Deadman Pass and Long Canyon to Amphitheater Ruins

This hike report is based on a 22 March 2014 Skyliner hike and is supplemented with material from a 16 January 2014 scouting hike. Hikers participating in the scouting hike included Lila Wright, Kwi Johnson, Gary Jacobson and the author. The 22 March hikers are identified in the below photograph, taken by Name Withheld.

Left to right: Theresa Schnack, Don Kling, Akemi Tomioka, George Everman,

 Daisy Williams, Connie Woolard, Kwi Johnson, Collene Maktenieks, Ruth

 Frazier, Betty Wolters and Lila Wright – the ice cream rock is visible 

above Daisy's head

We had originally planned to hike to some ruins we had heard were located on a ledge in Deadman Pass. However, our guide, a hiker who had previously visited these ruins, was not available. Undaunted, we decided to hike all the way through Deadman Pass and then continue up Long Canyon to the Amphitheater Ruins instead. The scouting hike was done because, although we had a location marked for the Amphitheater Ruins, none of us had actually visited them. The hike starts at the Boynton Canyon parking lot and, as made clear on the trailhead sign (right), the Boynton Canyon and Deadman Pass Trails coincide for a short distance, about 0.1 mile. At that point Deadman Pass Trail turns to head northeast and Boynton Canyon Trail turns northwest and continues on up the canyon.

Two of the hikers on the 22 March hike had previously been to the ledge house ruins in Deadman Pass. They showed Lila where to turn off, a faint trail located and 0.8 miles from the trailhead at Boynton Canyon parking lot, and pointed out the general area, shown in the photograph below, where the ruins are located. We plan to scout the area and then add a trip to those ruins as a future hike.

Showing the general location of the Deadman Pass Indian Ruins – photo by Lila

About 1.3 miles from the Boynton Canyon Trailhead, we reached the end of Deadman Pass Trail

at Long canyon Trail. A sign, shown in the photograph (left), marks the trail junction.

We turned northwest on Long Canyon Trail and almost immediately entered the Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness. Around one mile from the Deadman Pass/Long Canyon Junction, we came to Buttrock (right), a very distinctive rock, embedded in the trail, marking the turnoff to Ice Cream Rock and the Indian ruins hidden behind that formation. From Long Canyon Trail, it is just 0.4 miles to the ruins.

The trail, having passed through a forest of juniper, scrub oak and small manzanitas, was now in a section dominated by larger trees, primarily oaks with an occasional large manzanita. The

manzanita has always fascinated me with its dark chocolate-colored bark and the seeming ability to rise from the dead, as evidenced by new growth springing from seemingly dead limbs and, as shown in the photograph (left), healthy growth bypassing dead areas of their trunks.

There were a few spring flowers blooming along the way, particularly noteworthy were the two shown below, a claret cup cactus (left) and a western wallflower (right).

Claret cup cactus - by Lila

Western wallflower – by Lil

The turnoff to the Amphitheater Ruins is located about another 0.5 miles up the canyon from Buttrock. To access these ruins one crosses the wash and follows a faint trail that climbs up a short, steep cliff and then continues across a large flat area to the ruins, shown in the following photograph, visible in a cliff wall ahead. There is a distinct trail that leads to the ruins; unfortunately, there are also number of other distinct distinct trails in the area. The best course is to just take a fix on the ruins and take whatever trail that leads toward them.

The Amphitheater Ruins are visible in the overhang just to right of,

 and slightly below, center

The slope just below the ruins is a steep, precarious climb, but made easier by toe holds cut into the rock, as shown in the photograph (right).

At the top of the steep slope, one is greeted by the remains of individual rooms tucked into an overhang in the cliff face. As can be seen in the below photograph, extensive smoke discoloration is visible on the overhang above the ruins. The photograph, taken by the author in January 2014, shows the best preserved dwelling at these ruins.

Ruin of a dwelling at the Amphitheater

Rock showing ripple effects

Sharpening grooves

The two stones photographed below show, respectively, the ripple effects of being underwater in the ancient past (left) and indentations made by sharpening arrows (right)

The below photograph displays the spectacular view enjoyed by the occupants of the ruins.

View enjoyed by the cliff dwellers – photograph by Lila Wright

There are additional ruins located about 0.1 mile to the southeast of the Amphitheater in a small canyon. These are situated in two caves on either side of a deep pool of water. To access them, one leaves the main trail as though to access the Amphitheater Ruins, but then turns right and travels up the small canyon instead of climbing the cliff after crossing the wash. They are located about 0.4 miles from Long Canyon Trail.

The hike was 6.8 miles round trip, the elevation at the trailhead was 4392 feet and the elevation gain was 839 feet.

The GPS track for the hike is shown in red on the included map (below). Parts of Long Canyon Trail are shown in blue and the tracks to the other ruins discussed in this report are shown in green.