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Picacho Mountains Petroglyph Sites - 5 members in 30 triplogs have rated this an average 3.6 ( 1 to 5 best )
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Feb 25 2023
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 Routes 17
 Photos 105
 Triplogs 19

38 female
 Joined Nov 12 2018
 Phoenix, AZ
Picacho Mountains Petroglyph SitesPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Feb 25 2023
klfranzTriplogs 19
Hiking3.58 Miles 178 AEG
Hiking3.58 Miles
178 ft AEG
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wanderingtrails
I think we visited the first two sites via jeep mentioned by this guide. The petroglyphs were incredible! There were some unique shapes I hadn’t seen before.

The road was a bit rutted on the way in, but not bad. I could have easily driven my Subaru to the trailhead. That said, it appears that people with OHV drive this whole “hiking loop” so I’m not sure I’d recommend hiking it; I’m not sure it’s safe. Also, if you drive the loop, you’re likely committing to some new pinstripes. 😜
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Light
Lots of tiny yellow flowers, a few of those purple lupine looking ones, and the Brittlebush are starting to bloom.
 
Feb 22 2022
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 Guides 8
 Routes 70
 Photos 3,208
 Triplogs 273

59 male
 Joined Oct 07 2017
 Chandler, AZ
Picacho Mountains Petroglyph SitesPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Feb 22 2022
YoderTriplogs 273
Hiking3.80 Miles 270 AEG
Hiking3.80 Miles   2 Hrs   10 Mns   2.68 mph
270 ft AEG      45 Mns Break10 LBS Pack
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Well, initially we were planning on hiking the Newman peak, but knowing my wife, I had a "plan B" in the pocket just in case. We did have trouble getting to the trailhead; we took the E. Houser/Bradly Pump Road route, but when you have to turn off the main road(paved) since there is a gate to continue on the dirt road, shortly after there is a bit of a drop, and my wife stated that we were NOT going down that! She is a bit overly conservative when it comes to off road driving, and off route hiking.. I think the initial road may have been washed out a bit since the last reports of the road condition, so I wouldn't try it in any car, maybe a truck... We were in our 4WD 4Runner, so I know we could have made it, but not interested in making her mad.. Just happy she is willing to hike with me on the reasonable hikes, so we decided to do the Petroglyph sites. I had purchased the permit ahead of time in preparation.

Drive to the sites is reasonable, but it is sandy in some places; we never needed the 4WD, but it's important to keep a good speed (20-25mph) through the sandy sections so you don't loose momentum; especially in a normal car.

Enjoyed the walk about, and exploring the petroglyphs. Just posting the better ones here. If you want all 59 photos, you can go to my webpage:
https://www.artcentrics.com/08_Hiking/B ... _Sites.htm
 Flora
 Flora [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Saguaro
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J. Yoder
  1 archive
Dec 26 2020
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 Guides 18
 Routes 298
 Photos 1,808
 Triplogs 277

female
 Joined Mar 11 2002
 Gilbert, AZ
Picacho Mountains Petroglyph SitesPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Dec 26 2020
VashtiTriplogs 277
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Hiking
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I tried to go visit this site, but alas 1.5 miles from the TH, the road got a little sketchy for the likes of my minivan... 😪😪😪 I was seriously bummed, but turning around beats getting stuck in a sandy deep water rut like an idiot. Oh, well. Some day soon I'll upgrade my car to allow for better access to remote areas. Any decent truck or SUV would have made it just fine. The road was good until that point.
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:D
 
Mar 29 2020
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 Guides 177
 Routes 249
 Photos 10,213
 Triplogs 2,215

74 male
 Joined Feb 12 2002
 Gold Canyon, AZ
Picacho Mountains Petroglyph SitesPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Mar 29 2020
AZLOT69Triplogs 2,215
Hiking7.20 Miles 490 AEG
Hiking7.20 Miles
490 ft AEG
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It’s been a while, my return for an in depth check of this area paid off in spades. Great day.
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It's best for a man to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open his mouth and remove all doubt.
--Mark Twain
 
