Cherry Creek Road FR 203 • 4x4 Trip • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Globe, AZ

4x4 Trip		Jul 19 2022
		GeeEss • Triplogs 45

4x4 Trip	40.40 Miles	3,713 AEG

4x4 Trip	40.40 Miles	4 Hrs 30 Mns	13.47 mph
	3,713 ft AEG

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A true adventure today, as I returned to Cherry Creek Rd at Sierra Ancha to see if it was navigable one end to the other, north to south. I had traversed the entire road more than once many years ago, but a fire in 2016 led to several wash-outs. There was also the matter of an enormous boulder that had fallen to block the road. Finally, there were (and apparently remain) some legal issues regarding the position of the road in relation to a wilderness area, which I have been informed might only be remedied by an act of Congress.

The good news is we made it -- but just barely. As tough as any road I have ever driven all the way through. To anyone considering this attempt, I recommend against it. Were it not for my trusty winch, we would be there still, though in all fairness, my tires are not the best which may have contributed to the problem. But a very dicey piece of road at 33° 52.872' -110° 53.740', and the next couple miles a burned out area of one miserable spot after another. Very stressful here, since I knew there was no longer any option to turn back. Oh well, all's well that ends well.

It is a fascinating area that boasts an entirely unique agave population, consisting of an isolated A. palmeri pop heavily introgressed with A. parryi, perhaps a smidge of A. chrysantha, and possibly even some feral domesticates from pre-Columbian Native Americans. Suffice to say, the agaves here I have seen nowhere else. And that is what I was there for.

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Jan 14 2022

Steph_and_Blake

Guides 100
Routes 63
Photos 2,548
Triplogs 184

76 male

Joined Nov 21 2015
Grand Junction,

Globe, AZ

4x4 Trip		Jan 14 2022
		Steph_and_Blake • Triplogs 184

4x4 Trip	40.40 Miles	3,713 AEG

4x4 Trip	40.40 Miles
	3,713 ft AEG

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Drove from the lower end of Cherry Creek up to the TH for Pueblo/Cold Springs. Beforehand I spoke with 3 different ranger districts to get info on the possible closure of FR203. Tonto Basin said the road was closed, but couldn't say exactly where. Mesa said they heard it was closed, but that I should talk with the Payson office. The Payson office said that it wasn't closed YET, but that it would be in the future. She couldn't tell me if the entirety of Cherry Creek Road would be closed or just the portions above Devil's Chasm that weave in and out of the the Sierra Anchas Wilderness nor could she tell me when the closures would take effect. She did advise, though, that the road was in terrible condition, she advised driving it in anything other than an ATV and that you couldn't get around the "big boulder" anymore. She said that the yet-to-be-implemented MVUM was not yet available online.

For what it's worth, we had no problems driving our lifted Toyota FJ the section that we drive, though it was rather rough at times above the Ellison Ranch. Furthermore, I didn't see what I would call a really large boulder that required careful tire placement lest you ding up your vehicle. Perhaps it got moved?

Would advise future travelers to call the Payson office for Tonto NF before venturing out.

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Stephanie and Blake Barnard

Apr 23 2020

Guides 9
Routes 473
Photos 8,433
Triplogs 626

79 male

Joined Dec 07 2010
Phoenix, AZ

Cherry Creek Canyon Wander #3, AZ

Hiking		Apr 23 2020
		Oregon_Hiker • Triplogs 626

Hiking	3.00 Miles	750 AEG

Hiking	3.00 Miles	5 Hrs 30 Mns	0.55 mph
	750 ft AEG

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This was my third day hike of my 4 night car camping trip to Cherry Creek in the Sierra Ancha Mountains. The plan was to do another short wander out of camp to verify the route of an old road bed which passed by camp and to check the top of a nearby hill for possible ancient Indian Ruins. I was able to verify the route of the old road through an area that has been torn up over the years by flash flood erosion.

I decided to take the scenic and easier route to the hill top by hiking up the Pueblo Canyon Trail to a point above the hill and then follow a ridge down to the top of the hill. This made it an easy hike for my last day. Unfortunately, no Indian Ruins. While descending the steep hillside back to FR203 I heard the distinctive rattle of a nearby snake. I stopped to determine if he was ahead of me or behind me while he kept up a persistent rattle. He was a few feet ahead of me in a thick clump of grass in the shade of a bush. I slowly backed up a few steps then got out the camera but couldn't see him. I chose to take a different route down the hill after thanking him for giving me a warning which also led to taking a better route down the hill. This would be my only snake encounter of the trip which is surprising considering all the off trail wandering I did in heavy cover and the warm weather. That doesn't include the Gopher Snake that I stopped to let cross Cherry Creek Road while driving here four days ago.

Had another relaxing afternoon in the shade reading a book and then packed up the next morning for the drive back to Covid-19 mayhem. On the drive home I finally turned on the radio to hear some news an hour out of Phoenix. Big mistake, everyone was ranting about injecting disinfectants to cure Covid-19. I was ready to turn around and head back to the Sierra Ancha but that wouldn't have gone over too well with Mrs. OH.

