Indian Ruins at Mullican Canyon

On 28 October 2011 nine Skyliners hiked to the Indian Ruins at Mullican Canyon. The below group picture was taken at the ruins.

Left to right: Betty Wolters, Dolly Yapp, George Everman, Ellis Price, Daisy 

Williams, Marvin Alt, Miriam Sterling, Lila Wright and Donna Goodman

We all met at the Safeway parking lot and drove through Cornville to interstate 17.  We then drove north on I-17 to Exit 306 and turned off on Stoneman Lake Road.  The spot where we parked for the hike is seventeen miles from I-17 on mostly dirt roads.  From I-17 we followed Stoneman Lake Road east for 6.4 miles until we came to a T.  At the T we turned right on FR 922 and followed it for about 1.6 miles before making a 90-degree right turn onto FR 644.  We followed FR 644 for 9.3 miles, passing Mullican Place Tank and Three-Jim Tank on the way, before parking just after the road crosses a shallow wash.  The location is at N34⁰43’ 35.84” W111⁰39’ 47.58”.

The topographic map we were using in the GPS showed three weirs, used long ago to measure stream flow, along the course of our travels.  Two of these are located along FR 644, the first at Three-Jim Tank and the second just a short distance down stream from the tank.  The third weir is shown by the map to be located along the wash we followed between FR 644 and Mullican Canyon where the ruins are located.  We never found any sign of the third weir, not even the remains of a foundation and were left to wonder whether the map entry might have been an error.

For those who are curious, a weir can be described as “… a small overflow dam used to alter the flow characteristics of a river or stream. In most cases weirs take the form of a barrier across the river that causes water to pool behind the structure (not unlike a dam), but allows water to flow over the top. Weirs are commonly used to alter the flow regime of the river, prevent flooding, measure discharge and to help render a river navigable.¹”

After parking we followed the wash downstream, first along the bank, then entering the wash itself when the going become easier there.  It is approximately 0.95 miles from the road to the Indian ruins.  They are located atop an outcropping, separated from the canyon wall proper by an abandoned meander (rincon).  Part of the ruins can be seen directly ahead as you proceed down the side canyon formed by the wash you are in toward its junction with Mullican Canyon. As you approach them look carefully to the north face of the side canyon you are in.  About 100 yards before you reach the ruins look carefully and you will find distinctive Indian drawings located high on the north wall of the wash.

Indian drawing

Indian Drawing

These drawings don’t just jump out at you unless the sun is exactly right; however, they are visible at any time if you look closely.  As for me, I hiked this way twice before I finally noted them.

A section of the Indian ruins can be seen atop the outcropping shown here. 

Note the man-made rock wall running along the periphery

At the foot of the outcropping on which the ruins are located lies a deep pool of water.  The side canyon (or wash) we have been traveling down is at this point almost perfectly parallel to Mullican Canyon.  At one time the stream apparently flowed to the left of the outcropping into Mullican Canyon further downstream.  It has since been diverted by some geological event that allowed it to break through and flow to the right of the outcropping, spilling directly into Mullican Canyon.

Deep pool at the foot of the outcropping containing the Indian ruins 

– overflow from the pool is directly into Mullican Canyon through the 

opening visible to the right

To reach the ruins it is necessary to climb along the face of the canyon, crossing above the pool, and enter the abandoned meander (rincon).  From there it is possible, although difficult, to climb up to the peak of the outcropping where the ruins are located.  In the photograph below hikers are shown navigating the perilous route along the canyon wall toward the meander.

Hikers are shown climbing along the canyon wall above the pool – the 

shoulder of the outcropping containing the ruins is visible to the right 

– the saddle between the canyon wall and the outcropping is the old 

stream course, or “abandoned meander.”

The most direct route on up to the ruins is to climb up the steep, rocky slope as soon as you reach the meander.  A somewhat easier climb is possible a few yards further down the meander; however, undergrowth makes those few yards almost impassable.  Any path you choose is a steep, perilous climb requiring great care to avoid slipping.  But the reward is great once you reach the ruins.

Looking on down Mullican Canyon from the ruins we could see its confluence with Rarick Canyon 0.8 miles to the west.  Later reference to an online map, disclosed that I-17 at the closest point lies just 1.2 miles to the northwest across Mullican and Rarick Canyons from the ruins.  But, as the saying goes, you can’t get there from here.

It was still rather early for lunch and we had stopped for a snack on the way down the wash, so I wasn’t very hungry.  While the rest of the group looked around the ruins and ate lunch, I seized the opportunity for a good nap.  I was sound asleep when George awakened me.

Before starting back we paused for the group photograph shown at the beginning of this report.  George took the shot using my camera on time delay.  Then after carefully climbing back down the steep, rocky slope to the old meander and making our way along the canyon wall above the pool, we started rock hopping our way back up the wash toward our waiting vehicles.

