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Pueblo La Plata Ruins - 8 members in 19 triplogs have rated this an average 3.3 ( 1 to 5 best )
19 triplogs
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Nov 27 2021
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 Guides 37
 Routes 556
 Photos 10,872
 Triplogs 1,052

43 male
 Joined Jan 21 2013
 AZ
Pueblo La Plata RuinsCamp Verde, AZ
Pueblo La Plata Ruins
Camp Verde, AZ
Hiking avatar Nov 27 2021
FOTG • Triplogs 1,052
Hiking3.63 Miles 334 AEG
Hiking3.63 Miles   2 Hrs   40 Mns   1.56 mph
334 ft AEG      20 Mns Break
 
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Route Scout Route Recorded  on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX
We made a trip out to the monument on Saturday. I almost forgot how much the rock piles in the area intrigue me.

We wandered around some between the fort and the pueblo looking for glphys, but we did not find any. I don’t think I have ever been good at finding them tbh. The dogs were a little bit annoyed by the off trail travel out there anyways, so I kept our ambitions low.

My interest has been piqued again for this area. I think I will have to finally get back out to the Brookyln and Squaw Creek sites sans dogs and explore those areas properly sometime soon.
foliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observation
Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
Some nice colors in the canyons below the mesa
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Mar 20 2021
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 Guides 25
 Routes 376
 Photos 5,897
 Triplogs 346

40 male
 Joined Mar 01 2018
 Chandler, AZ
Pueblo La Plata RuinsCamp Verde, AZ
Pueblo La Plata Ruins
Camp Verde, AZ
Hiking avatar Mar 20 2021
John10s • Triplogs 346
Hiking2.16 Miles 159 AEG
Hiking2.16 Miles   1 Hour   22 Mns   1.99 mph
159 ft AEG      17 Mns Break
 
1st trip
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TboneKathy
Route Scout Route Recorded  on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX
I first visited Agua Fria last month and saw the Perry Tank Canyon ruins, and I wanted to see a few more of the "Seven Cities" of the Perry Mesa Tradition. The plan for today was to visit Pueblo La Plata first, then the Baby Canyon ruins. The parking lot was empty at Pueblo La Plata when we arrived, and the sign had some interesting history about the site and the natives. It was a very short walk to the first ruins complex, and there were fewer pot sherds than I'd expected after the impressive quantity at Perry Tanks/Rattlesnake. Since PLP is a more well-known, higher-traffic site, I'm not sure if that's a result of visitors carrying off pieces of pottery or professional excavation from archeologists studying the site. We did find one especially interesting, curved piece of pottery that looked like the bottom portion of a small cup or bowl.

The quality of some of the walls at this site was better than anything at Perry Tanks. Several of the rooms had well-defined walls with some of the mortar still intact, whereas the walls at Perry Tanks were almost entirely loose stacks of rock with no mortar. Here, we also looked for the roasting pits mentioned on the sign along the southeast side of the complex but didn't see anything definitive. There were numbered "Friends of the Agua Fria National Monument" signs scattered throughout the site, which I assume call out points of interest that correspond to a guide somewhere.

We hiked out to the point to see Fort Silver, and that site had very little pottery in the area, suggesting it was used more as a lookout rather than an actual living site. The walls there were also minimal--other than the "perimeter" wall running across the east side of the fort, there wasn't much to see in the way of structures, but the views overlooking Silver Creek were nice. Overall, the two ruins sites at PLP were interesting, but there were fewer artifacts than at Perry Tanks or Baby Canyon, which we visited next--I'll post a separate triplog for that site. [ triplog ]
  1 archive
Jan 10 2021
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 Guides 1
 Routes 226
 Photos 1,675
 Triplogs 1,867

65 male
 Joined Oct 17 2008
 Phoenix, AZ
Pueblo La Plata RuinsCamp Verde, AZ
Pueblo La Plata Ruins
Camp Verde, AZ
Hiking avatar Jan 10 2021
rcorfman • Triplogs 1,867
Hiking2.10 Miles 150 AEG
Hiking2.10 Miles
150 ft AEG
 no routes
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
I was out riding my dual sport motorcycle over to Perry Mesa and stopped here along the way. I've been here before but it's been years. This time I walked over to the Fort Silver ruins and back. The trail is easy to follow the whole way, though it may not be straight forward where to pick it up after the Pueblo La Plata ruins.

