Pyramid Trail-Red Rock Park

The Pyramid Trail is one of two hiking trails in Red Rock Park east of Gallup in northwest New Mexico. Red Rock Park is 2 miles east of Exit 26 from Interstate Highway 40 along the frontage road. There are several signs pointing out the way to the park.

The Pyramid Trailhead is straight ahead on the main park road past the extensive rodeo facilities. The Pyramid Trail is one of the most popular in the Gallup, NM area. There is an aerial photograph map of the trail at the information kiosk but in early 2012 the image is faded and hard to read. The exact mileage isn’t posted but this hike felt like about 4 miles roundtrip and climbs steeply toward the end.

There are several interpretive signs along the Pyramid Trail. The first describes the area geology. The layers listed start with the eye catching Church Rock formation and work down. Visible up above are the Dakota, Morrison, Zuni, Bluff, Summerville, and Todilto layers. The base rock is the Entrada Sandstone that Four Corners travelers will recognize as the layer with all the Arches near Moab, Utah.

Further on there is a view toward the historic Fort Wingate. The Fort was established in 1868 with the return of Navajos from Bosque Redondo and served as a distributer of “Navajo Treaty Goods.” There are many bomb proof armament storage igloos visible that date from World War II. The Fort Wingate Indian School developed the first group of the famous Navajo Code Talkers.

After the first segment of climbing there is a relatively level segment along a ridge and Pyramid Rock first comes into view. An interpretive sign mentions the common plants and their uses for the original natives of this area. I kept an eye out for Ancestral Pueblo ruins along the trail but didn’t notice any. There are alcoves in the canyons along the way that could shelter some sites but they are a long distance away.

The last segment of trail curves around the Pyramid and climbs all the way to the top. There are a couple of balanced rocks on the way to the top. The Pyramid Rock Trail was constructed over three seasons by the Youth Conservation Corps and they continue to provide maintenance.

The last segment of trail is steep but there are constructed steps making the climb easier. From the top of Pyramid Rock there are outstanding views in all directions. The cap rock of the Pyramid is Dakota Sandstone providing a relatively smooth surface and some large boulders to sit on.

It took me 1:10 hours to climb to the top and 0:50 minutes to descend for a total hike of 2:00 hours. I hiked on a 60 F degree mid March day and carried 2 liters of water. There were about 15 other hikers on the trail during my hike.


                                     

Church Rock Trail-Red Rock Park

The Church Rock Trail is a lasso loop route of about 3 miles in Red Rock Park on the eastern outskirts of Gallup in northwest New Mexico. Find Red Rock Park at Exit 26 from Interstate Highway 40, then travel two miles east of the frontage road. There are signs for the park along the frontage road but I didn’t see any signs along the Interstate.

Inside the park the Church Rock Trailhead is at the far end of the main campground, after making a right turn off the main road. There are signs pointing out the nearby Pyramid Trail, but I didn’t see any for the Church Rock Trail. There is an information kiosk and some small signs pointing the way once you arrive. The trailhead kiosk has an aerial photo of the trail area but in early 2012 the image was faded and difficult to see.

The trail starts out along the sandy bottom of a drainage then climbs on the sandstone sides of the canyon. The eye catching formation in the distance is the Church Rock, the formation for which the surrounding community is named. There aren’t any interpretive signs along this trail but there are several on the nearby Pyramid Trail that provide some information on the geology and plant communities of the area.

One of the side canyons on the way has some Ponderosa Pines. Otherwise the trees are mostly Pinon Pines and Junipers. These Junipers seem to mostly be One Seed Junipers rather than the commonly seen Utah Junipers.

There are a couple of short segments where footholds are carved out of the sandstone to aid short climbs. Rock or log steps are also installed making this an easy trail to walk despite the rough terrain. The main trail is marked with very large rock cairns

The Church Rock Trail doesn’t climb all the way to the top but loops around well below. From the high point of the trail the Pyramid Rock is also visible.

I didn’t realize that this was a loop trail until I recognized segments that I had already hiked. The loop junction wasn’t obvious as I was traveling the trail.

Back at the trailhead I noticed an historic inscription that says “Church Rock Ranch and Trading Store bought Oct 15 1928.” My hike took 1:20 hours. I didn’t see the trail distance posted but this felt like about 3 miles. I hiked on a 60 F degree mid March day. Early in the season there weren’t any campers in the area and I was the only person hiking.

