Category Archives: Ruins

Places visited with Pueblo or other ruins.

Cliff Ruins Expedition – 08/20/2018

September 26, 2018

Lanny and I had seen a video by Jeff Gilkey flying over Pueblo ruins atop a small mesa, specifically Mesa Pueblo. We located them using GoogleEarth, and headed that way.

The Drive In

Driving route from Grants to Cliff Ruins.

As you can see from the red track above, we missed a turn or two, found ourselves wandering among the diggings of the nearby coal mine operations, and when the tracks we were following with the GPS and USTopo became -terribly- rough, we aborted the attempt to get to Mesa Pueblo Ruins.

However, Lanny had a backup – Cliff Ruins. We located ourselves, and a label on USTopo for “Cliff House”, and judged that we were reasonably close. USTopo also indicated what appeared to be serviceable two-tracks from our position among the mine diggings towards Cliff Ruins. Along the way Nearing the site, it appeared that we needed to turn off of the “good two-track”, onto one we could barely follow. That brought us to a point adjacent to the site as indicated on USTopo; a short walk to the west and we were at the edge of White Mesa, looking into Cliff Dwelling Canyon.

The Walkabout

Walkabout on the mesa overlooking Cliff Ruins.

Walking around the edge of this canyon brought into view the Cliff Ruins, perched on a large ledge under a ceiling midway up the cliff face. We noted that the House appeared to be in excellent condition, walls almost all intact and the corners square; some fine workmanship. We could not see any reasonable path to ascend from the canyon floor to the House.

Returning the Lanny’s Jeep, we were impressed with the view across the Rio Miguel to Chivato Mesa and Cabezon. Heading back towards Grants, Lanny chose an alternate two-track which to our surprise brought us to what appeared to be an old ranch-stead. We found a corral with stables (rock walls still standing) and what may have been an abode, with the fireplace still standing.

Cliff-Ruins-Driveabout.Lanny.2018-08-20 (KML)	445 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Cliff-Ruins-Driveabout.Lanny.2018-08-20 (GPX)	89 Downloads
Cliff Ruins Walkabout.Lanny.2018-08-20 (KML)	105 Downloads
Cliff Ruins Walkabout.Lanny.2018-08-20 (GPX)	88 Downloads

I urge you to explore our hiking tracks with Google Earth. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the 2-dimensional screenshot above. For assistance: Using Google Earth Track Files.

References:

Google Maps: Cliff Dwelling Canyon

FOLLOWUP NOTES:

From a set of comments regarding my posting of photos, “Ranch House and Stables, Rio Puerco Valley“, on Facebook’s group “Abandoned in New Mexico“, March 17, 2019:

“John Cortesy – That looks like one of the old stage coach stops on the route from Milan to Cuba. If you followed the road through the ranches, you passed a dry arroyo with a rock outcropping on the right that was a place where they watered the horses when it was flowing. The passengers would get out of the coach and carve their names and dates into the rocks above. We had taggers back in 1905 and 1897 if I remember the dates correctly. Can’t trust no one to not deface a property these days!”

“George Young – Thanks, John, for adding that information. Your suggestion would certainly make sense to me; the stable (building and fencing) appears to be more than one would use for a ranch. And I see on GoogleEarth that it is on a line from Milan to Cuba. I see also on a topo map that “El Dado Springs” is very close by. It might be worth another trip for us. From which direction did you describe the location of the “tagging”? Do you know of any more features, etc. of that stage line?”

George's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery Show.

Bandelier Hike – 08/16/2018

September 10, 2018

For our final outing of the trip, we took Thomas to Bandelier National Monument. After the ride from White Rock on the shuttle, we started in the shade of the cottonwoods along the river where it was cooler.

The Walkabout

Bandelier Hike.PatThomas.2018-08-16 (The track is truncated at the beginning; I forgot to start the GPS. Disregard the blue graph of speed; GPS signal was lost while in the Alcove House.)

It was a very pleasant walk up to the Alcove House. Of course, we climbed up the ladders to the House. Then back down and returning to the Visitors Center via the Tyonyi Trail.

