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| Hells Hole Trl #284 to Hilltop Ruin, AZ | | -
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| | Hells Hole Trl #284 to Hilltop Ruin, AZ | | | |
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Hells Hole Trl #284 to Hilltop Ruin, AZ
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| Hiking | 7.85 Miles |
1,658 AEG |
| | Hiking | 7.85 Miles | 7 Hrs 54 Mns | | 1.32 mph |
| 1,658 ft AEG | 1 Hour 56 Mns Break | | | |
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none
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| no partners | | This hike was on my list of alternate day hikes for my 6 night camping trip to the Sierra Ancha Mountains and it did not disappoint. It starts out from the Reynolds Trailhead for the Hell's Hole Trail #284 just off HW288. It immediately starts climbing through a forest of pine, a few firs and oak trees. Reaching the top of a ridge it then drops down into Workman Creek Canyon. The creek was a little too high for rock hopping and the small log across the creek was wet and looked very slippery. So I opted for wading across in the wading shoes I had packed. After the creek crossing, the trail climbs up the hillside into a forest of tall pines. At about 3.6 trail miles the off-trail starts to the top of Peak 5682, about a quarter mile. Bushwhacking was minimized by sticking to small clearings connected by animal trails.
Part way up the hill there was what appeared to be a retaining wall with small walled rooms lined along the edge of the terrace formed by backfilling behind the retaining wall. The room walls were collapsed to about 2 to 3 ft high and mostly hidden by tall grass and brush. I did not have time to explore the extent of this structure across the hillside. Upon reaching the top of the hill, I was greeted by a high rock wall partially collapsed in some sections. The high parts of the wall were about 6.5 ft high. This defensive wall is an impressive structure extending around the periphery of the hilltop. Based on Google Earth measurements, it is roughly a 200 x 100 ft rectangle. There are a few rooms along the west side of the wall with the rest of the enclosed area divided up into two major courtyards. The interior walls have collapsed down to about 3-4 ft high. The hilltop provides views up and down Workman Creek Canyon including a view of Peak 5344, which also has ruins, about 1.3 miles away.
The return to the trailhead went much quicker due to not taking a bunch of photos and not stopping to take off my hiking shoes and accompanying snake gaiters in exchange for wading shoes when crossing Workman Creek. |
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