Home Album Guide to Indian Mesa Ruin Topo Story
Distance:
1 mi., one way
Difficulty:
Moderate - follow the jeep trail to a well developed foot
trail
Hike Time:
A little over an hour plus your time on top of the Mesa
Elevation:
1715 ft. at the River bed, 2200 ft. at the top of the Mesa
Season:
Year Round - but requires a fording of the Aqua Fria River
USGS Maps:
New River
Directions:
From: PhoenixDrive North on I-17 to Mile Marker 236. Take the exit West
and cross the Freeway. Turn North on the frontage road and drive 5.3
mi to where the road fords the river bed. After the ford, turn left
and follow the high-clearance road for about 1.6 mi.
Without a doubt, this is one of the best "un-managed" ruin that I have been able to visit. Many of the walls are well preserved (either reconstructed or natural - I wasn't sure) and the Mesa is impressive in general. Getting there requires a high clearance vehicle and a moderate one mile hike. I parked just a little way past the white bluffs located on the right riverbank. Or, the very brave can 4-wheel to the trailhead within about a quarter of a mile of the Mesa. After leaving I-17 the pavement gives way to a rough dirt road which eventually fords the river and then continues down stream along the right bank. After the ford, the road negotiates the sand and rocks along the river bottom in many spots. Please do not take your family sedan like the unfortunate fellow in my story.
True to Trekker's law, there were no artifacts in evidence to be found as the site is shown on your Topography maps. The close proximity to Phoenix insures considerable traffic at the site. One author claims that artifacts can be found at the foot of the East edge of the Mesa but I did not have time to bushwack my way around to that end of the Mesa.
I made the journey at the end of December so the river bed was dry - expect very high temperatures in the summer months and be alert for flooding during the Monsoons. Enjoy.
Trekker