| |
Moody Point Trail - Sierra Ancha Wilderness, Tonto National Forest
| Summary: |
A steep hike on a faint trail
to some infrequently visited cliff dwellings
then up to the top of Moody Point. |
| Directions: |
From Phoenix
drive east on Highway 60 almost to Globe. Turn
left (north) on Highway 188 (also listed as 88
on maps) and drive 14.4 miles to Highway 288.
Turn right on 288 which soon crosses the Salt
River on a single lane bridge. After 6.7 miles,
turn right onto the well graded, dirt Cherry
Creek Road (which is also Forest Road 203).
After 8.8 miles at the sign for Coon Creek FR
#203 bends right and crosses the creek (straight
will take you onto private ranch property). At
the 13.3 mile point you reach a sign for the
left branching Bull Canyon Road (FR #203A), stay
straight on FR #203. The road drops down and
begins following Cherry Creek up stream. Shortly
after passing a corral and gate (which is
sometimes open, sometimes closed), look for the
large brown and yellow sign on the left for the
Leisure Trailhead. No official parking spot
exists for this trailhead, but if you drive a
short distance past the trail sign you can pull
off the road to the right next to a dry wash. |
| Road Conditions: |
High Clearance Vehicle |
| Navigation: |
Difficult |
| Length: |
6.5 miles to the ruins and
back
14 miles for the entire Moody Point Trail |
| Date Hiked: |
April
2005 |
| Weather Conditions: |
Sunny
and warm |
|
Required Skills: |
 |
| Hike Description: |
From the pull off, walk past
the sign for the Leisure Trailhead as it
descends a short distance to a sign for the
Moody Point Trail #140. The sign indicates the
following distances: Deep Creek Trail #128 - 4
miles, Rim Trail #139 - 7 miles, Workman Creek
Rd #487 - 9 miles. Continue down the trail to
where it crosses Cherry Creek. Look for cairns
to the left in this area where the trail
disappears. The route crosses the creek and goes
through a fence on opposite bank. Turn right
after the fence as the trail parallels the
stream for a short distance before bending left
to climb steeply up into the hills. The route
becomes easier to follow at this point and is
marked by cairns at irregular intervals. The
trail climbs up to a grassy saddle and fades for
a short distance. Stay to the left at this point
and scan the hillside for where the path
continues the steep climb up the hill, becoming
more defined as it does so. Soon you'll reach a
Sierra Ancha Wilderness Boundary sign (or 1/2 a
sign anyway), followed by some more climbing.
Eventually the trail bends left and levels out
somewhat as it traverses the hillside below a
cliff band. Look up to the right to spot some
ruins at the base of the cliffs. If you would
like to visit the ruins, hike until you reach a
grassy saddle below the dwellings to a point
just before the trail drops down into a wash.
From this spot it is possible to route find up
the steep, rocky slope to the base of the cliff
band. Use care on this section since the hill is
quite steep with loose rocks that make footing
precarious. The cliff dwellings consist of about
1/2 dozen rooms, some of which are fairly well
preserved. It goes without saying, but please
show respect by not disturbing the area,
climbing on the walls or removing anything you
find. You can use this spot as a turn around
point, however, we will continue further along
the Moody Point Trail. Once back on the path,
the route descends to cross a drainage, then
continues a steep climb, eventually leveling out
somewhat at the top of the mesa. The trail bends
right at this point and becomes rather obscure
as it heads straight up the ridge to reach the
signed junction with the left branching Deep
Creek Trail (4 miles). The sign indicates that
to the left are the Coon Spring Trail #128 - 5
miles, Bull Canyon Rd. #203A - 5 miles. Continue
straight on the Moody Point Trail (Rim Trail - 3
miles, Workman Creek Rd. - 5 miles) and climb
the rest of the way up the hill to a ridge with
good views overlooking Cherry Creek far below on
the right. Follow the ridge along a mostly
non-existent path, keeping an eye out for cairns
which mark the way. The 'trail' (using the term
very loosely) crosses the ridge, then bends left
and begins climbing steeply up the slope
following a deep un-named drainage (just south
of Devils Chasm) which will be on your right.
The path in this section is very difficult to
follow, basically you have to route find from
cairn to cairn trying to find the next one to
indicate you're on the right route. An old fire
in the area appears to have damaged many of the
trees and obliterated much of the path. It's a
steep climb of about 1000 ft to the summit of
Moody Point where the path finally levels out.
You'll have to route find through several wide
sections of scrub to pick up occasional sections
of decent trail, which becomes more defined as
you enter a more forested section of pines. The
upper reaches of Devil's Chasm come into view on
the right as you continue through the forest to
the 'T' junction with the Rim Trail #139 (7
miles). The sign indicates that to the right are
the Murphy Ranch Trail #141 - 1.5 miles, Edwards
Spring - 3 miles, the left are Moody Trailhead -
1 mile, Carr Trailhead - 4 miles. You can
continue on in either direction, or return the
way you came (14 miles). |
| Rating (1-5 stars): |
  To
the ruins and back.
The entire hike.
The cliff dwellings are probably the best
reason to do this hike, though those looking for
an aggressive workout in a remote setting might
want to complete the entire trail. The author
completed the Moody Point Trail at a fast pace
in 6.5 hours. |
| Books: |
None |
| Maps: |
Tonto
National Forest, USFS (not a very good map) |
| Photos: |
Click picture for larger view, click your browser's 'Back' button to return to this page. |
|
No Pictures were taken on this hike. |
|
|