From parking, it's about a third of a mile to Pueblo La Plata and another two thirds from there to Fort Silver. The biggest hill is going up the mound to the Playa La Plata site.

There's a nice info sign at the parking area that gives a good overview of the ruins and the area.
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May 04 2017
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 Photos 187
 Triplogs 9

34 male
 Joined Jan 05 2016
 Cave Creek, AZ
Pueblo La Plata RuinsCamp Verde, AZ
Pueblo La Plata Ruins
Camp Verde, AZ
Hiking avatar May 04 2017
SteveHall • Triplogs 9
Hiking2.10 Miles 150 AEG
Hiking2.10 Miles
150 ft AEG
 no routes
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Pueblo La Plata is about 10 miles from I-17 into the Agua Fria National Monument. When you first arrive and start down the trail, you would not know there was a ruin there if it weren't for the signs. It just looks like a big mound of dirt from a distance. Once you reach the base of the ruin you the first thing you are likely to spot are pot shards, a lot of them! There were several rocks where previous hikers had set a collection of shards, and yet there were still thousands of pieces covering a large area around the ruin.

The ruin itself is 80 rooms and most of the walls are pretty well intact with nice corners and doorways. Though the whole thing has been taken over by weeds and plants. It is located a ways back from the edge of the canyon on both sides and has views in all directions.

I followed a side trail (if you can even call it a trail) over the right canyon and enjoyed the view for a few minuets. Just as I was turning around to head back up the trail some shapes caught my eye. A few feet from were I was standing were a few boulders that had some very faint petroglyphs on them. These were carved deep, and were nearly the same color as the rest of the boulders so I figure they are quite old. The hardest one to see was a foot print on the far left side of the panel. After finding this, I think to my self there have to be more like this, so I start hiking along the ridge with my eyes on the boulders. After 3/4 of a mile or more I couldn't find any more glyphs, so I headed back toward the ruin. This time I just walked straight through the knee high grass hoping I didn't come across a rattle snake. Just about 20-30 yards before reaching the ruin I come to a small boulder with more glyphs on it. Glad I stumbled on these two glyphs by accident. I am sure there are more in the area, but there were so many boulders, it would take a while to search them all. Maybe next time I will find them.
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Sep 12 2015
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 Guides 4
 Photos 2,750
 Triplogs 402

60 male
 Joined Nov 13 2005
 Cave Creek, AZ
Pueblo La Plata RuinsCamp Verde, AZ
Pueblo La Plata Ruins
Camp Verde, AZ
Hiking avatar Sep 12 2015
cabel • Triplogs 402
Hiking2.10 Miles 150 AEG
Hiking2.10 Miles
150 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
_____________________
All who wander are not lost...just me.
 
Jun 19 2015
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 Routes 38
 Photos 2
 Triplogs 4

70 male
 Joined May 11 2015
 Dewey, Az
Pueblo La Plata RuinsCamp Verde, AZ
Pueblo La Plata Ruins
Camp Verde, AZ
Hiking avatar Jun 19 2015
peach107 • Triplogs 4
Hiking
Hiking
 
no photosets
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
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  1 archive
Nov 16 2014
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 Guides 2
 Routes 174
 Photos 1,554
 Triplogs 179

47 male
 Joined Jul 01 2011
 Wexford, PA
Pueblo La Plata RuinsCamp Verde, AZ
Pueblo La Plata Ruins
Camp Verde, AZ
Hiking avatar Nov 16 2014
Uberdroog • Triplogs 179
Hiking3.34 Miles 142 AEG
Hiking3.34 Miles   1 Hour   36 Mns   2.39 mph
142 ft AEG      12 Mns Break
 