Flora

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[ checklist ] Desert penstemon

Culture

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[ checklist ] Trash Hauled Out

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[ checklist ] Cold Spring Canyon Cooper Forks Moody Point

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Apr 22 2020

Guides 9
Routes 473
Photos 8,433
Triplogs 626

79 male

Joined Dec 07 2010
Phoenix, AZ

Cherry Creek Canyon Wander #2, AZ

Hiking		Apr 22 2020
		Oregon_Hiker • Triplogs 626

Hiking	2.60 Miles	560 AEG

Hiking	2.60 Miles	4 Hrs 16 Mns	0.61 mph
	560 ft AEG

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The plan for this day hike out of camp was to spend some time searching for a small pueblo style ruin that is supposed to be located close to where FR203 crosses Pueblo Canyon Creek. I searched this area before with no luck but wanted to check some areas I hadn't covered before. I didn't find any sign of ancient habitation on this day but was able to probe about a 100 yds up Pueblo Canyon from FR203 - some interesting geology up there.

After the ruin search the plan was to scout out another section of the old abandoned road bed that probably provided access up Cherry Creek before the current FR203 road was built. This old road bed is a short distance lower down the side of the canyon from the current FR203. FR203 was built in the 1950s with government funding from the Atomic Energy Commission to aid prospecting and mining for uranium. FR203 at one time was known as the AEC Road. It would be interesting to know the history of the old road. It is not shown on a 1950 McFadden Peak USGS map of the area. That 1950 map shows the Cherry Creek Road ending at Ellison Ranch and it shows a road descending from Board Tree Saddle on HW288 to the PB Ranch on PB Creek. But no roads are shown following Cherry Creek between PB Ranch and the Ellison Ranch. In the mid 1920s the Cherry Creek Road only extended from HW288 as far as the first Cherry Creek crossing. Access to Ellison Ranch from that point was via a wagon trail.

I was only able to follow the old road bed for a short distance below FR203 before reaching an area where it had been wiped out by flash flood damage from a couple of small drainages. So I bushwhacked across Pueblo Creek stopping there for a snack and then headed up the north side towards camp. I discovered the other end of the old road near camp and where it connected with the section of old road I had followed the day before. This old road followed land contours that allowed a bare minimum of excavation for building the road but it probably wasn't wide enough and had sections that were too steep for bringing in mining equipment and hauling out ore.

It was a short hike on this day but the shade back at camp was welcoming as the afternoon temps were getting a little warm.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Yellow Columbine

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Campsite

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Pueblo Canyon

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Apr 21 2020

Guides 9
Routes 473
Photos 8,433
Triplogs 626

79 male

Joined Dec 07 2010
Phoenix, AZ

Cherry Creek Canyon Wander, AZ

Hiking		Apr 21 2020
		Oregon_Hiker • Triplogs 626

Hiking	3.20 Miles	1,170 AEG

Hiking	3.20 Miles	6 Hrs	0.53 mph
	1,170 ft AEG

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This was the first day hike on a 4 night car camping trip to Cherry Creek canyon - Sierra Ancha Mountains. I decided to scout out an old road bed that passed by my campsite. I would find that it dropped down into a drainage and then went up to the top of a hill that @Grasshopper and I had explored back in March, 2016. This area is covered with thick growths of Juniper trees, manzanita and scrub oak. I suspected there would be ancient Indian ruins hidden along my planned route. So I took my time zig zagging around looking for evidence of ancient habitation but with no success. I have removed much of that zig-zagging from my gps track.

I re-discovered a weird sign engraved in a thick wooden plank that @Grasshopper and I had found on that hike in 2016. It was laying under a Juniper tree right where we left it. The meaning of the words engraved in this thick plank was a mystery back then and still is. But some recent searching on Google has led me to think that it is referring to an on-line video game, Trove, and a "fan-run community website" for that game called Trovesaurus. I'm waiting for an expert's opinion. He's my grandson who has been an avid on-line gamer for years and will be getting his masters degree in computer science in May. If it is referring to that video game, maybe my grandson can shed some light on why a computer nerd gamer would make that sign and leave it in a rugged off-road location in the Sierra Ancha Mountains. Could it be related to Geocaching?

I had left camp that morning with no definite hiking destination in mind other than to verify the route of that old road bed and then wander where ever my curiosity led me. After viewing a knob (hill) protruding from the canyon side with what appeared to be an easy route to the top, I headed in that direction. Perhaps there was an ancient rock pile on top of that knob. My route to the knob first led along a short section of FR203. A small rock slide on that section of road had left an impediment to driving further up FR203. [ photo ] After examining this obstacle in the road I decided I would not be driving further up the road from where I was camped. Short wheel base ATVs had been crossing it with ease and maybe short wheel base full size 4x4s with high lifts but it seemed too risky for my vehicle.

Climbing to the top of that knob turned out to be much more difficult than I had anticipated. The hillside was much steeper than it had looked viewing straight on from a distance. It was more of a scramble than a hike. Crawling on all fours was frequently required and every step had to be carefully made to avoid sliding back down the hillside. Unfortunately my efforts were not rewarded with finding signs of ancient habitation hidden in the brush and trees on top of the knob. However there were some good views and the only cell phone reception I would find over my 5 day stay in the area. I was feeling nervous about the safety of the descent back down that steep hillside. So I sent a SPOT position check and a text to @Grasshopper to look for an OK SPOT message from me when I got back to camp later that afternoon. The return descent turned out to be easier than anticipated and 2 hours later I was back in camp sitting in the shade with a cold beer reading a book (and swatting those pesky gnats and mosquitoes.)

