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| Hiking | 3.77 Miles |
579 AEG |
| | Hiking | 3.77 Miles | 4 Hrs 30 Mns | | 1.01 mph |
| 579 ft AEG | 45 Mns Break | 25 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | My goal for this hike was the Cave Dwellings in the Coon Creek area. Other cave dwellings which I had hiked and/or visited were Rogers Trough Salado Cave Dwellings, Tuzigoot, Montezuma's Castle, Tonto National Monument, and the Pueblo Cave Dwellings Overlook via the Rim Trail. I was excited to be able to add Coon Creek to my list.
The Coon Ruins had been on my radar for a while. They seemed to be the easiest to access. Heretofore. I had not driven on the Cherry Creek Forest Road 203. Although I had passed by it on my way to the Sierra Ancha Wilderness for hikes on Parker Pass, Abbey's Way, Reynolds Creek, Rim, Murphy's Ranch, and a short exploratory hike south on the Moody Point Trail. I believe there are triplogs posted for many of those adventure.
On January 6, 2024, I took my first drive on the Cherry Creek Road. I was looking for FR38, the access road for the hike to the Coon Cave Dwellings. Unknowingly. I drove past it and turned around after reaching Forest Road 203-A. I believe that was at or near MM10 off FR203. I did stop to hike the road for a short distance. I would find out later the significance of that road. On my return drive I still did not recognize the turn-off for FR38. I would learn later the FR38 is between MM 7 & 8. Time was fleeting so I drove back the 80+ miles to A.J.
I spent some time the next few weeks researching HikeArizona.com triplogs and perusing a book by Dave Wilson "Hiking Ruins Seldom Seen"; a wealth of information.
Then, on February 24th a friend of mine. Steve. who happens to be a Forest Ranger in Maine, took me for a drive on FR203 to help me find FR38, which we did. He was very familiar with the road and the many trails leading to the cave dwellings. He drove all the way to the last mile marker (20), and beyond. The road became much worse for the next couple of miles, where we stopped at the staging area for the Pueblo Cave Dwellings. While there we met a couple with an ATV. They were heading to the Pueblo Dwellings. Steve offered information on the best route to take. We also met another couple driving an ATV. They were interested in driving north to see how far they could drive on FR203. Later in the day, they caught up with us on our return drive. They informed us that a wilderness roadblock caused them to turn back. We did not find out the mileage at the blockage.
On our drive back Steve took a detour west on FR203-A. He wanted to take me to a cave dwelling, a short half-mile hike - Nordhoff-Hope Cave Dwellings. I hiked while he stayed at the trailhead. That hike was a bonus!
The narrative above sets the stage for the hike I took today.
After leaving home at 5:15 A.M. I arrived at Cherry Creek Road at 7:00 A.M. Half an hour later I was at the junction with FR38. Yes, I found it! At first, I took a short walk up the road and determined that my Jeep Liberty high clearance four-wheel drive could handle the road. I drove about one mile to closed cattle gate. After opening and driving thru the gate, I closed the gate and drove another half mile to Forest Road 1076. I had read that there would not be a sign, but I was happy to see one.
The hike mileage reported was to be 3.77 miles. So far I had driven 1.56 miles. Continuing the drive I arrived at another gate. I had read that FR1076 deteriorates so I parked the jeep and began hiking. For the next half hour, the road seemed very drivable. I could have hiked back and gotten the car, but I decided to continue hiking. I hiked up and down a couple of hills to some sort of staging area. At this point my assessment was that the entire FR1076 could be driven by a high clearance four-wheel drive vehicle, as long as the road is dry. Mud and/or snow could alter the choice to drive or hike.
A group of hikers had caught up with me two hills back. Some had hiked this trail before, and some had not. I tagged along for the rest of the hike to the cave dwellings. When we had reached the staging area we dropped down into a wash which we followed to a trail and before we knew it, we came to a short but steep incline. Hiking up the incline led directly to the west end of the dwellings. The hike from the staging area to the ruins took less than half an hour. Success! The drive and hike from the FR203/FR38 to the ruins took less than two and a half hours.
While at the staging area I had a discussion with the hiking team leader. He pointed out some sunken and sawed-off fence posts bordering portions of the staging area. He said that they were remains of a settler's cabin that had been set a-fire by the indigenous inhabitants living in the vicinity. Either the land was sacred to the inhabitants, or the settler was trespassing. Interesting!
The Rolling Stones were wrong! I did get some satisfaction from this hike. I would do this hike again some time to explore more of the landscape. The hike leader did mention a group of ruins nearby, but the walls were rather low.
Thank you for sifting through this narrarive. I notice some triplogs that have no narrative or photos. Interesting! |
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