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Weekend Warriors Arizona Hiking Guide
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If a hike through a desert canyon, next to a periodic stream, ending at a set of well preserved Native American ruins, then this is the hike for you. This hike is located near Florence Junction, AZ. To get to the trailhead: from the Phoenix area, take US-60 East from Apache Junction about 16 miles to Florence Junction. Another 2 miles on US-60 gets you to Queen Valley Road. Follow Queen Valley road for 1.8 miles to FR357. Turn right on FR357 and go 3 miles. Make a left onto FR172 and drive 10 miles. Make a right onto FR172A and travel 3.9 miles to the trailhead. The last 3.9 miles requires a high clearance vehicle with 4 wheel drive. Be Aware of: High Clearance 4 wheel drive required for the last 3.9 miles to get to the trailhead. Some scrambling to get to the ruins. 30 yr old Recommendation: The toughest part is getting there. The hike itself is long, with some elevation change, but not too much. This is a Moderate hike. Elevation change: about 1000 ft total decent to the Native American ruins. Of course, you have to go up on the way back. Distance: The distance to the ruins is 4.2 miles one way. Time: It took us about 6 hours to complete this hike. Time of year: Spring, Winter, or Fall Solitude: Not many people on this hike because of the difficulty driving the road. This is a good hike for getting back to nature. Getting to this trailhead really is the toughest part. FR172A takes some off road skill and the vehicle to match. Once you pry your white knuckles from the dashboard, the trailhead is a welcome sight. This hike descends steadily down a desert canyon, along a seasonal creek. We did this hike in the late fall, and the creek was flowing pretty well. After about 1 mile on Rogers Trough, the trail forks. To the right is the Reavis Ranch Trail, and to the left is Rogers Canyon Trail. Take the left fork and hike another 3.2 miles. When the trail starts to head west, look for the ruins in a cave on the North wall of the canyon. If you are not actively looking on the right side of the canyon, you could easily walk right by this ruin. You will have to do some scrambling to get to the cave, but the reward is worth it. These ruins are remarkably well preserved, so PLEASE do your part in keeping them that way. Don't climb the walls, remove any objects, and treat the area with the respect it deserves. When you're ready, return the way you came. You are going uphill now, so you'll be working a little harder. Don't worry, you won't be too anxious to repeat that 4 wheel drive back to home. At least you'll have the memories and the pictures.
[Picture of Rogers Trough Native American Ruins]
[Another picture of the ruin] This hike was done in January of 2003.
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