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cherry Creek Pueblo Canyon

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Apr 20 2020

Guides 9
Routes 473
Photos 8,433
Triplogs 626

79 male

Joined Dec 07 2010
Phoenix, AZ

[ checklist ] Aztec Peak Hackberry Mountain Zimmerman Point 6871 - Sierra Ancha

Globe, AZ

4x4 Trip		Apr 20 2020
		Oregon_Hiker • Triplogs 626

4x4 Trip	24.10 Miles	4,400 AEG

4x4 Trip	24.10 Miles	2 Hrs	12.05 mph
	4,400 ft AEG

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I headed up Cherry Creek Canyon for 4 nights of car camping with day hikes out of camp every day. The destination was one of my favorite campsites in Cherry Creek Canyon near the confluence of Pueblo Canyon Creek and Cherry Creek. It was a beautiful day and I was in no hurry so stopped frequently to take in the views, take photos and contemplate the history and archaeology of this area.

Both Coon Creek and Cherry Creek were flowing. There were a couple guys fishing at the first Cherry Creek Crossing with a fine mesh throw net - said they were fishing for minnows to use as bait for bass fishing.

I stopped to take photos of the remains of an old house with walls made with adobe bricks. The method of construction and materials were very similar to a couple burned out houses I had recently seen up Camp Creek off of the Seven Springs Road at Columbine Spring. [ photo ] I have not been able to find information on when those houses were built. This house on Cherry Creek Road was built by Glen R. (Slim) Ellison and his wife, Judy (Jewel), about 1940 with adobe bricks they made themselves. The walls have the same adobe brick construction with stucco over chicken wire protecting the adobe from the elements as the houses at Columbine Spring. Slim and Jewel lived on that property for 22 years starting around 1927-1930. So they lived there for a while before building the adobe house. Slim was the brother of Travis (Buster) Ellison who founded the Ellison Ranch further up the canyon off Cherry Creek Road. Slim was an old time cowboy not used to domesticated living. He and his wife could have lived there for some time in a tent or a small shack before building the house. I doubt that Slim ever wandered to the Camp Creek area or had anything to do with the building of those adobe houses.

Cherry Creek Road was in good condition all the way to the second Cherry Creek crossing at the Ellison Ranch. After that there are some very rocky rough spots requiring 4x4 and high clearance both before and after Devils Chasm. I drive a FJ Cruiser which is stock except for a very modest 1.7 inch lift on the front suspension and had no problems though I did walk one section of road before attempting it to determine the best path for avoiding clearance problems. The huge boulder that partially blocked the road the last time I was on this road in Feb 2018 has been moved to provide plenty of clearance for full size vehicles. A modest amount of water was flowing in the creeks at the Devils Chasm, Cold Spring Cny and Pueblo Cny crossings.

I did not drive further than about 0.2 miles past the Pueblo Canyon creek crossing so don't know about the FR203 road conditions beyond that point. I did walk the road for a short distance past that point on one of my hikes and saw a small rock slide across the road with a couple of boulders in the debris. [ photo ] It was more than I would want to attempt crossing with my FJ Cruiser because of clearance issues but ATVs with shorter wheel bases had been driving over it with no problem. I also observed several caravans of ATVs cruising up FR203 over the 4 days I was there and never saw any of them returning. So it would appear that they were able to drive all the way up FR203 to HW288.

It was a relaxing 4 night stay with day hikes to explore the area around my campsite getting back to camp by about 2-3pm before the temps reached an uncomfortable level for hiking. The remainder of the afternoons were spent relaxing in the shade at camp reading a book and planning the next day's hike. No cell phone service and never turned on the radio for the entire time I was there. What a relief to escape from the constant Covid-19 news updates. The only nuisance were tiny biting gnats and mosquitoes which would plague me anytime the breezes died down while sitting in camp in the afternoons. They sometimes forced me to retreat into my car while reading. Fortunately the car was parked in the shade and I have screens for the two roll down windows to keep the bugs out.

Culture

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[ checklist ] HAZ - Hike HAZard

Named place

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2 archives

Aug 17 2018

Stoic

Routes 297
Photos 6,928
Triplogs 552

49 male

Joined Dec 30 2007
Avondale,Az

Aztec Peak/ Young / FR203, AZ

4x4 Trip		Aug 17 2018
		Stoic • Triplogs 552

4x4 Trip	50.01 Miles	5,000 AEG

4x4 Trip	50.01 Miles	8 Hrs 6 Mns	8.20 mph
	5,000 ft AEG

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Pleasant Valley Vista Loop #9

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A friend invited me on a trip to Young, Arizona. He wanted to drive to Aztec Peak to watch the sunrise. I had never been in this area, so I quickly researched some things to do. He is more of a off-road guy, than a hiking guy, so I came up FR203 for our trip home.
We left my house around 1:30am. We stopped in Apache Junction to top off our fuel and grab some food. The topping off of the fuel, will be part of a friendly competition later. We arrived at Apache Peak around 5:30am. The tower was locked, so we found another location to watch the sunrise. We hung out for 30 minutes or so then headed back down. We stopped at the Moody Point Trailhead. We hiked a short distance down the trail, then headed back. We then headed to Young. We topped off our fuel one more time. My buddy was a little disappointed. He used .32 gallons more fuel. I win!! We then drove to the Pleasant Valley Vista Loop trail. It was a short trail with nice views of Young. We took our time and rested at each bench. It was a long 1/2 mile. We spend about an hour in the area, then headed toward FR203. The road is still tore up from all the rain and has some washed out areas. I was more worried about the boulders, which where all off the road. We spend about 4 hours driving down FR203.

