Home Album Guide to Mount St Clair Topo No Story
| Distance: | Both hikes are about 1/4 mile or less one-way |
| Difficulty: | Moderate to Steep - 250 ft gain to the Ruins and 140 ft gain at the Petroglyphs |
| Hike Time: | Short hikes into Archeological Areas |
| Elevation: | 3252 ft @ the Ruins, 2050 ft @ the Petroglyphs |
| Season: | Year Round |
| USGS Maps: | Wildcat Hill, Horseshoe Dam |
| Directions: From: Phoenix |
Take Scottsdale Rd north to Carefree. Turn right on Cave Creek Rd and drive 6.5 mi East to Horseshoe Road (the road to Bartlett Reservoir). Turn right and drive approx 6 mi to the turn to Horseshoe Dam. Turn north and drive 4.25 mi to St Clair Mountain or continue on 4.1 mi to the Petroglyphs. |
The ruin at St Clair looks to be about as large as the ruin at Tuzigoot National Monument but it has not been restored. Most of the walls have been leveled, none-the-less it is easy to see how extensive this settlement was and pottery shards are everywhere. I did not find any arrowheads in the hour or so that I groused around on the hill. Look for a short 4WD road to the trail head to the ruin on the left just after you crest the small hill after the 4 mi marker.
The trail to the Petroglyphs is less distinct - I finally just scrambled up the east side of the Mesa to find the Petroglyphs along its Northern edge, just at edge of the cliff. Once on top I saw a road which leads right up to the Petroglyph field, which probably explains why some of the rocks looked as if they had some surfaces removed - Poachers?
These archeological areas make for an easy and interesting day trip from Phoenix. The down side to that is that they receive a great deal of traffic despite the short, steep climbs. Enjoy, but remember to take nothing but pictures.
Trekker