Statistics

Total Distance: 3.02 miles (added .2 mi to adjust for late start of GPS tracking)
Elevation: start 6,098 ft, maximum 6,387 ft, minimum 6,068 ft
Gross gain: 319 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,088 ft, descending 1,118 ft
Maximum slope: 62% ascending, 60% descending, 12% average
Duration: 1:59

Bandelier Hike.PatThomas.2018-08-16 (KML)	151 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Bandelier Hike.PatThomas.2018-08-16 (GPX)	59 Downloads

I urge you to explore our hiking tracks with Google Earth. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the 2-dimensional screenshot above. For assistance: Using Google Earth Track Files.

References

National Park Service: Bandelier National Monument
Hiking in Bandelier
AllTrails: Best Trails in Bandelier National Monument

George's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery Show.

Paliza Canyon Hike/Bushwhack – 08/05/2018

September 6, 2018

Planning this hike, I turned to GoogleEarth to sketch out a route into new territory. Since I would be introducing Kelly to the area, I chose to begin the hike on FR 10 near the Kiatsukwa Ruins, then down into Goblin Colony. From there into Paliza Canyon, proceeding up-canyon, then climb back up to the mesa top to make a loop back to the truck. Using the normal GoogleEarth presentation, coupled with the USGS Topo overlay (see reference below), I chose a side canyon about 1.5 miles up Paliza Canyon that looked promising for the climb. Once on the mesa top, then down a canyon to more level terrain and an elevation near that of the truck. (See the Sketch .kml file below).

The Hike

Paliza Canyon Hike_Bushwhack.Kelly.2018-08-05

The hike went more or less as planned until we headed out of Paliza Canyon. First, we surveyed the Kiatsukwa Ruins; this is quite large, nearly 200 yards in length and 50 or more yards wide. Mostly consisting of mounds of rock and dirt, the general outline of the pueblo is clearly evident. In a few places one can see the shape of individual rooms. From there it was back onto FR 10, downhill until entering the top of Goblin Colony. We chose a route that descended through the middle of the ‘goblins’; we had a challenge finding a path that we could navigate (the preferred route is to descend on the ridge above the north extent of the ‘colony’ until reaching a lower elevation, then going south for views -up- into the main collection of ‘goblins’).

We then proceeded further down the canyon below Goblin Colony, crossing over into Paliza Canyon and heading up-canyon. ‘Tho there was no noticeable trail ‘on the ground’, the route was relatively easy. Reaching the side canyon that I had identified on the sketch, we turned left (north) to head up to the mesa top. This canyon became narrow, and soon we encountered a very narrow section effectively blocked by fallen trees (and maybe a rock face – we didn’t explore further). We made a tactical decision to tackle the climb up the side of this canyon – a poor choice. Though relatively free of impediments, the slope was -very- steep, so steep that one could barely keep from sliding back down. On the GoogleEarth track it is measured to be

Statistics

Total Distance: 7.02 miles
Elevation: start 7,714 ft, maximum 8,527 ft, minimum 7,062 ft
Gross gain: 1,465 ft. Aggregate ascending 2,146 ft, descending 2,152 ft
Maximum slope: 47% ascending, 48% descending, 9.4% average
Duration: 7:15

Paliza Canyon Sketch 1 Revised (KML)	229 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Paliza Canyon Sketch 1 Revised (GPX)	65 Downloads
Paliza Canyon Hike_Bushwhack.Kelly.2018-08-05 (KML)	153 Downloads
Paliza Canyon Hike_Bushwhack.Kelly.2018-08-05 (GPX)	58 Downloads

I urge you to explore our hiking tracks with Google Earth. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the 2-dimensional screenshot above. For assistance: Using Google Earth Track Files.

References

Earth Point Topo Map: Top Maps – USGS Topographic Maps on Google Earth

George's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery Show.

NW New Mexico RoadTrip – 04/25/2018

May 10, 2018

To extend our travels in New Mexico, we set out for a two-day road trip to the northwest part of the state. Our goal was to explore back country, spending a night in Farmington. A bit of research in advance brought to light some interesting places to visit (see the References below).

