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Quite a bit of thinking went into deciding where to go this weekend. Near Phoenix it is getting warm in the mountains it is cold so we have to go in that sweet middle spot where the weather is perfect. In addition we want to hit one of the Native American ruins as we didn’t see any for quite some time. And then we come up with the idea to revisit a ruin we went to before and got discouraged – but will we able to make it this time? Read on and find out…
We are starting along SR 87 the closest route out of town to us and the one we take most often. This time the first stop is on the highway shoulder where based on a geocache we know that an older section of the Bush Highway (the original road linking Phoenix to Payson built in the 1930s) survived the construction of the new Beeline Highway. The view from the parking spot is already quite scenic and on we go to search the old highway.
We find the old roadbed quite easily however it is protected by multiple barbed wire fences, we feel like in a war movie when we sneak below the wires to access the short stretch of Bush Highway that is still remaining which is still in relatively good shape.
At the end of the old road we have a great view of the valley and we notice something in the distance on the highway that wasn’t there when we started, it seems like a roadblock. We zoom in with our camera and unfortunately it seems there was a serious accident with a pulled RV rolling over and dragging the car with it.
On the way back we take the time to enjoy the nature along the way, there are a few birds and quite a few butterflies and insects that are flying all around us.
The next stop is again on the side of the road but this time we have an actual dirt road to follow as we plan to search for a geocache that hasn’t been found for a while. The dirt road goes away from SR 87 and soon the sounds from the highway fade away and we decide to stop on a small hill with rocks on top to eat our lunch before continuing on.
The hike along the road is quite easy and we make good time passing what appear to be abandoned structures likely used to manage cows in the area.
From here we leave the road and follow a barely defined trail to the peak of the major hill in the area, it is a more easy climb than we expected and soon we are on the top ridgeline enjoying great views of the surrounding area.
As we are on the top of the biggest hill for some distance we see a lot of hilltopping butterflies, mostly California Patch but also some Hairstreaks and a Pipevine Swallowtail and we spend some time just sitting down and watching them fly around before starting back towards the car.
Downhill goes faster than uphill at least in this case and soon we are back at the dirt road where we take it easy to enjoy the views.
Even the road we are on is quite scenic and we take lots of pictures before noticing the time and hurrying to the car as we still have at least one more major stop planned.
Finding place to park near the Black Mountain is quite an adventure but we find a place near the start of a road that seems to encircle the mountain and according to our info might reach the top from the back of the mountain. However the book where we found out about the ruin is stating that you can only bushwhack to it so we are not sure but there is no harm in trying.
Soon the road starts to climb and turn around towards the mountain while passing a scenic waterhole (no animals unfortunately) and then climbing even steeper towards a ridge.
The road then follows the ridge to a parking lot and from there a relatively poorly defined trail starts towards the ruins climbing steeply. While it is at times difficult to follow it is relatively well built and we make good times climbing towards the top and the ruins.
And then we arrive at the top and enter the ruins. They are quite spectacular with some well preserved walls and clearly defined rooms and we enjoy exploring the area.
Some houses are not really excavated but you can guess where they are based on the heaps of building stones accumulated as the walls crumbled. Other walls are still standing with some having additional signs of habitation like finger leaved gourds which we assume were planted by the inhabitants.
The most interesting building ruin that we find is a circular one, well preserved and possibly the central point of the community. From here the plateau slopes down with some great views and a couple more ruins till the plateau edge.
And then it is time to go down back towards the car. We have to be careful on the trail but we make it safely to the road before getting a big scare from a deer that jumps right next to us. Just when we recuperate a covey of quail takes off right next to us giving us another scare, it is almost like the wildlife is trying to kill us via the scares. We stay a bit to look at moss and lichen which is beautiful and cannot scare us – hopefully – before continuing on downwards on the road.
Our last stop is at the dam that creates the waterhole (unfortunately still no animals here where we would expect them) and then we walk the last remaining distance to the car while carefully looking at the rocks which are quite interesting especially if you break them in two.
After climbing two peaks in one day we are quite tired and there are no easy targets within reach for the remaining hour of daylight so we decide to return towards Phoenix and recuperate for the next trips.