**Edit**. I tried showing some of the FR203 road conditions. There where 2 washed out areas, worse than what is shown.

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2 archives

Feb 18 2018

MountainMatt

Guides 3
Routes 202
Photos 3,513
Triplogs 530

male

Joined Jan 24 2016
Arizona

Cherry Creek, AZ

Canyoneering		Feb 18 2018
		MountainMatt • Triplogs 530

Canyoneering	3.14 Miles	771 AEG

Canyoneering	3.14 Miles	5 Hrs 5 Mns		1.11 mph
	771 ft AEG	2 Hrs 16 Mns Break	30 LBS Pack

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Jonnybackpack

A great adventure drive and hike on a Sunday in the Sierra Anchas!

Buford, Joel and I have all talked about the Falls marked on Cherry Creek long ago and seemed to have similar interests of what was down there.
I noticed @Oregon_Hiker was was in the nearby vicinity during his trip to Cherry and his photos of white slick rock was enough to sell me .
*Edit- I now notice @RedRoxx44 has already been here because she's awesome and seems to have visited every epic seldom traveled spot in the state!

The gorge we entered was beautiful and required some typical knee high wading and boulder hopping but nothing crazy.
We hit a definite swimmer in a narrow section but made an easy bypass and then made our way down to the Cherry Pie.

A very pristine and scenic canyon that boasted a great mix of plants and had a very wild feel to it.
We stayed until complete darkness and made the short but very steep hearty bushwhack out under the headlamps and glow of a crescent moon.

Long drive home with no accidents or rollovers, sure enough they recently graded the Young Highway from Highway 260 and it's currently in the best condition I've ever seen it.
Thanks again for driving Buford!

Cold Water Canyon

Pools to trickle

P B Creek

Light flow

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2 archives

Jan 28 2017

Johnnie

Photos 792
Triplogs 48

64 male

Joined Nov 29 2009
Gilbert, AZ

Globe, AZ

4x4 Trip		Jan 28 2017
		Johnnie • Triplogs 48

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went to the Sierra Anchas today with the intention of going to Pueblo Canyon Ruins in hopes of seeing a beautiful frozen waterfall following all the rain and freezing weather we have been having. It was not to be, most importantly cherry creek road is impassable between Devils Chasm and pottery point. see photos posted this date as to why. the photos should be self explanatory why this may take a while to remedy. recent issues with the state probably won't help to speed this up. that being said we walked the rest of the way up towards pueblo canyon. we encountered snow on the shady side of Pueblo (expected) but the real problem was as we got closer to entering the canyon the cliff face had a huge amount of icicles that were warming and falling down from great heights. it wasn't practical to enter the canyon and stay away from the cliff walls. we didnt get hit by any icicles but we did get hit with shrapnel from them, we retreated as a life saving measure which was very dissapointing because I suspect the waterfall at the end of the canyon was probably a huge frozen ice sculpture. also of interest was seeing the results of the fire in may on the upper approach trail to pueblo canyon (my first time up since the fire) it looks like the airforce napalmed the hill side. fortunately undergrowth is already starting to grow but the manzanita corridor was completely destroyed

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[ checklist ] Icicle

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Nov 14 2016

Guides 9
Routes 473
Photos 8,433
Triplogs 626

79 male

Joined Dec 07 2010
Phoenix, AZ

Cherry Creek at Cold Water Canyon, AZ

Hiking		Nov 14 2016
		Oregon_Hiker • Triplogs 626

Hiking	1.50 Miles	520 AEG

Hiking	1.50 Miles	3 Hrs 36 Mns		0.42 mph
	520 ft AEG		12 LBS Pack

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This was a hike down into the bottom of Cherry Creek Canyon from my campsite off of FR 203 near the north Grapevine Trail Head. I was planning on moving my campsite down FR 203 later in the day to check road conditions and damage from the Juniper Fire so it was to be a short hike. It was supposed to be an easy hike following cattle trails down to the water but it soon became apparent that there were no cattle trails for good reason - too much brush and cliffs. However after thrashing through the brush I found a break in the cliffs and reached a scenic section of Cherry Creek. I followed the creek down canyon past Cold Water Creek and then went back up stream a short distance where I found a very steep chute leading up through a break in the cliffs that provided an exit route back to camp. It was a good workout rewarded with a scenic section of Cherry Creek.

