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| Hiking | 5.30 Miles |
1,525 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.30 Miles | 7 Hrs 50 Mns | | 0.88 mph |
| 1,525 ft AEG | 1 Hour 50 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | Located in the Sierra Ancha Mountains within the Del Shay Basin area NE of Pumpkin Center,AZ, the middle of Jan'11 on our "1st attempt" we made it to within .40 miles http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=175102 of this remote, difficult access, and seldom visited ancient Indian Ruins Hilltop Site at 5246ft.
The moon, stars, other planets, needed pre-planning, with good weather luck and a high tolerance for bushwhacking and route finding must all be lined up correctly for one to successfully pull-off this rugged out and back day hike. All was lined-up correctly for our "2nd attempt" this day to reach the site which ended in success and for me, a high degree of self satisfaction  . For me it is always a humbling experience to visit an ancient Indian Ruins site like this and especially so knowing that few others to date have done so.
This hike description is now correctly documented with a driving GPS track, default GPS hiking track, and photo sets to help aid all qualified who would like to visit this remote and rewarding site.
Some of the issues to consider before and during:
..From the PHX area(east valley) to TH Start is a recommended 4WD-high clearance vehicle driving time of ~2hrs 45min for a 2.7 mile one way totally off-trail, route finding hike;
..The topo maps do not correctly represent the true ruggedness of this hiking area;
..At Pumpkin Center, one need to crossover flowing Tonto Creek coming and going, so water flow level and rate should be monitored closely prior-to Pumpkin Center arrival;
..Determining a "best day" to do this day hike outing can be somewhat of a lucky guess as Pumpkin Center is around 2375ft elevation and the TH elevation is at 5890ft (so in winter and spring can be snow, ice, slush, and/or mud at 5890' and dry at 2375'; In summer and fall can be very hot with the snakes out, and hiking exposure to bad monsoon weather conditions;
.. I personally don't think that one proficient in only map and compass can correctly do this out and back hike without a lot of lost time roaming the countryside; I would highly recommend having GPS knowledge and being able to download the posted driving route and default GPS track for this hike and following those two tracks out and back;
..This is a very rugged off-trail hike with brutal varieties of cactus to stick you on every turn;
..This is also a very scenic and very rewarding ruins hike once successfully completed!  |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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| (Outside.. "there is No Place Like It!!") |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
I had previously hiked from 1938 to Horse Canyon ruin and felt I could just drop into the basin a bit farther down than Jumping Off Spring for this hike. It looked good on paper anyway. I rode out the 40 minutes to the unnamed Mesa I thought I could descend into the basin from. The ruin was visible through my binoculars from the mesas edge and I knew this would now be my TH for this off trail bushwhacking journey. It’s always fun when you can keep your eye on the prize as you trudge along on completely off trail hikes. The down side here is that in order to get to the ruin from this location there would be 2 massive descents and 1 massive ascent on the way there and then the reverse on the way back. What can I say, I’m a glutton for punishment! Both routes would be around 8 miles RT for the hike and then there was the 4x4 drive to the TH to consider…. A lot going on for this 1 ruin but I couldn’t not go to it especially after seeing it through binoculars and knowing it was really real. I think no matter which route you decide to take you are in for an adventure! I’ll be posting both routes here and anyone needing a good dose of off trail hiking abuse can indulge in whichever they see fit! And if you are doing the hike in April plan to just throw away your socks and shoes at the end if you do not wear something to protect them from fox tails, they are plentiful and relentless little ankle biters this time of year out here!!!
After riding up FS609 to FS1938 we turned left/south above jump off spring and rode out to the edge of Mesa where the old road ends. From there we took off hiking over the hills and through the woods and decided to try staying ontop of the rocky point that leads out to the butte the ruins sit on and see if we could make our way down once coming to the end. We enjoyed the walk and views along the way but once coming to the end of the rocky point we realized the descent far exceeded our courage and abilities! Back to the bikes we went. The 3rd time was the charm so to speak. I rode up to the spot on 1938 where the dry stream bed dumps off the side of the road down to jump off spring and began my journey. The waterway is a most excellent hike with several dry waterfalls to descend and very little vegetation to fight off. After a mile or so I scurried up on the grassy area below the rocky point my husband and I had called our terminus and low and behold I began finding pottery 
less than a half mile later I was scaling the base of the 5200 foot butte where the ruins lay. I had expected to be giddy at finally finding this ancient treasure but I was in fact completely awe struck by the peacefulness and the grandeur of the views! I’m generally more impressed by cliff dwellings than free standing ruins but this place is on its own level of wonder. I circled the hilltop taking it all in and noting the abundance of giant pottery pieces. Then I perched myself on the edge of the butte and had my lunch while soaking in the views. Of all the places I’ve been so far in TNF this one holds special feelings. It took me around 2 hours to hike in and about 2.5 to hike out, it’s all uphill ! Fantastic day in an epic place that I’m privileged to call home.
Also expect some moderated to substantial vehicle Arizona pen-striping.
. At 12:40pm we were still a time consuming ~.40 miles (as the crow fly's) from our ruins site destination which we could only zoom-in on and wish we had more daylight. We will return another day with both more daylight 
area indeed!
