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| Hiking | 18.70 Miles |
4,252 AEG |
| | Hiking | 18.70 Miles | 7 Hrs 30 Mns | | 2.49 mph |
| 4,252 ft AEG | | 20 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | In my nascent adventuring career I've been measuring hikes and trail runs as successful depending
on whether I bled or not. Making a small exception for this one, as I don't believe it's humanly possible
to traverse the mesa without a little DNA impeding your LNT.
Drove in an ordinary 10 year old sedan - only the final 1-2 miles are unpaved but quite good condition.
Arrived at 6am, Spur Cross has a $3 fee but nobody was there to take it. Step over a low passage through
the right side of the gate, leave your $3 in an envelope at the station, detach the tab and carry it
with you.
I followed the "standard" trail route up 48 and across 247, but there is clearly a shorter trail on the map that cuts directly NE mentioned on other triplogs that would reduce mileage.
Upon reaching the top, once you start your way north you will encounter another small rocky ridge. I scrambled up it on the way out, but on the return found an easy path back down marked with cairns. The path is nice if you can find it, but I wouldn't waste too much time if you can just find a decent scrambling spot.
Past this you are completely on your own bushwhacking, save for game trails that occasionally mat down the grass slightly. The mesa had far more and denser vegetation than I expected, 3-4 miles each way of knee to waist high snake habitat, and larger bushes and cacti impeding visibility. Hidden between the thick bush are countless cacti, traversing the mesa was a bit of a slog as you had to plan every step. Even in December, it was warm enough in the middle of the day that I was a bit nervous of snakes. I would not attempt this outside of the winter months for that reason. I did not encounter any snakes, but did run across 3 whitetail deer in the middle of the top of Skull Mesa as a treat.
The petroglyphs were much more difficult to find than I expected, I eventually cheated and looked up the GPS marker. Even then, I was only able to find 1 rock, though it was spectacular. In Ruins Seldom Seen, the author mentions the petroglyphs are spread over a wide area. I searched for about half an hour but unfortunately didn't find any of the others.
Upon reaching the northern ridgeline, the 3 peaks and 2 saddles will be clearly visible. The third/farthest peak is the ultimate target, though it still looks quite far away. The first peak is rocky/bouldery, but up and over is not difficult, on par with Camelback terrain. At first I attempted another up and over of the second peak, but the descent side looked too steep and sketchy. From the top, I spotted a much better path and scrambled down to connect with it - skip the ascent completely, instead head low and down to the right and you can traverse a flat path around this peak.
The lower ruins will now appear, beginning with the long wall on the right, but there are numerous other rooms scattered about, and you can also find a number of pottery sherds gathered together on a rock by someone previously. The final peak is steeper than the previous 2 but well worth it, as the ruins at the top are spectacular, and being on a mountain top, the backdrops are stunning.
I went in late December, starting in the cold dark at 6am. It still became quite warm in the mid day sun. I took roughly a gallon of water which was just about right for me, over 7.5 hours. I did 18.6 miles but you should be able to do it in 15 or so if you cut the most direct routes possible. |
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