The Trip

So, it was on US 550 going west, passing through Cuba to Counselor (barely a wide spot in the road), and turning north on NM 403, a 50+ mile unpaved road that runs the length of Largo Canyon. ‘Tis a two lane, well graded road most of the time, thanks to it’s use by the oil and gas industry (this is ‘their’ territory). Flanked on both sides with mesas 50′ up to maybe 150′ in height, with many side canyons going off to the left and right. ‘Twas our plan to visit at least one of the Pueblitos (see reference to GoogleEarth file below); it soon became apparent that most of the Pueblitos are located on the top of the mesas. We identified one for which it appeared a road ascended to the mesa top not far off or NM 403: Kin-Yazhi Pueblito. We were able to crest the mesa, but the road towards the Pueblito was blocked, leaving us with a 1.7 mile hike. Uncertain about details of our plan for the remainder of the trip, we passed on the hike – next time.

Continuing north on NM 403 we found a Pueblito that was at the base of one of the mesas: Foothold Pueblito. Taking a 3 mile diversion up Palluche Wash, we then turned onto a two-track that would take us to the Pueblito. There was a moment of surprise when we looked down the two-track as it descended a -steep- embankment, then crossed 150 yards of sand in the bottom of the Wash. It was -dry- however, so with 4-wheel drive engaged, we crossed easily. And found our way to the Foothold Pueblito – quite interesting, as it sits atop a very large, rectangular rock at the base of Superior Mesa. It was then on to Farmington for the night at Casa Blanca Inn & Suites.

The next morning after breakfast at the Inn, we headed to Aztec to visit the Aztec Ruins National Monument to tour this 900 year old Pueblo. From there we went to check out Navajo Dam and Reservoir. We will remember mostly that the road crosses the dam; the two lanes are minimal width, no shoulder or guardrail, and it is a very long way down the steep slope of the face of the dam if one should leave the road. We’ll avoid doing that in the future.

From there we started out for home, but taking a short side trip to check out the miniature Natural Arches that have been located throughout the area (see the link below). We chose a side road off of NM 173 that led to 3 or 4 arches (according to the map). Parking at the perimeter of a gas well pad, we wandered around looking up at the rock face, and found them, small bridges over an opening to the sky beyond. After a small lunch, we hit the road, choosing to go ‘cross country’ on NM 537 through the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation. This road makes for a pleasant drive through forested hills, a change from the desert environment of Largo Canyon. Then home via US 550 – we’ll return for more exploring, particularly in Largo Canyon.

Statistics

NorthwestNM RoadTrip.Pat.2018-04-25,26b (KML)	147 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
NorthwestNM RoadTrip.Pat.2018-04-25,26b (GPX)	57 Downloads
NorthwestNM RoadTrip - Foothold Pueblito.Pat.2018-04-25,26 (KML)	425 Downloads
NorthwestNM RoadTrip - Foothold Pueblito.Pat.2018-04-25,26 (GPX)	303 Downloads
NorthwestNM RoadTrip - Arches.Pat.2018-04-25,26 (KML)	151 Downloads
NorthwestNM RoadTrip - Arches.Pat.2018-04-25,26 (GPX)	62 Downloads

I urge you to explore our hiking tracks with Google Earth. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the 2-dimensional screenshot above. For assistance: Using Google Earth Track Files.

References

Aztec, New Mexico
Dinetah Pueblitos & Historic Homesteads in Largo Canyon
Natural Arches
Aztec Ruins National Monument
Farmington, NM: Dinetah Rock Art & Pueblitos
National Park Service: Aztec Ruins National Monument

Pat's Photos: Click Here for slide show.

George's Photos:Click Here for slide show.

Cañada de las Milpas Hike – 02/21/2018

February 22, 2018

Exploring with Pat – headed for White Mesa Bike Trails and the two-track going north in the Cañada de las Milpas on the west side of Dragon Back. We planned to hike west across the Cañada and up onto the mesa, looking for ruins that are marked on the Topo maps.

The Hike

Cañada de las Milpas Hikes.Pat.2018-02-21

Arriving abreast of where we believed the ruins to be, we disembarked and headed across the Cañada only to encounter a deep and wide arroyo with vertical walls at least 10′ high. Clearly we weren’t going to cross the arroyo here – back to the truck. We continued north on the two-track, stopping a couple of times to check the arroyo. About .4 miles from our first try, the arroyo was easily crossed, so we headed west toward the mesa. Using the Topo, Pat chose a route that avoided the steep sides of the mesa – ’twas an easy slope to climb.

