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| Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Trails, AZ | |
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| | Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Trails, AZ | | | |
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Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Trails, AZ
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| Hiking | 14.64 Miles |
2,839 AEG |
| | Hiking | 14.64 Miles | 8 Hrs 31 Mns | | 2.09 mph |
| 2,839 ft AEG | 1 Hour 30 Mns Break | | | |
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[ show ]
| partners | | This was my first time hiking in the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness. The goal today was to see some ruins on Packard Mesa.
I teamed up with wilderness guru @WildforAZ on this hike. We did an out-and-back hike from the Parsons TH. We started on the Parsons Trail, which we took for about 0.3 miles down to Sycamore Creek/Canyon. From there we took the Packard Trail up to and across Packard Mesa.
Water was flowing really strong in Sycamore Creek, and there was no way to cross without getting your feet wet. I didn't want to start off by getting my shoes and socks wet, and didn't want to cross barefooted, so I went back up the hill and got some shoes to wear. That took a bit of time and added a little distance and elevation gain to the hike for me.
After getting across the creek it was an fairly steep and rocky climb up to the mesa, gaining about 1,200 feet over 2 miles. Once on top of the mesa it was a fairly flat walk for about 4 miles until we got close to the ruins, and then had to climb a bit to get to the ruins. There were some Sedona-like views while moving along the mesa, and the snow capped San Francisco Peaks were enjoyable to see.
It was a bit of a climb to get to the ruins, but it wasn't too steep. The ruins were very impressive I thought and explored a bit while there. Views were great at the ruins, and I imagine that it was an expensive piece of real estate back in the day!
We returned the way that we came. There is lots of sun exposure atop the mesa which made it seem warmer than it was (low 70's). The descent back down to Sycamore Canyon was rocky so I went fairly slow going back down.
The ruins were great and I was glad that I got to see them. I hope to to back to the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness this summer and hike to Hog Hill, the wilderness highpoint.
Thanks to @WildforAZ for driving. The dirt road to the TH was better than I thought that it might be. The road was wide and would be fine for a crossover SUV if dry. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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| Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there |
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