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Apr 08 2016

Guides 9
Routes 473
Photos 8,433
Triplogs 626

79 male

Joined Dec 07 2010
Phoenix, AZ

Camp Oregon Hiker - Cold Spring Canyon, AZ

Car Camping		Apr 08 2016
		Oregon_Hiker • Triplogs 626

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Car Camping

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It was the last night of my 4-night 5-day camping trip to the middle Cherry Creek Canyon area of the Sierra Ancha. I decided to move my camp from Camp Grasshopper down to a camp site on the side of FR203 in the bottom of Cold Spring Canyon. (See the geocode of the first photo for the exact camp location.) The Camp Grasshopper location [ description ] is my preferred campsite for this area of Cherry Creek Canyon. However its exposure on a ridge top just wasn't the place to be with high wind gusts and possible thunderstorms in the forecast for that night and the next day. The camp site in CS Canyon does not have the sweeping views directly from camp or the solitude of the camp GH site. However on the positive side, it is a short walk to the trail head for the CS Canyon, Pueblo Canyon and Coopers Fork cliff dwelling trails and has several level spots for tents tucked away under oak trees out of sight of the road. Parking space is limited with room for 2 cars. Moving the fire pit might make room for a 3rd car. Although near the bottom of the canyon it is high enough to avoid exposure to flash floods. There are also great views up Cold Spring Canyon just a short walk up the road. Of course one final plus was that Grasshopper hadn't already given his name to this site.

After spending 3 nights on a ridge top with wide open views both up and down Cherry Creek Canyon, this site made me feel a little claustrophobic. However late in the afternoon when some high gusts of wind came up I was happy to have the protection of the canyon walls and the surrounding forest of oak trees. I got my FJ leveled with the help of the abundant flat stones at this site and then set up the kitchen tarp which attaches to the back of the FJ. I was ready for rain. Dinner was OH's special hot dog sandwich, corn on the cob and a cabbage, tomato, bell pepper salad. The rain didn't really start to come down until I was tucked away in the sleeping quarters in the back of my FJ. The next morning dawned with clear blue sky dotted with cotton ball cloud puffs. The rain had just been enough to clear the air and settle the dust on the road. I started to make breakfast but realized that I was missing a good morning photo opportunity so grabbed a camera and walked up the road for some views of the canyon. After a leisurely breakfast I packed up camp and headed for home with a rare dust free drive on FR203 all the way to it's southern end at HW288.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cold Spring Canyon

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6 archives

Jul 13 2015

BobP

Guides 2
Routes 251
Photos 4,593
Triplogs 3,212

63 male

Joined Feb 26 2008
Scottsdale, AZ

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Jul 13 2015
		BobP • Triplogs 3,212

Hiking	3.90 Miles	2,160 AEG

Hiking	3.90 Miles	2 Hrs 45 Mns	1.61 mph
	2,160 ft AEG	20 Mns Break

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[ checklist ] Arizona Black Rattlesnake Great Plains Skink

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FOTG

I can sum the first .8 miles up with two initials BM. :yuck:

It was buggy and muggy. The upper half of the hike was much better when it opened up and you escaped from the jungle. The ruins are pretty impressive and the views were topnotch. Thanks for the invite Lee...sorry you were the only attendee at the safety meetings. For someone who talks a big game

, I did catch you using a rope

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Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Devils Chasm - Main South Fork

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Jul 02 2015

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,760

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Jul 02 2015
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	3.82 Miles	2,251 AEG

Hiking	3.82 Miles	3 Hrs 18 Mns		1.36 mph
	2,251 ft AEG	30 Mns Break	8 LBS Pack

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Hike 2 for the day.
Another matter of taking care of some unfinished business and some wish list items.

Drive the entire 40 mile length of Cherry Creek Road (203) before it's closed. Check
Drive the Back way to Young and then to Payson. Check
Finally get to the Devil's Chasm Ruin site. Check

After leaving the Four Peaks, this was next on our agenda. The 22 miles on Cherry Creek Rd getting to the Devil's Chasm TH was not bad with the only rough spots past Ellison Ranch. Even after all the rain they've had up there, Cherry Creek was low and easy enough for JJ to get through.... driving slowly :next:

https://youtube.com ... qqkU

OK, So finally at the lower TH.
I'd tried getting to the Ruins twice before, but via the non-standard means. Both previous tries we tried to drop down to the Ruins from above.

We tried one route w/ Joe and Joel (Bart01) in 2010 before getting cliffed out.... and then again, including JohnLP and JJ3 in 2012, once again getting cliffed out, on a different route. hikearizona.com/x.p ... 8890

JJ's Thermometer on the Jeep said 102 at the beginning of the hike. It was at least the high 90's... and humid. I knew it's gonna be a slow one as I don't care for the heat. The hike itself getting to the ruins is a pretty one. The creek was flowing nicely and was quite pretty. There is an easy to follow trail that is pretty well cairned.

The slick rock areas were pretty with the canyon in the background. We made it up the boulder area with the ropes okay. It was a little slick for me with my shoes and I used the ropes a bit to aid me.
*** Note to future hikers, the rope that looked to be the best of the two, is no longer in place. It snapped on me on the way back down ***

As others have mentioned in the past, the climb out of the creek bed, up to the ruin is steep and loose. Tree branches, roots and rocks to grab on to, are your friend, both going up and down.

All the work was worth it to see the ruins. One of the best examples of a well preserved ruin I've been to (that's not tourist attraction). The stone work and "Hand Patted" masonry work was great to finally see in person.

At the Ruin :next:

https://youtu.be/T7 ... sIJI

We chilled for a few minutes up top, trying to dry off. We were both drenched from the Hot, Humid hike up.