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
My 2 wheel drive truck made it past silver creek and up to the top of the mesa. I would not try this in anything without high clearance and not after a rain. We parked next to the tanks before the ruins to check for any signs of quail, rabbit...anyway a short hike in was the official entrance to the site. The sign was empty, BLM is aware. At first we thought the ruins were what looked like two abandoned tanks right next to the parking area. Luckily the real trail was found through the over grown grass. We walked around the ruins which looked pretty substantial. Side note: Buy drone. The walls in the center were easily 5-6 feet and the outlying rooms were 3-4 feet with plenty of evidence that there was more buried. Shards and flakes were everywhere even in the trail. Walk softly. I searched the perimeter for petroglyphs but could find any. I will be out on the monument again after searching google maps and locating several similarly interesting sites. I may need to borrow some 4x4 or stay overnight for a few.
 Fauna
 Fauna [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Sandhill Crane
 Named place
 Named place [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Agua Fria National Monument  Bradshaw Mountains
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Feb 01 2014
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 Guides 4
 Routes 205
 Photos 9,282
 Triplogs 526

72 male
 Joined Apr 06 2005
 Phoenix, AZ
Pueblo LaPlata Ruins and vicinity, AZ 
Pueblo LaPlata Ruins and vicinity, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Feb 01 2014
Hansenaz • Triplogs 526
Hiking6.00 Miles
Hiking6.00 Miles   3 Hrs   30 Mns   1.71 mph
 no routes
1st trip
Linked   linked  
Pueblo La Plata Ruins
Partners none no partners
Planned an easy day doing some odds and ends on Perry Mesa. Good thing because as I approached Pueblo LaPlata I was flagged down my a nice young fellow who had got his truck stuck door deep in the nearby stock pond. I hung around with him for close to two hours til a jeep came by and got him out.

While waiting near the LaPlata turn-off on the Bloody Basin Rd. I wandered around and found a few free range petroglyphs.

I wasn't expecting much from LaPlata: it's the easiest Perry Mesa ruin to access and the only one that is sign posted...so it probably gets at least 10X the number of visitors the others do. But I was surprised to find it is a nice ruin: very large with many well articulated rooms, and a lot of well preserved walls visible. My guess is that this reflects some extensive professional excavation and little damage from visitors. Only difference here was that visitors had gathered up much of the pottery pieces into displays for others to see.

I walked around the mesa and did find a petroglyph area on a south-facing cliff band and another smallish ruin structure. The fort was disappointing - mainly a single wall and less impressive than other nearby ones. The location looking over Silver Creek is impressive though.

I had enough time to drive over toward Bishop Creek and find a small ruin there. Small rock pile, a pottery concentration, and a single petroglyph.

Always a worthwhile day on Perry Mesa.
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 Culture [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Miscellaneous Survey Marker
 Meteorology
 Meteorology [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Rain
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Nov 03 2013
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 Guides 1
 Photos 1,148
 Triplogs 219

54 male
 Joined Jul 14 2011
 Phoenix, AZ
Pueblo La Plata RuinsCamp Verde, AZ
Pueblo La Plata Ruins
Camp Verde, AZ
Birding avatar Nov 03 2013
burntlizard • Triplogs 219
Birding3.00 Miles 150 AEG
Birding3.00 Miles   3 Hrs      1.00 mph
150 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Headed up for some solitude and culture - stayed for the birds, more specifically, the Sparrows. I ID at least 7 species and maybe one or two more. If you head up in the next week, look out for the deer hunters, next weekend looks busy up here, in fact one dude was camping in the TH parking lot - of course, he looked at me like I was the idiot :gun:

The road was a lot worse than I remember, many areas are just exposed rock, with deep ruts Make sure you have decent tires and high clearance.
 Fauna
 Fauna [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Brewers Sparrow  Savannah Sparrow  Vesper Sparrow  White-Crowned Sparrow
foliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observation
Autumn Foliage Observation Light
In Silver Creek
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Mar 30 2013
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 Routes 189
 Photos 7,236
 Triplogs 1,740

57 male
 Joined Apr 25 2011
 Goodyear, AZ
Pueblo La Plata RuinsCamp Verde, AZ
Pueblo La Plata Ruins
Camp Verde, AZ
Hiking avatar Mar 30 2013
Nightstalker • Triplogs 1,740
Hiking1.00 Miles 80 AEG
Hiking1.00 Miles      53 Mns   1.13 mph
80 ft AEG4 LBS Pack
 no routes
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Took the Jeep out with my friends Dan and his brother Justin. Large ruin site with many rooms. We found no petroglyphs, but lots of broken pottery bits. Hardly any cactus in site!! Great views of Silver Creek Canyon.
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Mar 16 2013
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 Photos 2
 Triplogs 1