Mar 28 2020
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 Guides 4
 Routes 205
 Photos 9,282
 Triplogs 526

72 male
 Joined Apr 06 2005
 Phoenix, AZ
Desert Walk plus, AZ 
Desert Walk plus, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Mar 28 2020
HansenazTriplogs 526
Hiking6.49 Miles 617 AEG
Hiking6.49 Miles   4 Hrs   19 Mns   1.69 mph
617 ft AEG      28 Mns Break
 
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We went out to snoop around for "ancient signs" on State Trust flat desert north of Newman Peak. Cow country with a web of shallow washes: occupied by the Hohokam 600+ years ago and they left plenty of broken pottery strewn about.

Slightly disappointed to find only plain pottery...I think the nice painted stuff I've seen both north and south of here was a little earlier, and that plain pottery dominated toward the end of the Hohokam heyday...but I may be completely wrong.

We finished early and headed over to a nearby petroglyph site at the northern tip of the Picacho mountains. This was one of the first petroglyph places I visited (8 yrs ago) and thought Catherine would like it and maybe I'd see some new glyphs. We ended walking a "casual perimeter" and didn't see anything but the most obvious ones - I'd worked much harder on my previous trip.

Still early in the day we considered driving out east on Start/Star Rd to Route 79. At a gate I talked to a guy in a heavy-duty truck coming the other way and his advice was "don't do it". So we didn't and returned to the west (Randall Schullhauser's 2006 description of the drive out to the glyph site is still accurate).

When we got home I noticed some weird patterns on my car's body and windows. Those lonely cows apparently like to lick Subarus.
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Dec 10 2016
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 Routes 8
 Photos 31
 Triplogs 12

34 male
 Joined Sep 01 2016
 San Tan Valley
Picacho Mountains Petroglyph SitesPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Dec 10 2016
D_SlinkyTriplogs 12
Hiking4.30 Miles 471 AEG
Hiking4.30 Miles   3 Hrs   54 Mns   1.46 mph
471 ft AEG      57 Mns Break
 
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We had some friends coming up from Tucson who wanted to go hiking, so I figured this would be a cool place to check out. We met up at Houser Rd and the 87 at 8 A.M. and followed the directions in from there. The roads are maintained and we had no issues getting to the parking area. The gate at the State Trust Land border is destroyed and the fence next to it is down too. This was the first sign that the area gets a lot of traffic. The parking area has some fire pits in the middle of it and there is a bunch of trash scattered around ](*,) . The State Land Permits are available online now, so all you have to do is pay and print out your own permit (land.az.gov/recreat ... rtal). I wonder if the feasibility of getting the permit has to do with the amount of traffic and abuse this site gets, or if most people even bother to get the permit in the first place.

We put our parking passes up and got ready to head out. The sun wasn't over the first hill yet so we didn't stick around the 1st site at all. We took our time and walked around the inside of the larger ridge line (sideways V shape) but didn't really see much until we got around on the southern tip. We found a few glyphs at this site and spent some time looking around. Once we were done there we started back towards the 2nd and 3rd site. We spent a lot of time at the 3rd site boulder hoping and checking out all of the glyphs we could find. After that we stopped off at the 2nd site then headed back towards the parking area. On our way back to the trucks multiple vehicles passed us on N Start Rd. As we got closer to the trucks we saw a few other vehicles in the parking area as well as another group of people setting up camp just South of there. We enjoyed our lunch at the trucks then headed out. I would definitely like to come back to this area to explore some more but I think I will look for an area that is a little more off the beaten path.
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Jan 17 2016
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 Photos 100
 Triplogs 6

64 female
 Joined Jan 15 2016
 Tucson, Arizona
Picacho Mountains Petroglyph SitesPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Jan 17 2016
YsabetTriplogs 6
Hiking3.58 Miles 134 AEG
Hiking3.58 Miles
134 ft AEG5 LBS Pack
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I've been out to the Picacho Petroglyph main site before, but after reading a post listing four more sites in the area I had to go again. Had a great time too, other than getting offtrack and using a jeep-trail to get back to my car that unfortunately instead took me across the saddle of two hills and way offtrack. I ended up hiking about 6.5 miles in all, but it was a beautiful day and just right temperature-wise, so I'm not sorry.

