Swansea Ghost Town • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Nov 05 2022

GrangerGuy

Guides 34
Routes 138
Photos 931
Triplogs 111

68 male

Joined Dec 26 2018
Phoenix, AZ

Peak 1732 - Swansea Wilderness

Southwest, AZ

Peak 1732 - Swansea Wilderness

Southwest, AZ

Hiking		Nov 05 2022
		GrangerGuy • Triplogs 111

Hiking	8.90 Miles	1,073 AEG

Hiking	8.90 Miles	5 Hrs 45 Mns		1.87 mph
	1,073 ft AEG	1 Hour Break	15 LBS Pack

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Swansea Ghost Town

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I carefully drove my Jeep Cherokee from [ Swansea Ghost Town ] down to the Bill Williams River. There is a narrow corridor of non-wilderness carved out for this road, and when you get to the end of the road, you are already surrounded by the wilderness. The register at the road end suggests some visitation there, but it seems to be people mostly hiking or driving the road, and not venturing off into the wilderness from there.

I had planned a loop route down the Bill Williams, then up a wash to the left and down another wash back to my car. As soon as I started checking out the plan along the river, I realized that the edges are choked with mesquite and other tangled brush, and that was a bad plan. Had I brought the right shoes, I think I could have made it with multiple fords of the river, but I wasn’t prepared for an Aravaipa-type experience.

Instead, I walked up a dry wash, into the heart of the wilderness, and climbed a peak that commanded a great view to the east. The walking up the wash was easy, often following burro tracks, and the summit was an enjoyable lunch spot. It was very quiet at the summit, except for the vague rumble of OHVs beyond the ridge to the west.

It looks like the ridge tops as well offer ample opportunities for rambling. I might have returned by a ridge top route, but I generally stick to my planned route as much as possible.

Parts of the road in offer no long visibility to on-coming traffic and no place to pull off which is a little nerve-wracking. When I was coming out, I was fortunate that I had just completed the most nip-and-tuck such section on slickrock when I met an OHV coming the other way. I would not have wanted to back up on that! Other than that one I saw no other vehicles beyond the ghost town.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Apache Hedgehog Hedgehog Cactus

Jan 14 2015

kingsnake

Guides 116
Routes 337
Photos 11,399
Triplogs 894

63 male

Joined Dec 20 2010
Sunnyslope, PHX

Swansea Ghost Town

Southwest, AZ

Swansea Ghost Town

Southwest, AZ

Hiking		Jan 14 2015
		kingsnake • Triplogs 894

Hiking	6.70 Miles	902 AEG

Hiking	6.70 Miles	4 Hrs 30 Mns	1.49 mph
	902 ft AEG

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I've had this one on my list for awhile, but given the remoteness, and length of drive, I'd put it off until today. Only speeding about 5 mph, I made it to Swansea in about four hours driving time. (Not counting a half hour stop in Midway.) On the way back out, leaving at 4:00 p.m., I made it 26 miles back to Bouse in under 40 minutes. (With no posted speed limit, I channeled my inner Sebastien Loeb. :whistle:

)

Coincidentally, while researching this hike, I found out that the movie "Day of the Wolves" filmed its heist training scenes there. That answered my 40-year old question, "What is the name of that cool movie I saw when I was a kid where a team of robbers held up a town, but were stopped by a shotgun wielding sheriff?" (Where the answer definitely was not "High Noon".) Richard Egan was the star. And, yes, "Day of the Wolves" is available for free on YouTube.

The first, larger arch is across a small canyon, I took a few shots, but did not hike out to it, as all the driving time put ghost hunting time at a premium. However, I did hike up to the hills to USLM 2797, so I at least got some AEG for the day. Oddly enough, a few hours later, I found an even older USLM 2797 marker at the base of the water tower hill, a half mile northeast. :-k

I also skipped a second, smaller, arch I spotted on the same ridge as the USLM. Climbing to the USLM saddle was steep & slippery, and required some minor scrambling, but the saddle itself was mild. 4-bar Verizon on top. (1-2 bar reception amongst the ruins in town.)

If you look at the satellite view, all the square brownish objects you see are not ruins, but are shaft covers. First time I've seen anything more elaborate than a few token pieces of barbwire protecting a shaft. Other than one adit, the adits are also covered.

Most of Swansea's ruins are marked by small silver signs indicating the building's purpose and year of origin. The major ruins also have a larger sign with back-in-the-day pictures, and multiple paragraphs of historical information.

Only disappointment was the lack of identifiable, labelled, or even occupied, graves in the two cemeteries. Maybe they'd all turned into ghosts ... or zombies!? :scared:

I was surprised how extensive the ruins are. Best I've seen in my limited ghost town experience. :y:

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Hike Video : http://youtu.be/yToKcM9Pp9M

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Automobile Remains/Wreckage Cag Shot Cairn Grave - Identified Grave - Unidentified Graveyard Humor Informational/Interpretive Sign Mine Shaft Pioneer Industry Railroad Right-of-Way Reference Mark Stone Dwelling Summit Register Log Throwing a Wendy

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Clara Peak Natural Arch Rawhide Mountains

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WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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