One wrong turn of the way down, but it's hard to get lost in a canyon. We rinsed off in the Creek before starting our next adventure, heading North on the next 19 miles of Cherry Creek Road, to meet up with the Back Road to Young.

Good times JJ.... now to continue on

Wildflowers Observation Light

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Nov 07 2014

ssk44

Guides 20
Routes 12
Photos 2,343
Triplogs 298

51 male

Joined Mar 31 2008
Gilbert, AZ

Cherry Creek - Sierra Ancha FR203, AZ

Hiking		Nov 07 2014
		ssk44 • Triplogs 298

Hiking	1.00 Miles	500 AEG

Hiking	1.00 Miles
	500 ft AEG

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Cherry Creek - Sierra Ancha FR203

This was my first time driving up Cherry Creek Road FR203. I can honestly say that is one rough nasty sucker. Good grief!! My chosen destination was clear up near the Hinton Creek confluence. The games begin just beyond Ellison Ranch. The summer rains must of had there way out hear. Its by no means technical four wheeling. Its just rough!! Ha! For some reason I had the idea that FR203 was a decent road with a periodic wash-out from time to time. I don't know where I got that idea. Driving up hear for a half day trip is crazy. Low range grinding all the way baby. Leave your stock p-metric tires at home. My hike in and out of Cherry Creek wasn't any picnic either. 500 vertical straight down with relentless loose rock. It ended up much steeper then the contours on my topo map indicated. Skinny zigzagging whitetail trails clinging to the steep brushy rock slope were the only relief. I use the word relief lightly. Whitetail deer trails are the worst game trails to follow. They will always get you down the hill but you will seriously pay your dues. This area is rough! There's just no way around it. In hindsight though, I must give credit where credit is due about FR203. Although terribly rough, it is extremely scenic. Crossing all of the lush beautiful sycamore lined perennial canyons coming off the Sierra Ancha Wilderness was immensely cool. Seeing Devils Chasm for the first time in person was amazing. That is one drive I wont soon forget.

Eric

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate
Mostly sycamore turning at this time. Nice balance of gold and green. Perfect in my opinion.

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MATTHEW 11:28-30 / PSALM 84:1-2

Aug 21 2014

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,760

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Cold Spring and Pueblo Canyon Ruins Tour, AZ

Hiking		Aug 21 2014
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	6.78 Miles	2,395 AEG

Hiking	6.78 Miles	6 Hrs 2 Mns		1.68 mph
	2,395 ft AEG	2 Hrs Break	12 LBS Pack

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Cold Spring Canyon Ruins

Pueblo Canyon Ruins

[ checklist ] Cold Spring Canyon Pueblo Canyon Sierra Ancha Wilderness

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JuanJaimeiii

Our plan "A" cancelled for the 2nd week in a row because they've had 11" on rain in 2 weeks there. As far as plan B's go.... This one Rocks Big Time! It was put together at 9pm the night before.

First, I challenge anyone to get down Cherry Creek Road to the TH any faster than JJ. There were 3 water crossings, all a piece of cake, even the final Cherry Creek crossing. It's definitely a high clearance road past the last Cherry Creek crossing, some might attempt it w/o 4x4, not sure I have the nards to give it a try. Saw some deer and Javelina on the way in, as well as numerous Vultures, sitting on fences next to the road, eyeing us.

Up to Cold Spring Canyon Ruins first, just less than 1.5 miles and 1100' of AEG. The trail is easy enough to follow to get into the ruins. This a 3 level Ruin, not all that big, but they had some great views. with a couple of verandas. One at the South end, one at the East end.

Off to Pueblo Canyon Ruins next. This is a whole nother type of ruins area. If you only have time for one while in the area, this is the one. The hike itself is 100x more interesting.

If you start at FR203 (Cherry Creek Rd), this is about 2.6 miles and 1600' of AEG to get to the farthest ruins. A very picturesque hike once most of your elevation is complete, you get your first views of the Ruins on the north side. You'll be following the contours of the canyon at around 5300' under alcoves, in the riparian area, past less impressive ruins, past the old mine and then you make your way under the waterfall when you start turning back to the east to the 3 main ruin sites.

We took our time going through these sites checking them out. We went around the corner so JJ could check out a scree field for a possible future assault from the top to this ruin. As he was gone for his 15 minutes of checking, I took an hour and 10 minute break.

The skies were getting darker and it was starting to sprinkle, so we thought it best to get it in gear and get on that road in case we got a deluge like earlier in the week.

A great hike and adventure.. I finally got out to this area... Now the Devils Chasm is the next to get off the list.

Thanks for driving JJ Andretti!

Now a plug for JJ's Real Estate selling abilities.
Can he actually sell me a broken down property? They are kind of long, but that's what happens when you hike with a salesman.

Disclaimer.. Pay no attention to the dollar values or room quantities. He's a Realtor and does not have to be correct. Videos will be too long for most.

