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| Hiking | 3.90 Miles |
2,489 AEG |
| | Hiking | 3.90 Miles | 7 Hrs 30 Mns | | 0.52 mph |
| 2,489 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Hike to Devil's Chasm Ruins in the Sierra Ancha Wilderness.
We left Gilbert, AZ about 6:00p Friday evening.
Stopped in Globe @ Safeway for some supplies.
We reached the TrailHead/"Campground" to Devil's Chasm approximately 9:30p. Late November, weather was perfect for sleeping, 45 degrees F.
One other party @ the site. Turns out they were hiking to Cold Springs Ruins the next day.
Sat. am. started up the trail...very pretty foliage. The trail is fairly easy to pick out for the first mile or so. Keep the stream in the Devil's Chasm to your right. It is easier if you follow the trail on the side of the canyon as long as possible. It is easier than boulder hopping, which you will get enough of soon enough. GPS had pretty good coverage the first mile or so, 25' accuracy, but jumped to 150' accuracy further up the canyon. Very scenic. at about 3/4 mi. you will come to a large boulder that looks impassable. there is a sturdy 3/4" black nylon rope that some nice hiker has left for others to the right of the boulder, use it to scale this obstacle. Note water runs underground about this time.
At about 2 1/2 mi. (according to my GPS, but only about 1 mile according to my Topo Map) you will exit the canyon to the north, your right and scale an approximate 45 degree slope, up to the ruins. It is easy to miss. I can see why many have attempted this hike and never found it. The ruins are not visible until you are about 50 yds out of the canyon. Expect to be on your hands and knees in several spots. The ruins are literally in the side of a 200' sheer cliff. 12 rooms by our count. Several timbers and some cross beams still in tact. We noted 3 metates. Extremely impressive views. The sheer climb to the ruins really gives one pause to thought as to why in the world anyone would live there? Maybe they came down from the Upper Chasm instead, but in any event the last 500' would give anyone pause.
Perfect hiking weather, 60's in the canyon. All told the hike was 7 1/2 hrs. with about 2 hrs. at the ruins and numerous, over a dozen photo stops up and back. The people we talked to indicated they heard you could make it up and back in an hour and a half. We really question that. My GPS logged us @ 5 3/4 miles round trip. The Topo showed us @ about 3 1/2 miles round trip, so accounting for switchbacks and "meandering" 5 is probably pretty accurate. Returned to camp @ 4:30p. We saw 2 wild turkeys across the road from our camp. Someone must have told them it was safe to come out, as Thanksgiving was 2 days ago! |
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