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| Hiking | 2.70 Miles |
1,155 AEG |
| | Hiking | 2.70 Miles | 3 Hrs 51 Mns | | 0.84 mph |
| 1,155 ft AEG | 38 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | Lambing Creek
The Lambing Creek Ruin hike today was a collaborative effort, my roll included being the vessel of boots and eyes on the ground to explore some uncharted territory that would hopefully lead to a lesser known ruin site. This adventure began around 16 years ago with @ssk44 exploring the area for a hike through a riparian area. Several years later he discovered via GE that there was possibly an ancient ruin site on the ridge above Lambing Creek. This discovery lead to @ssk44 and @grasshopper planning an exploratory hike to said ruin. The gps route was plotted and plans were made but somehow the weeks led to months and months to years and the hike never happened. Here we are in present time and there I was just minding my own business hiking my days away in TNF when @grasshopper reached out via HAZ with some detailed information on the location of this possible site. He informed me that their time had passed for being able to make the trip but they would appreciate it if I’d give it a go. Being the self admitted archeological site junkie that I am, I immediately replied that I would be beyond happy to scout this place out. Once I received the proposed gps route I realized they had been speaking of a ridge top that I had also had my sites set on for a while now but hadn’t gotten around to pulling the trigger, life happens in mysterious ways!
Today was a cloudy rainy day around Tonto and after chomping at the bit all morning trying to decide if I should attempt the hike or wait for better weather, I ended up in my truck around noon-30 en route to the TH. By 1pm my boots were laced and I was headed for the 5104 ridge top. I of course didn’t make it 50 feet from my truck before finding my first sherds of pottery. This led me completely off route following the trail of ancient shattered dinnerware up the side of a hill in the opposite direction of my ridge ruin. After about 15 minutes of scrambling around the treasure filled hillside I was able to wrangle myself back to the task at hand. I was already off track for the planned route and decided I would forge my own pathway there and then return on the one the boys had provided. The quickest way between two points is a straight line right?! That is not entirely true on mountain sides in the TNF filled with manzanita and various other vegetation that were definitely created to hinder human’s ability to move freely throughout the world. I managed to stay my course of due north down into the bed of Lambing Creek but it took several instances of rerouting myself around the prickly things. Even with my squirreling off in search of pot sherds I managed to be at the creek in 45 minutes. I stood and admired the variety of geology for a few minutes before trekking my way to a spot I felt I could climb up and out. I had decided I was going to hike straight up the bold face of the mountain to the tip of the ridge and make my way right down the center until I found the ruin. This was much easier said than done. The steepness of the hill was staggering!!! The rocks were all quite loose and the plant life had not thinned. After 45 minutes of the ascent I finally found the top which was surrounded in rock ledges much taller than my 5’9”. I scampered around to the east and eventually found a hole I could slither up and onto the top. The views thus far had been spectacular and the creek bed alone was worth the hike to see but the 360 perspective from atop the rocks was simply enchanting. After several photos, I began boulder hopping my way north keeping my eyes peeled for signs of our ancient friends. I was an hour and 10 minutes from the creek bed when I looked up and saw the stacked rock walls. I may have yelped out loud like an excited puppy at the fact the ruin existed and I had walked right into it but there was no one around to prove that did or did not happen. The ruin was terraced at one time and the top level appeared to have 3 small rooms connected to one rectangular large room. It wasn’t possible to count how many peaks were in view from the center of the ridge where the ruin sat. Lake Roosevelt was in site, Mt Ord, Picture Mountain, Boneyback Peak, all present and accounted for. There were few pieces of pottery, mostly earthenware and salado red. The rock formations surrounding the ruin were fantastic and I only saw one snake along the way! It scurried under a yucca before I could tell what it was but I’m sure it didn’t have a rattle. After a solid 40 minutes of oohing and aahing to myself out loud I decided it would be a good idea to start my descent. The route the boys had plotted looked much clearer than the one I had forged thus far. Somehow I think the hill became steeper while I was on top of it because the path way down had my knees swearing at me in protest. The views were amazing and the plant life kept to itself but wow what a steep slope! I reached the creek bed and welcomed the flat terrain and was again awed by the geology lining the floor and sides of the stream. Red rock, river rock, conglomerate rock, all the colors mixing together. The trees had taken a drastic turn from the scrubby cedars lining the hillside, now I was standing among some large cottonwood and other giants. Funny thing, now that I was following @ssk44’s route, it was as if walking in a park along an actual trail! You will see in my photos how lovely the walk along Lambing Creek and back up to the saddle of the TH is. No sooner did I turn up from the water and I was already finding pottery again. I was back to my truck from the ruin in just over an hour and feeling quite accomplished with the days events! I owe a huge thank you to Eric and Hank for sharing this treasure with me, hopefully they enjoy the photos and the story of the hike to the elusive Lambing Creek Ruin  |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
I had followed the remnants of a FS road down the hillside rather confused why there were tire treads marking the tracks when I was definitely inside the boundary of the Non-motorized SRCW. I guess lack of boundary markings and the very evident though unmarked FS road intrigues the uninformed. As the road began turning off to the east I was lured to the west by a faint shallow wash path beginning and ending in the middle of a grassy unvegetated area. Immediately off the side of the road I began following a trail of pot sherds directly down to said wash path. This little discovery of course sent me over to the edges of the Mesa circling back around and up a hillside in search of a source. After a leisurely stroll to the areas I thought would prove exciting l was standing back at the shallow wash empty handed scratching my head as to where this pottery trail that began exactly at the roads edge and then abruptly stopped 50 yards later could have came from. I did note an interesting clear cut narrow “road” through the plant life out to the Mesa edge from the hillside that I can’t help but consider may have been an ancient pathway …. It is clearly defined in one of the photos I plan to attach here. Thwarted in my efforts to locate more ancient history, I decided to scramble through the field area back towards camp rather than take the road. I saw no evidence of dwellings but I did happen upon another small area of scatter and half of a metate someone had placed in am old fire ring. Once again I was in the middle of a grassy area with no sign of a source in site. I have on previous visits to the area scrambled around the hilltops and done some extensive GE scouting and I’m unaware of any ruins within 1/2 a mile of this little area. I did in all my discoveries find out that RS can mark the locations of my treasures along with tracking my routes! Knowledge is power 
…. Definitely worth it all for the views and magnificent rock formations surrounding the ruins!!! How they managed to stack the stones on those steep hillsides is beyond me. 
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.
