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| | | Along the Gila Trail - Dec2011, AZ | | | |
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Along the Gila Trail - Dec2011, AZ
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| Hiking | 5.00 Miles |
250 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.00 Miles | 6 Hrs | | 0.83 mph |
| 250 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Along the Gila Trail - Dec2011
Put some miles on the F-150 today dodging rain showers and retracing a section of the GILA TRAIL while on the "trail of the ancients" from;
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument => [ Casa Grande Ruins National Monument ]
Hohokam Pima National Monument (aka "Snaketown")
Patio Area Petroglyph Site => [ Patio Area Petroglyph Site ]
Gatlin Site - Gila Bend => [ Gatlin Site - Gila Bend ]
Painted Rocks Petroglyph Site => [ Painted Rocks Petroglyph Site ]
Sears Point Petroglyph Site => [ Sears Point Petroglyph Sites ]
Antelope Hill Petroglyph Site => [ Antelope Hill Petroglyph Site ]
Confluence of Gila River with Colorado River near Yuma AZ? => Unexplored territory for this author (but suspect the area is rich in ancient artifacts...)
Missed out on a "drive-by" of the Fortaleza Ruins between the Gatlin Site and Painted Rocks Petroglyph Site => [ Fortaleza, San Lucy District, Maricopa County ]
I've embedded in a HAZ FORUM post a reference document I used researching the GILA TRAIL => [ Along the Gila Trail - Dec2011 ] . Thought I would share with HAZ members.
I'd appreciate hearing from anyone with some "insights" on rock art near the confluence of the Gila and Colorado Rivers. I've never had a chance to explore this area and suspect there are some significant sites. 
Started the day heading down the I-10 towards Casa Grande searching out the "Snaketown" site near Gila River bridge. From the NPS website;
"Hohokam Pima National Monument was authorized by Congress on October 21, 1972, to protect an ancient Hohokam village known today as "Snaketown." Excavations in the 1930's and again in the 1960's revealed the site was inhabited from about 300 BC to around 1200 AD and may have had up to 2,000 inhabitants. Following the last excavations, the site was completely recovered with earth, leaving nothing visible above ground. The Monument is located on the Gila River Indian Reservation and is under tribal ownership. The Gila River Indian Community has decided not to open the extremely sensitive area to the public. There is no park brochure, passport stamp, picture stamp or other free literature available. Snaketown was first excavated in 1934 by the Gila Pueblo Foundation, under the direction of Harold S. Gladwin. Between 1964-1965, a second excavation was led by Emil Haury. The two expeditions discovered that the site contained more than sixty midden mounds. A central plaza and two ovel shaped fields were surrounded by pit houses, and an elaborate irrigation system fed the nearby fields in which beans, maize and squash were grown."
My home library has many historical photos from the principal archeologists from the "Snaketown digs" and I recall some of the artifacts are on display at the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. I conduct a drive-by of the Snaketown site bounded by the I-10 on the east, the Gila River on the south, Maricopa Road on the west and Riggs Road on the north. The site is completely buried, unkown, and returned to nature. Check out the 2009 video archive posted by University of Arizona commemorating the excavation's 75th anniversary => https://uanews.org/node/26247
I now head towards the village of Maricopa and Hwy 238 in search of the Patio Area Petroglyph Site. A chance to explore before a squall line comes in from the south bringing some serious rain. Time to head out.
A stop at the Shawmutt Trainspotting Loop yields some interesting clouds. The dogs are appreciative of the chance to stretch their legs after that bumpy escape along the 4x4 tracks from the Patio Area.
Next up is the Gatlin Site. A sad, lonely spot after the acrimonious divorce between the Town of Gila Bend and the Arizona Archeological Society.
A stop in Gila Bend to pick up some 'burgs and we make the trek out to the Painted Rocks Petroglyph Site to enjoy lunch in the pouring rain!
Sears Point and Antelope Hill (was also going to check the nearby Texas Hill rock art site, but had enough rain for one day) are up next before the stretch run home to catch the 2nd half and OT of the Cards game... |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
The muscle cars racing at 
On the drive out, I spent about an hour pruning some of the major desert pin-stripers along the approach road. One still needs to be adept, but it's better now than it was. I also find it strange that four wheelers can still drive vehicles into the wilderness area at the Montezuma Peak TH.