Cold Spring Canyon Condo http://youtu.be/J-RUUg0oT-Q
Pueblo Canyon Estates - North https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mzel9Di_oVs
Pueblo Canyon Estates - South https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHskTeIDudM

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Tarantula

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Graffiti Inscriptions

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry

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Apr 28 2014

PrestonSands

Guides 170
Routes 148
Photos 5,914
Triplogs 2,097

48 male

Joined Apr 12 2004
Tucson, AZ

Pueblo Canyon Ruins

Pueblo Canyon Ruins

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Apr 28 2014
		PrestonSands • Triplogs 2,097

Hiking	8.00 Miles	3,517 AEG

Hiking	8.00 Miles	10 Hrs 30 Mns		1.23 mph
	3,517 ft AEG	4 Hrs Break	16 LBS Pack

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Cold Spring Canyon Ruins

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After a late night arrival and an unmercifully brief amount of sleep, I awoke at my campsite on FR 202 overlooking Cherry Creek and prepared for a day of cliff dwelling visitation. I passed the Ellison Ranch at the final Cherry Creek crossing and was soon at Devils Chasm, where I had planned to park. Surprise, the creek crossing was in perfect shape! I motored on, finally parking near the Cold Spring Canyon crossing. I donned my hat and pack and began the rocky climb up the old mine road.

Mine road became trail and then narrow path, and I pushed my way across a mountainside of thick brush. The north facing slope of Pueblo Canyon was a fern and forest paradise, with numerous seep springs, massive cliff walls and amazing views of my prehistoric destination that seemed deceptively close. After a time consuming traverse, I reached the old uranium mine tunnel. The builders of the north facing cliff dwelling next to the mine certainly had picked a wonderful spot. I wouldn't mind living here.

The sound of falling water greeted me as the canyon floor rose up to meet the trail, where I passed behind a lofty waterfall. The pool below it looked inviting, but the cool, windy conditions said otherwise.

A tiny, buzzing rattlesnake greeted me next to the trail as I approached the first cliff dwelling, but quickly withdrew into a crack to flick its tongue at me. This first dwelling, a.k.a. "Ringtail Ruin" was much larger and more impressive than I had expected. I marveled at the architecture and effort, exercised my camera and then sat down in the shade of the overhanging cliff to eat lunch. To my great surprise, two hikers soon appeared (the only others I would see the entire day). I talked with a man from Glenwood, New Mexico and his friend from Tucson before continuing on to the other ruins nearby. Another ruin destination was on my list for the day, so I made a quick retreat from Pueblo Canyon back to the old mine road, sending some large beast crashing into the trees in the process (I'm guessing a clumsy deer or probable bear).

Turning off onto another mine road, I rounded a ridge and entered Cold Spring Canyon, where my second and final destination of the day quickly came into sight: V:1:136, the "Crack House". Leaving this overgrown mine road, I fought gravity and vegetation and made the steep and slippery scramble up the mountainside to the ruin in the crack.

I had been wanting to see this ruin for years, so this was a special moment. Dumping my pack, I climbed three sets of wooden logs that acted as crude ladders to access the roof of the dwelling, located in a cave in the cliff. The Sierra Ancha Project had replaced one of the key roof beams 30 years earlier to stabilize the site, but I still walked VERY carefully for fear of damaging this amazing place. Peering over the edge of the balcony room in the cliff face overlooking Cold Spring Canyon was a fulfilling experience. Just an amazing place. The day soon grew late, so I made my way down from the Cold Spring Canyon ruin and began the hike back to Cherry Creek Road.

Back at my truck, I chose to blow off my concert plans later in the evening and spend a little more time with my beloved Sierra Ancha. I made my way down to Cherry Creek from Devils Chasm to enjoy an evening swim and then ate dinner on my tailgate, watching the Sierra Ancha skies fade to black. Days like these live among my very best memories.

Thoughts of work the next day finally motivated me to head for home. I arrived home in Tucson at 2 am, dead exhausted, with work only a few hours away. As usual, it was totally worth the exhaustion. It was a wonderful trip. :y:

	Pueblo Canyon	Light flow	Light flow
	waterfall was raining nicely, maybe a gallon a second

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"…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan

Mar 15 2014

BEEBEE

Guides 13
Routes 100
Photos 1,794
Triplogs 372

51 male

Joined Jul 27 2011
Mesa AZ

Globe, AZ

Car Camping		Mar 15 2014
		BEEBEE • Triplogs 372

Car Camping

Car Camping		6 Days 4 Hrs

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Grasshopper

Oregon_Hiker

I was invited to dinner at camp grasshopper after I did my SOTA Activation of McFadden Peak. It was a good meal with great company

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Campsite HAZ Decal

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"I hope we have once again reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: as government expands, liberty contracts."

Mar 13 2014

Grasshopper

Guides 48
Routes 510
Photos 9,555
Triplogs 578

79 male

Joined Dec 28 2006
Scottsdale, AZ

Globe, AZ

Car Camping		Mar 13 2014
		Grasshopper • Triplogs 578

Car Camping

Car Camping		6 Days

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[ checklist ] Elephant Rock Mesa - Sierra Ancha Wild Sierra Ancha Wilderness

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Oregon_Hiker

Planning for this "5nt/6day" (Thurs-3/13 to Tues-3/18) vehicle camping/off trail hike exploring and first time Spring'14 visit to this centrally located Cherry Creek Road (FR203) North location bordering our Sierra Ancha Wilderness (at 4188 feet elevation with week lows from 32-42F and shaded highs a pleasant 70-76F) first began back in October, 2013.