45 female
 Joined Aug 24 2012
 Chandler, AZ
Pueblo La Plata RuinsCamp Verde, AZ
Pueblo La Plata Ruins
Camp Verde, AZ
Hiking avatar Mar 16 2013
hlausten • Triplogs 1
Hiking2.10 Miles 150 AEG
Hiking2.10 Miles
150 ft AEG
 no routes
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Had a great time driving up to Pueblo La Plata with Pete from The Friends of the Aqua Fria National Monument. This was part of the Archaeology Expo and was well worth the trip. Had to use a High Clearance Vehicle, though I would recommend a 4X4 if headed up when there is chance or has been rain. You can definitely see where the mud puddles are and some look impossible to get out of. It was a very short walk from the parking area to the ruins. This is a 80-90 room pueblo and has a ton of artifacts surrounding the area.
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Feb 28 2013
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 Routes 297
 Photos 6,928
 Triplogs 552

49 male
 Joined Dec 30 2007
 Avondale,Az
Pueblo La Plata RuinsCamp Verde, AZ
Pueblo La Plata Ruins
Camp Verde, AZ
Hiking avatar Feb 28 2013
Stoic • Triplogs 552
Hiking3.20 Miles 180 AEG
Hiking3.20 Miles   2 Hrs   5 Mns   1.83 mph
180 ft AEG      20 Mns Break
 no routes
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
I was going to add Badger Springs Hike to today's agenda. Something came up, so I was only able to do Pueblo La Plata.
Nice cool day for a hike. I hiked to the west ridge, and followed it to a fence on the North Eastern ridge. Then i hiked back to the ruins, and then looped to the Southern Ridge.
 Fauna
 Fauna [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Dog
 Named place
 Named place [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Agua Fria River
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Jan 08 2012
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 Guides 4
 Photos 2,750
 Triplogs 402

60 male
 Joined Nov 13 2005
 Cave Creek, AZ
Pueblo La Plata RuinsCamp Verde, AZ
Pueblo La Plata Ruins
Camp Verde, AZ
Hiking avatar Jan 08 2012
cabel • Triplogs 402
Hiking2.10 Miles 150 AEG
Hiking2.10 Miles   1 Hour      2.10 mph
150 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
_____________________
All who wander are not lost...just me.
 
Sep 24 2011
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 Guides 1
 Photos 1,148
 Triplogs 219

54 male
 Joined Jul 14 2011
 Phoenix, AZ
Pueblo La Plata RuinsCamp Verde, AZ
Pueblo La Plata Ruins
Camp Verde, AZ
Hiking avatar Sep 24 2011
burntlizard • Triplogs 219
Hiking2.10 Miles 150 AEG
Hiking2.10 Miles   2 Hrs      1.05 mph
150 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
This was a nice find although, the road was really rough(0n 9123). The actual turn off for 9123 is 8.3 miles from I-17, not the 9.8 mentioned in the summary. This is a typical ruin of stacked rocks, but the amount of geologic and archeological eye candy is awesome. I walked North of the main ruin and enjoyed the Agua Fria gorge and views. I could only imagine what life was like 1200 years ago.
 Flora
 Flora [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Arizona Sycamore  Cottonwood  Staghorn Cholla
 Geology
 Geology [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Igneous - Intrusive
 Culture
 Culture [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Abajo Red-on-Orange  PaleoRob Pose
 Named place
 Named place [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Silver Creek
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Dec 12 2010
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 Routes 36
 Photos 2,658
 Triplogs 1,347

67 male
 Joined Jul 28 2004
 Scottsdale, AZ
Squaw Creek RuinsCamp Verde, AZ
Squaw Creek Ruins
Camp Verde, AZ
Hiking avatar Dec 12 2010
mazatzal • Triplogs 1,347
Hiking10.00 Miles 800 AEG
Hiking10.00 Miles   5 Hrs      2.00 mph
800 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   linked  
Pueblo La Plata Ruins
Brooklyn Mine
Partners none no partners
Explored the ruins and petroglyphs at Squaw Creek, Brooklyn group and Silver Creek.
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  1 archive
Dec 08 2009
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 Photos 832
 Triplogs 173