This is a very easy area for a beginning hiker-- mostly flat except for the boulder hills, outstanding desert scenery even in the winter, plenty of wildlife (I smelled javalina and saw tons of their tracks plus those of deer, birds and coyotes.) I only managed to get to the first three petroglyph sites but those were plenty; I've posted a few of the better photos.

If you're a newbie hiker, this'd be a fine place to start; parents with kids would have a good time with it as well, so long as they went in the cooler months. The posted directions are perfectly good, and I drove my little Dodge Caliber Hatchback out there with no trouble at all. Enjoy! Be sure to bring plenty of water.
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Jan 15 2015
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 Guides 1
 Routes 38
 Photos 3,193
 Triplogs 467

55 male
 Joined Jul 26 2008
 San Tan Valley,
Picacho Mountains Petroglyph SitesPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Jan 15 2015
TheNaviG8RTriplogs 467
Hiking3.50 Miles 329 AEG
Hiking3.50 Miles
329 ft AEG
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Jan 15 2013
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 Guides 4
 Photos 542
 Triplogs 573

46 male
 Joined Oct 19 2010
 Mesa, AZ
Picacho Mountains Petroglyph SitesPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Jan 15 2013
Charger55Triplogs 573
Hiking7.00 Miles 134 AEG
Hiking7.00 Miles   4 Hrs      1.75 mph
134 ft AEG
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This morning I woke up early and took a ride south of Coolidge to do some exploring. I visited two historic sites; one pioneer and one pre-Columbian. My first stop was the Picacho Mountains Petroglyph Site. I walked in from the paved road hitting up some smaller satellite sites before visiting the main glyph area. The glyphs are nice and worth a visit, but I didn't find them as awe-inspiring as the glyphs at Sears Point or Painted Rocks Petroglyph Site that I visited last month. No monkey petroglyph here.

Returning to my car, I went west along the canal to the Stage Station Homestead. I've found this place listed under a couple of different names online, but the historic marker out front calls it the Stage Station Homestead. So does ghosttowns.com, which is the first website I saw it on, so that's good enough for me. The two room adobe building is still there, and it has a lot of charm. So does the mesquite corral. The old schoolhouse is also at the site along with an old well and a gravesite.

Both areas were interesting and worth spending half a day at. On the way back I tried to see how close the paved roads got to Newman Peak. That one may have to go list for next winter.
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"I've driven across deserts, driven by the irony, that only being shackled to the road could ever I be free"
- Frank Turner "The Road"
 
Feb 08 2012
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 Triplogs 1

82 female
 Joined Jun 05 2008
 Prescott, AZ
Picacho Mountains Petroglyph SitesPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Feb 08 2012
Leah GilbertTriplogs 1
Hiking3.58 Miles 134 AEG
Hiking3.58 Miles   5 Hrs      0.72 mph
134 ft AEG
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On Monday, January 30, 2012, we attempted the alternate route to the Picacho Petroglyphs from Highway 79 in a passenger car. The description listed is no longer applicable. East Deep Well Ranch Road is now paved and has been paved for 5 or 6 years. It ends after 7 miles at a land fill. North Start Road no longer intersects with East Deep Well Ranch Road. Instead the road at the 3 1/2 mile mark dead ends at a ranch marked private property. Instead we followed a dirt gas line road just .8 mile to the right off East Deep Well Ranch Road for approximately 6 miles. Then we turned left at an unmarked dirt road. After approximately 4 miles, it intersected with North Start Road. Heading west we evetually found the rock art sites. I would not recommend this route. Leaving, we followed the directions to I-10, a piece of cake in comparison.
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Jan 16 2012
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 Guides 4
 Routes 205
 Photos 9,282
 Triplogs 526