Because of the driving time (4 hours) and the number of miles (128) it takes me from South Scottsdale to reach this northern section of Cherry Creek Road for day hike explorations, it only makes sense for me to do a multi-day vehicle camping trip with local day hikes planned. Most all of which are going to be off-trail in this remote, historic, and most interesting section of our Sierra Ancha Wilderness.

My new HAZ "overview" hike description for this nice campsite location with linked picset describes and shows some of the surrounding camp area. One additional advantage of this campsite location that I neglected to mention is that it resides only a short .50 mile road hike down to perennial Cherry Creek which offers a nice area to obtain needed water for filtering or treating as well as offering an opportunity for a very pleasant and sometimes shaded foliage hike of most any length both up or down Cherry Creek.

For this six day vehicle camping trip, we had planned four (4) significant day hike explorations to

new areas we had yet to explore. I will plan to post a triplog and picset for all four and an edited for correctness GPS Route (with key way points included) for three of the four:

For Fri-3/14: Black Brush Uranium Mines - Sierra Ancha

For Sat-3/15: Grapevine Trail Indian Ruins - Sierra Ancha

For Sun-3/16: Exploring Upper Cherry Creek - Sierra Ancha

For Mon-3/17: Exploring Above Black Brush Uranium Mines

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Campsite HAZ Food

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Sunrise

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(Outside.. "there is No Place Like It!!")

Nov 13 2013

AZLumberjack

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 4,109
Triplogs 494

84 male

Joined Feb 17 2010
Apache Junction,

[ checklist ] Elephant Rock Arch - Sierra Ancha McFadden Horse Mountain PB Ranch/Cabin - Sierra Ancha Sierra Ancha Wilderness

Globe, AZ

4x4 Trip		Nov 13 2013
		AZLumberjack • Triplogs 494

4x4 Trip	40.40 Miles

4x4 Trip	40.40 Miles	5 Hrs	8.08 mph

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WOW, what a trip! Like to thank Hank (Grasshopper) and Larry (Oregon Hiker) for inviting me along on this spectacular 4x4 trip down Cherry Creek Road. We made the long trip out to the Northern end of NF-203 but only after a couple of short tours of the mesa above Cherry Creek Canyon. Larry's stock Toyota FJ Cruiser now has lots of new AZ pinstripping from the close quarters and a dent on one of the skid plates from the boulder strewn road.

On top of the Mesa, we found an awesome unnamed canyon that was short but extremely scenic with colorful vertical sides, so steep that we were unable to see the bottom. Later we discovered that this canyon was almost directly above the P B Ranch Cabin.

The drive is not for the faint-of-heart, as soon as you exit Hwy 288 you kiss civilization good-by for the next several hours as you suddenly drop almost 500 feet down the side of the canyon wall. The road(?) has 180 degree switchbacks, curves that almost leave you hanging in space and boulders poking up when you least expect them. But the extreme beauty of the trip and the isolation is why you come here. We only met an ATV with two persons and a dog along the entire length of the trip.

Occasionally Larry would stop so we could get out and explore the vicinity near the FJ. The silence is deafening, all you hear is the birds, and today, a light breeze rustling through the branches of the nearby Pine and Pinon trees.

The trip is slow because we always had to be observant for the high boulders, the wash-outs and even the occasional really large boulder lying in the middle of the road. Yeah, there was more than one time we looked at a large slab boulder in the road and debated whether to go on the high side or the cliff side to get past.

The P B Ranch cabin came into view after negotiating a sharp bend in the road so we decided to make that our lunch spot. Very interesting place and a must stop for anyone traveling down this road. The cabin is in amazingly good condition considering its location and remoteness. There's a log book inside but many just scratch their names into the weathered siding planks. There's a corral in the clearing that's in constant use and lots of "cow pies" in the tall grass.

Since this was our first trip through this remote wilderness, Larry kept the FJ in low range and 4-wheel drive just in case there was a surprise hidden in one of the many water crossings we made. We also passed numerous camping sites at the road-end of the canyons that are suitable for overnight use. We weren't prepared for an extended stay so we kept slowly driving down this super scenic road through history.

We reluctantly passed many canyons with known cliff dwellings but had to continue on as the day was passing and we didn't want to be caught on this road after dark. When we came upon an active ranch along Cherry Creek the road suddenly turned into a well maintained gravel road allowing us for the first time in hours to shift out of low range and back to normal driving. From there to our junction with 288 again, it was a dusty and relatively boring drive. As we crossed the narrow bridge over the Salt River, the sun had set and lights were needed so we had survived our journey.

Thanks again guys that was a day to remember, thanks Larry for sacrificing your FJ, hope it isn't too bad off.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Manzanita

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Natural Arch

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Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Memorial Old Glory

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On every trip into the Superstitions, I find another Gold Mine. Today the mine was filled with Memories. I can not wait for the next trip.

Nov 13 2013

Grasshopper

Guides 48
Routes 510
Photos 9,555
Triplogs 578

79 male

Joined Dec 28 2006
Scottsdale, AZ

Grapevine Trail #135 - Sierra Ancha

Grapevine Trail #135 - Sierra Ancha

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Nov 13 2013
		Grasshopper • Triplogs 578

Hiking	2.20 Miles	512 AEG

Hiking	2.20 Miles	1 Hour 40 Mns	1.65 mph
	512 ft AEG	20 Mns Break

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