As we climbed, the views were amazing. To the north, the Rio Salado and Nacimiento Mountains, to the northeast the Jemez Mountains, to the east Dragon’s Back and the White Mesa Bike Trails, to the south the wider Cañada de las Milpas. At some point, to the west Cabezon came into view, and as we neared the top we began to see across the Rio Puerco. Midway up, we came upon a two-track that made the final climb easier.

We continued on the two-track until reaching a point where, turning right, we should find the ruins. About .2 mile, following the GPS to the location on the Topo, we came upon the tell-tale pile of rocks, the remnants of ruins. (I’ve not been able to find records to further identify this ruins site.) After taking photos, we set up the “kitchen” in the lee of a juniper and had coffee, etc.

The return to the truck was an easy 1.66 miles; we stayed on the two-track as it descended from the mesa top before striking ‘cross country’. The weather had been threatening precipitation with dark clouds forming or arriving out of the southwest, so for a few minutes we were a bit anxious about the prospects of a slippery, muddy road out. The precipitation remained west of the Ojito, at least until we were safely back on US 550.

Statistics

Total Distance: 3.36 miles
Elevation: start 5,618 ft, maximum 5,904 ft, minimum 5,618 ft
Gross gain: 286 ft. Aggregate ascending 456 ft, descending 457 ft
Maximum slope: 24% ascending, 21% descending, 4,9% average
Duration: 3:07

Canada de las Milpas Hikes.Pat.2018-02-21 (KML)	226 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Canada de las Milpas Hikes.Pat.2018-02-21 (GPX)	54 Downloads
Canada de Las Milpas DriveInOut.Pat.2018-02-21 (KML)	353 Downloads
Canada de Las Milpas DriveInOut.Pat.2018-02-21 (GPX)	149 Downloads

I urge you to explore our hiking tracks with Google Earth. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the 2-dimensional screenshot above. For assistance: Using Google Earth Track Files.

Ponderosa Mesa Hike – 02/18/2018

February 22, 2018

Went looking for a hike with no snow or muddy roads, headed for FR 269 which goes up San Juan Canyon from the upper end of the village of Ponderosa. But … ’tis winter when the Forest Services closes many of the roads in the Jemez. This called for Plan B, which we decided would be to go up FR 10 beyond the Paliza Campground, to a point where we thought we might be able to descend into San Juan Canyon. No dice for that either – FR 10 was also closed.

The Hike

Oh well …. We hiked up FR 10 to the top of Ponderosa Mesa, then headed into the woods looking for ruins at locations that I had found on Google Earth. What we found were the open areas but could not conclude that they were ruins sites; if sites, then they were covered after archeology work. But we think it’s more likely these sites were related to mining.

However … in the vicinity of the first area I saw a depression characteristic of a kiva which I’ve seen at other sites, and at each area we -did- find one-room ruins. The first one had very well defined walls, straight and at right angles to each other. At the other site, the shape of the structure was not so well defined, mostly a pile of rock rubble but clearly an example of Pueblo ruins.

Having hiked out about 2.9 miles, we headed back along FR 10 for a short distance, then descended into Goblin Colony for today’s mid-hike repast. From there, back to the truck.

Jay here: The mountain goat forgot to mention bushwhacking (or more accurately boulder whacking) up a canyon because “it’s more scenic than going by road.” Uh-huh. I still have scars from the last time we took the scenic route up a cliff face. Also, we took the route that skirts most of the upper portion of Goblin Colony which was much less difficult than the last time when we tried to come down the center line over some treacherous drops. It was like taking the relief route.

Statistics

Total Distance: 5.11 miles
Elevation: start 6,982 ft, maximum 7,689 ft, minimum 6,915 ft
Gross gain: 774 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,167 ft, descending 1,165 ft
Maximum slope: 29% ascending, 34% descending, 7.3% average
Duration: 3:43

Ponderosa Mesa Hike.Jay.2018-02-18 (KML)	293 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Ponderosa Mesa Hike.Jay.2018-02-18 (GPX)	61 Downloads
Ponderosa Mesa DriveInOut.Jay.2018-02-18 (KML)	224 Downloads
Ponderosa Mesa DriveInOut.Jay.2018-02-18 GPX)	150 Downloads

I urge you to explore our hiking tracks with Google Earth. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the 2-dimensional screenshot above. For assistance: Using Google Earth Track Files.

