FIRST WATER TO INDIAN RUINS (S)
| Date: | Destination: | Tonto National Forest | |||||
| Level: | Short | Area: | First Water Trailhead | ||||
| Approx hike distance in miles: | 3.6 | Hike leader: | |||||
| Low to high elevation gain: | Hike leader phone: | ||||||
| Accum elevation gain in feet: | 300' | Hike leader email: | |||||
| Departure time - Union Center parking lot: | 8:00 | Please arrive 10 minutes early to check in | |||||
| Recommended gas donation: | $10 | ||||||
| Unpaved miles: | 2.1 | Park entry fee per vehicle: | None | ||||
| Road conditions: | Fair | Website for reference info: | |||||
| High clearance vehicle req'd: | Suggested but not necessary | Trailhead GPS coordinates: | |||||
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| Maintained Trail: | Yes | Uneven Footing: | Partial | ||||
| Steep Side Drop-offs: | No | Steep Trail: | No | ||||
| Off Trail (scratchy): | No | Slippery Trail Surfaces: | No | ||||
| Use of Hands Required: | No | Boulder Hopping: | No | ||||
| Difficulty : | Moderate | Water Crossings: | No | ||||
| Restrooms at Trailhead: | Yes | Gloves Required: | No | ||||
Special Instructions:
This is an out and back hike to a prehistoric Indian mound. Park at the First Water Trailhead. Start on the Dutchman Trail, then stay left at the junction of Second Water and Dutchman Trails at .3 miles. Walk an additional 1.5 miles on Second Water Trail to reach the intersection of Second Water and Black Mesa Trails @ 1.8 miles. The mound (Hill #2474) will be directly in front of you. Return the same way. In 1893 the Arizona Daily Gazette estimated the structure (now the ruins mound) to be 300’ x 500’ and 3 stories high. In 1995 it was estimated to have been 75’ x 100’ and 10’ high. There are 2 grinding holes (approx. 4” in diameter) in the rocks – one in a large rock near the top, the other halfway down on the opposite side from which you arrived. The pottery sherds are smooth, and are beige, brown or red color on one side, and an unfinished sand or dark brown color on the other. A few have designs painted on them in red. Do not take them! They’re thought to be Salado Indian from A.D. 1100 – 1400.
In 1866, Garden Valley (near the trailhead) was the site of a major skirmish between the Apache and Yavapai Indians, and the U.S. Infantry (foot soldiers) from Ft. McDowell. Thirty Indians were killed, and many taken prisoner.
Directions:
Take Felix Road north to Arizona Farms Road, turn right. Turn left (north) on AZ 79. Turn left onto Hwy 60 West toward Phoenix. Exit onto Mountain View Road (just past Silly Mountain), drive to the end and turn right on Apache Trail. Follow it for 2 miles to First Water Road, then drive 2.1 miles to the trailhead at the end of the dirt road.