Pat & I set out to do some reconnoitering, looking at places with easy access for folks visiting from ‘sea level’. We’ve visited Boletsakwa Ruins with family, but explorations on other visits in the vicinity suggested more interesting sites might have easy access: Goblin Colony and another set of ruins which I’ve recently learned are the Kiatsukwa Ruins). (Check out references below for past hikes into this area.)
The Drive In
Continuing on FR 10 beyond the Paliza Campground, one climbs to the top of Ponderosa Mesa – park here to go south to Boletsakwa. Today we continued further on FR 10 for about 1.7 miles, where we parked and headed south about 100 yards to the northern edge of the Kiatsukwa Ruins.
The Hike
Ponderosa Mesa Hike.Pat.2017-08-29
‘Tis open forest, quite level .. easy walking. We continued south to the edge of the mesa for our mid-day break, with a great looking down Paliza Canyon and the mesas to the southeast (enticing us for future exploration). Returning on FR 10, we stopped at a wide spot in the road, halfway back to the Boletsakwa parking area. A short walk over the ridge east of the road brought us to the upper reaches of Goblin Colony. We didn’t descend into the Colony today, but it’s a great way to visit if one chooses to not hike 1.3 miles up Paliza Canyon.
Statistics
Total Distance: 1.28 miles
Elevation: 7,745 start ft, maximum 7,745 ft, minimum 7,635 ft
Gross gain: 110 ft. Aggregate ascending 227 ft, descending 228 ft
Maximum slope: 22% ascending, 45% descending, 6% average
Duration: 2:04
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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
ASCHG: Paliza Canyon – Goblin Colony Hike
Geology of the Jemez Area, Chapter 13: The Holocene:
Humans settle the Jemez
(Scroll down to the 3rd & subsequent photographs and text)
Access Genealogy: Jemez Tribe
Hiking in New Mexico:
Paliza Canyon, Ruins, Goblin Colony Hike – 9/11/2016
Ponderosa Mesa-Boletsakwa Ruins Hike-8/7/2016
Paliza Canyon & Goblin Colony Hike – 09/09/2015
Boletsakwa Ruins Hike – 07/11/2015
Paliza Canyon & Goblin Colony Hike – 7/19/2015