Stable Mesa and Kiva Ruins Hike – 05/03/2015

February 13, 2018

This was our first foray into visiting Pueblo ruins in the Jemez Mountains based on a report from ondafringe, “Day Hike: Stable Mesa to Kiva Ruins“. I’ve since learned that these are the Tovakwa Pueblo ruins.

The Drive In

The drive to our trailhead was up NM 4 from San Ysidro, left onto NM 485 and up the Guadalupe Canyon (along the Guadalupe River), and through the Gilman Tunnels onto FR 376. Beyond the Tunnels about 7 miles, we parked just across the bridge at Porter.

The Hike

Stable Mesa and Kiva Ruins Hike.Jay.2015-05-03

We began the hike by going south on the east side of the river, starting a climb up the face of the mesa in about a mile. It was then up a rough, steep two-track to the top of Stable Mesa; that was quite a climb – steep, long, very rough and rocky two-track.

The mesa top is quite flat and level; starting north on a two track we encountered a very interesting rock formation with a large window looking west across the Guadalupe Canyon. And the views across, up, and down the canyon are awesome. I had only coordinates for our destination, the Kiva Ruins (also known as the Tovakwa Ruins). We continued in a northeast direction along a nice two-track until I decided we needed to head more south and east towards the Ruins. ‘Twas easy hiking in open ponderosa forest, generally level with a small valley (in Kansas we would call it a ‘draw’) to cross. (In the bottom of this draw we came across a collection of modern artifacts, like someone held a birthday party here. We conjectured over the reason – maybe really a party? someone’s GeoCache site? We’re still puzzled.)

As we followed the GPS pointer, I first saw some mounds of earth that didn’t look like something Mother Nature would have produced. Then, looking down (thanks, Vince, for teaching me to look for things ‘under our feet’), I saw what, on further inspection, proved to be sherds of pottery. I then suspected we were in the vicinity of Tovakwa. As we proceeded I saw a circular depression, thinking it was the site of a kiva. Continuing further we found more ‘unnatural’ mounds, more shards, and then the Great Kiva. All of this on the edge of Stable Mesa overlooking Canyon Cebollita. We also visited more ruins, these rectangular in shape, about .1 miles north of the Great Kiva.

Noting that we had an unnecessary excursion to the north in our track inbound, I turned to the GPS to shoot for a shorter track out. We returned to the draw, then followed it downhill until it fell off steeply towards Guadalupe Canyon. At that point we made the short climb back up onto Stable Mesa, then found our way to rejoin our inbound track and headed down the two-track and back to parking.

Highlight

The drive up Guadalupe Canyon is spectacular, with Gilman Tunnel most interesting. Then the ‘window rock’ once we were up on the Mesa, and the view across the canyon was impressive. And the goal, Tovakwa Pueblo ruins, was a among the most interesting sites we have visited, especially the remains of a large Kiva and the Long House. This was one of our longest hikes to date (2015), and one of the more strenuous – the climb up was challenging. It is one of my favorites.

Statistics

Total Distance: 8.07 miles
Elevation: start 7,175 ft, maximum 7,916 ft, minimum 7,175 ft
Gross gain: 741 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,676 ft, descending 1,669 ft
Maximum slope: 35% ascending, 48% descending, 6.9% average
Duration: 5:07

Stable Mesa and Kiva Ruins Hike - 05/03/2015 (KML)	352 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Stable Mesa and Kiva Ruins Hike - 05/03/2015 (GPX)	248 Downloads

I urge you to explore our hiking tracks with Google Earth. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the 2-dimensional screenshot above. For assistance: Using Google Earth Track Files.