Climbing back along the canyon wall above the pool on our way up the 

wash, shown directly ahead – photograph by George on a previous hike

Having noting that FR 644, the road we had driven in on, continued along the hill above and generally parallel to the wash we were following, we decided to climb out of the wash at the first good opportunity and make our way up the slope to the road.  It would appear to be a much easier hike than continuing along the rocky bed of the wash, and so it was.  Using a GPS to find the most direct route we soon arrived at the road about half a mile from our cars.

Although we were parked to the east of where we entered the road (FR 644) we saw some artifacts about 200 yards in the other direction and went that way to investigate.  What we found were the remains of an old corral and another weir located in a wash at the end of FR 644.  The below photograph was taken from just upstream of the weir looking over it into the chasm the stream had formed on its way to Mullican Canyon.

Photograph taken from the bed of the wash located at the end of FR 644. 

The walkway runs along the top of the weir. From there the stream 

drops sharply into a deep chasm on its way to the canyon below

Examining the weir: Marvin alt (partial at top), Dolly Yapp, Lila Wright 

and George Everman

The total hiking distance was only about 1.9 miles.  However, that is somewhat deceptive because the going is rough, except for the part of the return trip that was along FR 644.  The wash is rocky and requires stepping carefully all the way to avoid sprained ankles and falls, several places require climbing over or around steep ledges in the streambed, the climb along the canyon wall above the pool is quite perilous and the final climb to the ruins is steep and rocky.

This is a moderately difficult hike overall with a few very difficult areas; it is not for those with weak ankles or those who do not like a little rock climbing.  Some of the rough hiking in the streambed can be avoided by parking at the spot where we rejoined FR 644 at N34⁰ 43’29.92”; N111⁰ 40’15.07” and hiking north to join the wash closer to the ruins.

An Alternative Hike to the Indian Ruins

A good alternative to parking where we did for this hike is to park instead at 3-Jim Tank. Weir Number 1 is located there in the same wash that we followed on this hike to reach the ruins at its juncture with Mullican Canyon. It is just farther upstream and the hike is thus a bit longer. As compensation for the longer hike you can investigate the remains of the extensive water measuring system once installed along the wash. Weir Number 1 is, as noted previously in this report, only the first of three weirs once in place along the wash. Number 2 is between 3-Jim Tank and the place where we parked for today's hike; A Weir Number 3 was apparently once located between there and Mullican Canyon, but no longer exists. The weir featured in today's hike report is located in an entirely different wash that empties into Mullican Canyon at a different point. Some of the artifacts and sites to be seen along this alternative hike to the ruins are shown in these four photographs (below).

Weir Number 1

A well-constructed hunter's blind located near Weir Number 1

In the wash below Weir Number 1, approaching Weir Number 2

Weir Number 2

As previously noted, Weir Number 3 no longer exists, and we were left wondering if it ever did.

The included map (below) shows the immediate area of this hike. Interstate 17 is visible running diagonally across the upper left corner. The dirt road running between I-17 and Rarick Canyon is Beaver Creek Road. The blue line on the map is the route we took from our cars down the wash to the ruins at Mullican Canyon. The yellow line shows our return route including the side trip to the unnamed weir. The green line shows the last bit of our drive in from I-17.

To hike to the ruins by way of weirs 1 and 2, just park at 3-Jim Tank and follow the blue track shown on the included map down the wash.

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weir

Lava River Cave

Nine Skyliner hikers visited Lava river Cave near Flagstaff on Saturday, 01 October 2011. We met at the Cottonwood Safeway Parking lot at 0700 and car pooled from there, traveling to Flagstaff via Hwy 89A and stopping at Coco’s for breakfast.

The following information is excerpted from Wikipedia:¹

Lava River Cave is a lava tube cave in northern Arizona's Coconino National Forest. At approximately 0.75-mile (1.21 km) long, it is the longest cave of this kind known in Arizona. The cave was discovered by some lumbermen in 1915. The cave has also historically been referred to as "Government Cave" due to its location on the eastern edge of Government Prairie and southeast of Government Peak. Today, Lava River Cave is freely accessible to the general public.

Geologists believe the cave was formed sometime between 650,000 and 700,000 years ago when molten lava erupted from a volcanic vent in nearby Hart Prairie. The top, sides and bottom of the flow cooled and solidified, while lava in the middle flowed out, leaving a hollow space to form the cave. Examples of both ʻAʻā and Pāhoehoe basaltic lava can be seen in the cave.²

The cave is mostly dry, but due to the temperature change, there is a lot of condensation on the walls, ceiling and floor near the entrance, which makes it slippery. Temperatures inside are around 40°F (5°C) during the summer, and it is not uncommon for some of the rocks to be covered with ice. The cave can range in height from 30 feet (9.1 m) to only 2 to 3 feet (0.61 to 0.91 m). There are no light sources inside. It is recommended visitors have sturdy hiking boots, warm clothing, and multiple sources of light.

Litter and graffiti have been problems since the late 1960s. A major restoration effort was organized in May 1991. Almost all the litter was packed out and much of the graffiti removed at that time. Dogs should not be taken in the cave since there are only limited and very slow biological processes to render their urine and feces unobjectionable.

