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Weekend Warriors Arizona Hiking Guide
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If a sunny hike to some native American ruins and great views appeals to you, this is your hike. This hike is either accessed from the Tanner beach via the Tanner trail, or accessed from a river rafting trip on the Colorado River. For river rafters, you can beach at river mile 71 on river left, at dry Cardenas Creek. Be Aware of: Be respectful to the ruin and don't touch. This is an easy hike. 35 yr old Recommendation: This hike is a short but enjoyable climb and the views are great as usual. Elevation change: about 400 ft of elevation gain Distance: 3.0 miles one way Time: It took us about 1.5 hours one way. Time of year: Fall and Spring is best, Summer is possible, although it would be very hot. Solitude: Very good, we had this area all to ourselves. Map: Click here for map We took this hike starting from the Tanner beach, accessed via the Tanner trail. From the beach area, there is a well defined trail (known as the Escalante trail) that leads West along the Colorado river all the way to the Unkar mesa. The trail is dry and hot, so it would be a bear in the Summer. The wide open area this trail passes through is known as Furnace flats and it is easy to understand why. There is typically a breeze at the Unkar mesa that will help you cool down. After you reach Cardenas Creek, the trail will start it's brief climb to near the top of Unkar mesa. There are a couple of trails here and you want to take care not to follow the Escalante trail too far. If you leave the immediate area of the Unkar mesa, you've gone too far. The overlook is easy to spot, as it lies at a saddle near the top of the mesa, facing West. From the overlook, you are rewarded with scary views of Unkar rapid and the Unkar delta. The Unkar delta is a treasure of native American ruins but unfortunately is on the wrong side of the river for hikers. If you have binoculars, you will be able to see the remains of some of the dwellings. This is a nice place to stop for lunch and relax. If you turn around and look towards the Colorado river to the North East, you will see the ruin. The ruin commands an impressive view of the inner canyon area and is worth exploring. It is a short walk over to the ruin.
[hiking next to the Colorado River]
[hiking through furnace flats]
[Views from the Unkar overlook]
[Unkar hilltop ruin overlooking the Colorado River] We did this hike in late October 2008.
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