47 female
 Joined Oct 13 2007
 Loveland, CO
Pueblo La Plata RuinsCamp Verde, AZ
Pueblo La Plata Ruins
Camp Verde, AZ
Hiking avatar Dec 08 2009
hhwolf14 • Triplogs 173
Hiking4.50 Miles 730 AEG
Hiking4.50 Miles
730 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   linked  
Black Mesa Ruins
Partners none no partners
Muddy trek out to the main pueblo, which is well preserved, with lots of potsherds in and around the ruin. Also headed out to the fort on the western tip. The road is in great shape, no problems navigating. Total milage includes a side trip to Black Mesa ruins, which is quite the bushwhack, but very sweet to see so many intact and tall walls. Nice and easy hiking, perfect for flu recovery!!
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Nov 27 2009
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 Guides 16
 Routes 123
 Photos 2,810
 Triplogs 140

83 male
 Joined Feb 13 2004
 Mesa, AZ
Pueblo La Plata RuinsCamp Verde, AZ
Pueblo La Plata Ruins
Camp Verde, AZ
Hiking avatar Nov 27 2009
gpsjoe • Triplogs 140
Hiking2.10 Miles 150 AEG
Hiking2.10 Miles
150 ft AEG
 no routes
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners partners
Grasshopper
Randal_Schulhauser
Great day on Perry Mesa with 2 of HAZ's finest.
 Culture
 Culture [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Throwing a Wendy
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Nov 27 2009
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 Guides 48
 Routes 510
 Photos 9,555
 Triplogs 578

79 male
 Joined Dec 28 2006
 Scottsdale, AZ
Pueblo La Plata RuinsCamp Verde, AZ
Pueblo La Plata Ruins
Camp Verde, AZ
Hiking avatar Nov 27 2009
Grasshopper • Triplogs 578
Hiking2.10 Miles 150 AEG
Hiking2.10 Miles   1 Hour   50 Mns   1.15 mph
150 ft AEG
 
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners partners
gpsjoe
Randal_Schulhauser
Little did I know that north of Phoenix on the east side of Hwy 17 past the Sunset Rest Stop and south of Cordes Junction, resides the 71,000 acre AGUA FRIA NATIONAL MONUMENT(created by Pres. Bill Clinton in YR2000) spread over a high mesa and split down the middle by the upper Agua Fria River canyon. Within this national monument are the now documented Perry Mesa Ancient "Seven Cities"(13th to mid 15th century) with rooms numbering between 100 to 300 once supporting a thriving culture. This one of seven cities, the "Pueblo La Plata Ruins" is estimated to have had between 120 to 160 rooms, some two story.

My first time to this very interesting Perry Mesa area. My thanks to our renown HAZ ancient ruins historian/explorer- Randal Schulhauser, and our confirmed HAZ route finder- gpsjoe!

Our day started out with a nice breakfast at the famous Rock Springs Cafe and ended with an all you can eat Friday night at the Bad pumpkin Bar-B-Que and Steak House in Black Canyon City.. good food, good exploring, and fun HAZ people to share with.. another amAZing day it was to be outside! :y:
 Flora
 Flora [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Barrel Cactus  Santa Rita Prickly Pear
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 Culture [ checklist ]
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(Outside.. "there is No Place Like It!!")
 
Nov 27 2009
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 Guides 71
 Routes 98
 Photos 9,967
 Triplogs 1,009

65 male
 Joined May 14 2003
 Ahwatukee, AZ
Pueblo La Plata RuinsCamp Verde, AZ
Pueblo La Plata Ruins
Camp Verde, AZ
Hiking avatar Nov 27 2009
Randal_Schulhauser • Triplogs 1,009
Hiking2.10 Miles 150 AEG
Hiking2.10 Miles   2 Hrs      1.05 mph
150 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners partners
gpsjoe
Grasshopper
Another dawn to dusk reconnaissance mission searching for Perry Mesa�s Ancient "Seven Cities" - this time trekking with GPSJoe and Grasshopper. Breakfast at Rock Springs Cafe and dinner at the Bad pumpkin BBQ. :) :) :)

First time up on Perry Mesa without a pronghorn sighting... :( :( :(
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  5 archives
average hiking speed 1.58 mph

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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