The entrance to the cave is around 14 miles (23 km) north of Flagstaff, Arizona. Being in Coconino National Forest, the cave is managed by the United States Forest Service. While the cave is open year round, the dirt roads which lead there may be impassable to cars in winter months or during wet weather conditions. There are no entrance or use fees.

I found the following descriptions for Lava types ʻAʻā and Pāhoehoe:

ʻAʻā (also spelled aa, aʻa, ʻaʻa, and a-aa; pronounced /ˈɑː.ɑː/ or /ˈɑːʔɑː/, from Hawaiian [ʔəˈʔaː][6] meaning "stony rough lava", but also to "burn" or "blaze") is one of three basic types of flow lava. ʻAʻā is basaltic lava characterized by a rough or rubbly surface composed of broken lava blocks called clinker.³

Pāhoehoe (also spelled pahoehoe, pronounced /pəˈhoʊ.iːˈhoʊ.iː/, from Hawaiian [paːˈhoweˈhowe],[8] meaning "smooth, unbroken lava") is basaltic lava that has a smooth, billowy, undulating, or ropy surface. These surface features are due to the movement of very fluid lava under a congealing surface crust.⁴

George had left Wally the tripod in the truck and there was no good place to set the camera for a time delay shot, so George, the photographer, is not in this group shot.

Left to right: Loren Pritzel, Virginia Driscoll, Ellis Price, Gordon Bice, 

Kwi Johnson (front row), Daisy Williams, Dolly Yapp (front row) 

and Lila Wright – photograph by George

Two signs were posted providing information about the cave. These are shown on the next page.

General information

Interpretive sign

Upon entering the cave, the first fifty yards or so slope steeply down and the way is very rocky. It would be very rough going in the winter when ice could be expected near the cave opening. As it were we found that the rocks were wet and slippery as we descended. However, we were soon past the steepest, rockiest part and the going was somewhat easier.

Gordon was leading the way and George was bringing up the rear to make sure no one was left behind. I was following close behind Gordon and whenever we noted that we could not count seven lights behind us we stopped and waited for the rest of the party to catch up. The below photograph was taken during one such stop and shows George and Daisy appearing out of the darkness. Until they were close enough to be illuminated by our lights all we could see was their flashlights, like two large fireflies drifting in the breeze.

Left to right: Dolly, Daisy and George (appearing out of the darkness) 

and Kwi

Somewhere along the way we came to a section with a relatively smooth floor that provided for somewhat easier walking. The floor surface here appeared similar to a very, very rough sidewalk with oversize gravel, or pre-hardened lumps of concrete, imbedded in the surface. I learned later that it was probably type ʻAʻā (meaning "stony rough lava", but also to "burn" or "blaze") lava, one of three basic types of flow lava. I took two photographs of the floor, one also showing some sort of fungus (or mold) growth.

Section of cave floor showing ʻAʻā lave (I think) 

Section of cave floor showing ʻAʻā lave (I think) along with mold 

– Gordon’s hand is seen at right

About ¼ mile from the entrance the cave splits, a smaller branch leading off to the right and reconnecting with the main branch a short distance ahead. We decided to take the smaller branch on the way in and then follow the larger branch on the return trip. Gordon is shown below entering a low section; about here I was wishing I had brought knee pads.

Gordon entering a section of the side branch with a very low overhead

After rejoining the main branch of the cave, we continued for approximately another ½ mile before we reached the end. Not quite convinced that this really was the end, George wormed his way on through a small opening to explore further.

George was determined to make sure we were indeed at the end of the cave

It really was the end for all practical purposes and George soon came slithering back out to rejoin us for a group photograph before we started back.

George returning from exploring further than the rest of us cared to go

Left to right: Loren Pritzel, Lila Wright, Gordon Bice, George Everman, 

Dolly Yapp, Ellis Price, Virginia Driscoll, Daisy Williams and Kwi Johnson 

– picture taken by a hiker from another group

We had reached our goal, but we still had the three-quarters of a mile trek back to the entrance before us, and we wanted to reach the surface before eating lunch, so without further ado we started back.

The trip back out of the cave was uneventful and we knew that the last of our group was safely out of the cave when George emerged from the opening (below).

We stopped for lunch under the Ponderosas and then headed back home. We took a different route back from the cave and I will describe both below.

George emerged from the cave mouth and we knew that we were all 

accounted for

To travel to the cave we used the directions provided by the Forest Service: “Drive 9 miles north of Flagstaff on US 180 and turn west (left) on FR 245 (at milepost 230). Continue 3 miles to FR171 and turn south 1 mile to where FR 171B turns left a short distance to Lava River Cave.”

On the return trip we took FR 171B back to FR 171 and then followed that road for 7.4 miles before turning left on the frontage road for I-40 at Camp Navajo. We followed this road for about 0.8 miles before taking an overpass over the freeway and then turning onto I-40 heading back to Flagstaff.

1 Lava River Cave (Arizona)

2 See next page for descriptions of ʻAʻā and Pāhoehoe basaltic lava

3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lava

4 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lava