References

ondafringe: Day Hike: Stable Mesa to Kiva Ruins
ASCHG: Stable Mesa Hike (link corrected 2025)
. Stable Mesa to Ruins (added 2025)
OtherHand: Tovakwa ruins (added 2025)
Dog of the Desert: Tovakwa
AllTrails: Stable Mesa (added 2025)

George's Photos w/ Captions:. Click on a Photo to show Gallery.

Jay's Photos. Photos. Click on a Photo to show Gallery

Peralta Ridge Hike – 10/29/2017

November 18, 2017

Introduction

Pat and I went looking for new places. We have visited Paliza Canyon many times, visiting Goblin Colony and Boletsakwa & Kiatsukwa Ruins. We have been curious about a forest road, FR 266, that heads east off of FR 10 .4 miles above the Paliza Campground; we checked out on this day. As interesting as the hike was the drive to the trailhead.

The Drive In

Directions to Paliza: US 550 to San Ysidro, north on NM 4 to the turn to the right onto NM 29o. Continue through the settlement of Ponderosa, then about 3 miles to the boundary of the Cibola National Forest, then another 1.5 miles to the Campground. Turn left across a one-lane bridge, then 500 yards to the intersection of FR 10, 266, and 271 (FR 271 proceeds up Paliza Canyon itself). A sign at this intersection advises that one can proceed only a few miles; one cannot continue through to Tent Rocks. FR 266 proceeds past the Christian Life Center and heads uphill, rounding the bitter end of Peralta Ridge.

For about .5 miles the road is narrow and on a very steep hillside, nearly straight up on the left, nearly straight down on the right. The roadbed itself is in good condition, at least typical for these mountain roads – we passed another intrepid soul who had come up the road in a small sedan. Atop the ridge, the road is “nice” – dirt, little elevation change, easy driving. ‘Tho we did not stop to investigate, I’m fairly certain that we passed a rather large Pueblo ruins a mile or so from reaching the ridgetop (gleaned from USGS Topo from 1915). We started our hike about 4 miles further on, where FR 266 makes a very hard turn to the right, south and downhill, into Guacamalla Canyon.

The Hike

The trail generally follows an easy two-track with a steady climb (500 feet for the first .7 mile, then levels out somewhat. It then becomes a bit steeper, climbing 200 feet in the last .1 mile. On the way we encountered the only person this hike, a gentlemen on the most quiet off-road bike. He pointed out the fire lookout on Cerro Pelado north of us, suggesting that as another destination in the future (and that he had seen one elk that day – we’re still on the lookout for one).

After 1.2 miles, where Peralta Ridge turns to the north, we found ourselves on the brink of a steep descent into Peralta Canyon; maps show that this trail descends to meet up with the Peralta Canyon Trail #140. We could not find any evidence of such and the descent appeared quite daunting. We climbed to the highest point nearby on the ridge for our mid-hike break, and enjoyed beautiful view down into Peralta Canyon, across to Bearhead Ridge and Aspen & Ruiz Peaks. On the nearby slopes we saw evidence of fire (featured photo above); I’ve not been able to identify the guilty fire to learn how long ago it burned here.

Statistics

Total Distance: 3.36 miles
Elevation: start 8,618 ft, maximum 9,145 ft, minimum 8,618 ft
Gross gain: 527 ft. Aggregate ascending 927 ft, descending 969 ft
Maximum slope: 39% ascending, 38% descending, 11% average
Duration: 3:15

Peralta Ridge Hike.Pat.2017-10-29 (KML)	138 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Peralta Ridge Hike.Pat.2017-10-29 (GPX)	65 Downloads
Peralta Ridge Driveout.Pat.2017-10-29 (KML)	106 Downloads
Peralta Ridge Driveout.Pat.2017-10-29 (GPX)	120 Downloads

I urge you to explore our hiking tracks with Google Earth. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the 2-dimensional screenshot above. For assistance: Using Google Earth Track Files.

References

US Forest Service: Peralta Ridge Trail #126

George's Photos w/ Captions: Click on a photo for gallery show.

Tapia Canyon Hike – 11/02/2015

October 23, 2017

I’m posting this report -long- after we made the hike. But I have good memories, so here goes.