72 male
 Joined Apr 06 2005
 Phoenix, AZ
Picacho Mountains Petroglyph SitesPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Jan 16 2012
HansenazTriplogs 526
Hiking6.60 Miles 760 AEG
Hiking6.60 Miles   3 Hrs   20 Mns   1.98 mph
760 ft AEG
 
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I did this a little different than most visitors. When I got to the end of the pavement there was some mud, and rather than risk a car adventure I decided to walk across the desert to the petroglyph site. This isn't hard to do, just one fence to slip under and it only took about 45min. While approaching these low hills I made the decision to just look around...not try to see it all. I've never been good at spotting petroglyphs and decided this might be my chance to succeed....a bit like a crummy fisherman (which I also am) being led blindfolded to a private trout farm...bound to have a good day.

I had Randall's GPS track loaded and hit the area away from the main parking lot. It was great to spot my first one (apparently not part of a popular grouping) and in a few more minutes I hit the jackpot...no doubt one of the main site's referred to in the description. The petroglyphs here went all the way up the north slope of the small hill and I followed them up to the top. I continued along the top heading south and didn't see any more till the last drop to the next saddle. I wondered if the next hill would also have north facing glyphs and headed up a ways but no dice.

I headed back via the main parking lot which is next to a lot of petroglyphs as well...though this area, with heavier traffic, seemed not as nice to me. There were two jeeps and a minivan in the lot - guess the mud wasn't that bad. Walked back across the desert, heading toward the water "silo"....very enjoyable....and I can always go back and find more!
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Dec 14 2010
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 Guides 177
 Routes 249
 Photos 10,213
 Triplogs 2,215

74 male
 Joined Feb 12 2002
 Gold Canyon, AZ
Picacho Mountains Petroglyph SitesPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Dec 14 2010
AZLOT69Triplogs 2,215
Hiking6.40 Miles 1,490 AEG
Hiking6.40 Miles   3 Hrs      2.13 mph
1,490 ft AEG
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A nice day to explore, never saw anyone else but late in the day someone was target shooting in the area. Interesting area to check out.
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It's best for a man to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open his mouth and remove all doubt.
--Mark Twain
 
Nov 29 2010
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 Guides 1
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 Triplogs 108

69 male
 Joined Apr 19 2008
 Phoenix, AZ
Picacho Mountains Petroglyph SitesPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Nov 29 2010
Alston_NealTriplogs 108
Hiking3.58 Miles 134 AEG
Hiking3.58 Miles
134 ft AEG
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There are great photos of the petros on this forum, so I focused on the small things.
It was a perfect day for crawling on the boulders. In the 50s, overcast and sprinkles.
All the rattlesnakes are tucked away dreaming of next spring....Oh but wait!

Bwahahahahaha.. :scared:
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Nov 07 2010
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 Triplogs 38

62 female
 Joined Nov 08 2008
 Queen Creek
Picacho Mountains Petroglyph SitesPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Nov 07 2010
hoggtrk00Triplogs 38
Hiking4.14 Miles 134 AEG
Hiking4.14 Miles   1 Hour   18 Mns   3.18 mph
134 ft AEG
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Nice little hike..walked with Sister and Betty!
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Mar 21 2010
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 Photos 80
 Triplogs 46

45 male
 Joined Jan 27 2011
 Arizona
Picacho Mountains Petroglyph SitesPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Mar 21 2010
jaboneagarTriplogs 46
Hiking3.58 Miles 134 AEG
Hiking3.58 Miles   2 Hrs      1.79 mph
134 ft AEG
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Visited 3 of the listed sites. Biggest collection of glyphs I have seen yet
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Jabon Eagar
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Nov 07 2009
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 Guides 4
 Photos 2,750
 Triplogs 402

60 male
 Joined Nov 13 2005
 Cave Creek, AZ
Picacho Mountains Petroglyph SitesPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Nov 07 2009
cabelTriplogs 402
Hiking5.00 Miles 134 AEG
Hiking5.00 Miles   2 Hrs      2.50 mph
134 ft AEG
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All who wander are not lost...just me.
 
