 4 Hrs 14 Mns Break | | | |
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none
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| no partners | | My first time to Loy Canyon. The last 1.5 miles to the trailhead are challenging for low clearance vehicles. We got there around noon. It was sunny, about 75 degrees, and there were 5 other vehicles at the trailhead (all high-clearance).
We followed the Loy Canyon Trail for 1 mile, turned left at the big tree onto the well-worn use trail, and made our way to the first set of cliff dwellings, which were some of the more elaborate cliff dwellings I've seen. We explored them, then hung out in the nearby alcove. We then climbed up further, went around the U, and walked along the base of the cliff to the second cliff dwelling. This one was less impressive, and most of the pictographs on the cliff behind the dwelling didn't appear authentic, so we didn't spend much time here.
We then gradually made our way up the northeast edge of Loy Butte along a few switchbacks, and eventually arrived at a rock outcropping, where we relaxed in the sun, admired the views, and had some snacks. The only way up from here that we could see involved about 25 vertical feet of class 3 scrambling, and some of our group didn't feel like doing it, so we didn't reach the summit of Loy Butte. We took a slightly different route down, and found a third cliff dwelling on the way, which we explored a little bit.
We went back around the U, then decided to ascend the smaller butte at the north end of the U. This was easily done via a chute on the north side of the butte. At the top we relaxed and enjoyed the vast views. We eventually descended and returned to the trailhead.
Along the way, a dog was barking at us for a while. We thought he was behind the fence that enclosed the ranch, but he emerged right behind us on the trail, still barking (and wagging his tail). I turned around to face him and he ran off.
Overall, beautiful views, beautiful day, perfect weather, and 3 sets of ruins. We didn't make it to the top of Loy Butte, but the views from the smaller butte were impressive. |
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