The Drive In

Tapia Canyon is way out in the middle of the Rio Puerco valley. From Albuquerque, US 550 to NM 276 (San Louis road), then some 30 miles on generally well maintained dirt/gravel roads. There are two -deep- arroyo crossings with steep entries; these plus the road in general make it unwise to visit Tapia Canyon (or other places along the way) until the roads have dried from rain or snow.

NOTE: Tapia Canyon and Tower Ruin Site are closed for native American traditional activities 4 times each year: Sep 15-Oct 15, Dec 15-Dec 31, Mar 1-Mar 15, and Jun 20-Jun 30.

The Hike

Since we weren’t able to climb from the canyon to the mesa top and Tower Ruins during our earlier hike for this outing our goal was to drive closer and hike to the ruins. We continued on NM 279 for 1.2 miles, then turned right on a two-track. We encountered a locked gate about 1/3 mile on. Although without a clear idea how far, we decided to hike from there hoping to reach Tower Ruins above the canyon. Following the two-track beyond the gate for 1.5 miles or so, we started looking for reference points with which we might determine our progress. In sum, not having a record of our previous track in hand, and and not recognizing our position relative to the canyon, we abandoned our effort and headed back to the car.

From the sceeen-shot above, and looking at the Google Earth track (link below), we can see we were -far- short of the ruins (1.7 miles), and even short of the starting point for our previous hike in the canyon (see the orange track line). We presume since this is a site with regular activity for Native American activities, visits are discouraged with the locked gate.

Statistics

Total Distance: 3.33 miles
Elevation: start 5,922 ft, maximum 6,143 ft, minimum 5,922 ft
Gross gain: 188 ft. Aggregate ascending 438 ft, descending 477 ft
Maximum slope: 35% ascending, 32% descending, 5% average
Duration: 2:38

Tapia Canyon Hike.Vince.2015-11-02 (KML)	204 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Tapia Canyon Hike.Vince.2015-11-02 (GPX)	64 Downloads

I urge you to explore our hiking tracks with Google Earth. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the 2-dimensional screenshot above. For assistance: Using Google Earth Track Files.

References

ondafringe: Day Hike: Tapia Canyon and Tower Ruin
CargoVanConversion: Guadalupe Ruin & Tapia Canyon
DougScottArt: Canon Tapia
mjy’s blog: Tapia Canyon, Cabezon Area, New Mexico

For Guadalupe Ruins: BLM: Guadalupe Ruin
Recreation.gov: Guadalupe Ruin, NM
Four Corners Region Geotourism MapGuide: Guadalupe Ruin Chacoan Outlier
Everything Else: Guadalupe Ruins

And .. check other BLOG entries: Tapia Canyon Hike – 05/10/2015 Tapia Canyon & Tower Ruins Hike – 11/19/2016

George's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery Show.

Boletsakwa Ruins Hike – 07/01/2015

October 21, 2017

I’m posting this report -long- after we made this hike. It may have been our first visit to Boletsakwa Ruins.

The Hike

Statistics

Total Distance: 2.80 miles
Elevation: start 7,218 ft, maximum 7,305 ft, minimum 7,131 ft
Gross gain: 174 ft. Aggregate ascending 644 ft, descending 643 ft
Maximum slope: 42% ascending, 42% descending, 8% average
Duration: 3:17

Boletsakwa Hike.Pat.2015-07-01 (KML)	142 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Boletsakwa Hike.Pat.2015-07-01 (GPX)	88 Downloads

I urge you to explore our hiking tracks with Google Earth. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the 2-dimensional screenshot above. For assistance: Using Google Earth Track Files.

References

OtherHand: Boletsakwa Ruins
Dog of the Desert: Boletsakwa in the Jemez Mountains
School for Advanced Research:
Archaeology of the Jemez Pueblo Revolt, Overnight in Jemez Springs
San Juan Basin Archaeological Society, Field Trip Report: Jemez Mountains (pdf)
Museum of New Mexico: … Archeology of the Jemez Province … (pdf)

George's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery Show, or Click Here for Slide Show: Click on a Photo for Gallery Show.

The Drive In

The Walkabout

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The Walkabout

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The Hike

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The Trip

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The Hike

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Related Posts (in the vicinity)

The Hike

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The Drive In

The Hike

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Introduction

The Drive In

The Hike

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The Drive In

The Hike

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The Hike

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