Feb 07 2009
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 Guides 71
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 Photos 9,967
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65 male
 Joined May 14 2003
 Ahwatukee, AZ
Picacho Mountains Petroglyph SitesPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Feb 07 2009
Randal_SchulhauserTriplogs 1,009
Hiking3.58 Miles 134 AEG
Hiking3.58 Miles   3 Hrs      1.19 mph
134 ft AEG
 
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Picacho Mountains Petroglyph Sites - REDUX


When Joe B. made his move out of the Ahwatukee Foothills, he mailed me one of his books that was cluttering up the home library - "Petroglyphs of the Picacho Mountains" by Henry D. Wallace and James P. Holmlund. This 1986 publication was contracted by the Tucson Aqueduct Project (TAP, now CAP - Central Arizona Project) to mitigate archeological impact by the project through the Picacho Mountains.

Much appreciative of this unexpected gem, I've been waiting for the opportunity for a return trek to these rock art sites having new context plus tips about many more sites. That opportunity presented itself today with Lynn and Skippy...

When I wrote the Hike Description back in March 2006, my only reference was Dave Wilson's "Hiking Runis Seldom Seen" and an anecdotal reference made at the Deer Valley Rock Art Center alluding to 4000+ petroglyphs in the Picacho Mountains. With the Wallace and Holmlund archeological survey in hand, I'm surprised at the efficiency we had uncovering the North Pass and Shelter Gap sites. We'd identified 6 sites; the survey lists 8 sites in this area - not bad for a bunch of amateurs...

On this day, we revisited the North Pass and Shelter Gap sites for a redux and a first look at Shelter Gap sites "E" and "F". Don't know if we actually found the panels associated with sites "E" and "F" since we only saw isolated single glyphs near the saddle. Shelter Gap is so named for the large number of small shelters within this geologic feature. Look for associated U-shaped rock formations characteristic of small shelters.

The Wallace and Holmlund survey indicates that the 2nd largest concentration of glyphs is at the Picacho Point area - the extreme westerly projecting ridge from the Picacho range. Lynn and I traveled Brady Pump Road to its southern terminus at an aqueduct pumping station. Without locating an access route across the aqueduct and past the pumping station, our attempt to explore the Picacho Point sites were thwarted. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who's been to the Picacho Point and/or Kristo sites...
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Dec 31 2007
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 Triplogs 4

46 male
 Joined Nov 20 2007
 Tucson, AZ
Picacho Mountains Petroglyph SitesPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Dec 31 2007
blaxerTriplogs 4
Hiking6.20 Miles 1,680 AEG
Hiking6.20 Miles   4 Hrs      1.55 mph
1,680 ft AEG
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May 12 2007
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 Triplogs 1

38 male
 Joined Mar 06 2007
 Sacaton, AZ
Picacho Mountains Petroglyph SitesPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar May 12 2007
abgrayTriplogs 1
Hiking3.58 Miles 134 AEG
Hiking3.58 Miles   2 Hrs      1.79 mph
134 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
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Recently I decided to check out the Petrogyph Site near the Picacho Mountains near Eloy, AZ. This was a trip that is planned along with a small hiking club from my work.
Even though it was scheduled to be about 100 plus degrees during the day the temperature was a managable 80+ degrees. We just followed the directions given on this site and found the place fairly easy. There was no one around except a truck with a trailor attached that drove by while we were on the secound site. The sites were amazing!!
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Nov 20 2006
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48 female
 Joined Nov 23 2006
 Phoenix, AZ
Picacho Mountains Petroglyph SitesPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking avatar Nov 20 2006
everlizaTriplogs 12
Hiking3.58 Miles 134 AEG
Hiking3.58 Miles1 Day   2 Hrs   30 Mns   
134 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
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average hiking speed 1.77 mph
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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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