Hohokam and Pueblo Grande Exhibit

Beginning in the winter season of 2011 to October 2012 the Anasazi Heritage Center near Dolores, Colorado is hosting the Pieces of the Puzzle – Hohokam Exhibit displaying new ideas on the Hohokam Culture.

The Hohokam culture is known for the extensive irrigation works on the Salt River in the Phoenix, Arizona area. An easy to visit Hohokam site is the Pueblo Grande site in Phoenix, AZ located at 4619 East Washington Street, near the northeast side of the Sky Harbor Airport. Part of the Dolores, CO display includes artistic renditions of Hohokam life including the Pueblo Grande site.

The elevated overview of Pueblo Grande site isn’t actually available at the site. The trail travels along the sides of the platform mound and also climbs up on top. From the top of the mound there is an overview of the rest of the site.

The Pueblo Grande platform mound is one of more than 50 known in Arizona with nearly half of them in the Salt River Valley. The mounds are located at regular intervals of approximately three miles along the major irrigation canals.

At the Pueblo Grande site there are replicas of residential structures. The artist rendition appears to depict the circular pit house style that prevailed from 450 to 950 AD. On the Pueblo Grande site, one of the residences is open for visitors to enter and inspect the inside details. The frame is described as mesquite or cottonwood trees. Branches or Saguaro Cactus ribs are lashed to the frames.

There are replica artifacts arranged inside. One of the women in the artist rendition appears to be working on pottery and using the paddle and anvil technique that is described in the Dolores Exhibition. There a small pottery dog next to her. Some examples of these pottery dogs are on display in Dolores also.

Sunken ballcourts similar to ballcourts in Mexico were built at some of the Hohokam large sites between 700 AD and 1100 AD. The ballcourt at the Pueblo Grande site is one of the few of the 200 southwestern United States ballcourts discovered that have been excavated.

At the Pueblo Grande site the interpretive information says that use of ballcourts was discontinued sometime after 1200 AD. One of the main points of the Dolores Pieces of the Puzzle Exhibit was to discuss possible reasons why the whole Hohokam Culture gradually declined and disappeared.

The desert scene depicts Hohokam petroglyphs near Tucson, AZ.

Outside the Pueblo Grande Museum there are some example petroglyphs that have been relocated there. One of the museum images is clearly a mountain sheep. The other image is somewhat vague but looks like it could be a mountain lion.

Another of the artist renditions shows a scene at the headworks of the irrigation system. One of the puzzle pieces of the Dolores Exhibit shows how population shifted from the central core sites like Pueblo Grande to sites more at the distant ends of the irrigation system. This was a problem as these headworks still needed operation and maintenance.

Walnut Canyon Island Trail

Walnut Canyon National Monument preserves the cliff dwellings and mesa top pueblos of the Sinagua people who lived here between 1125 and 1250 AD. The Island Trail is a 1.0 mile loop that descends 185 feet into Walnut Canyon and passes through several biological communities.

Walnut Canyon is 10 miles east of Flagstaff on Interstate 40, in north Arizona. The Sinagua people were farmers using the mesa tops but used the ledgy alcoves in Walnut Canyon for constructing small dwellings. There are many small ruins visible, both along the trail and on the canyon walls across from the trail. The National Monuments south of Flagstaff, AZ called Montezuma Castle, Montezuma Well, and Tuzigoot are also identified with the Sinagua.

The first segment of trail descends on 240 steps and the trail is paved. Many of the diverse arrays of plants along the trail are identified, making this a good botany trail also. This is a rich area biologically with many of the life zones of North America represented in miniature. The variations in moisture and angle of sunlight result in cool areas with firs and pines and dry areas with Pinon/Juniper and desert plants. These changes can be viewed with each curve of the trail.

The small alcove ruins sites are mostly facing south to take advantage of the sun for winter survival. Most of the rooms were for storage with the larger rooms for sleeping and shelter. The rock layers here are limestone.

Despite all the resources in this area, Walnut Canyon was abandoned by 1250. The people may have been absorbed into other groups as there isn’t a Sinagua tribe today.

One of the interesting plants along the trail is Rockmat. It is a member of the Rose Family and it seems to cling to the rocky cliffs. I haven’t noticed this one elsewhere. The interpretive sign says that Navajos collect this plant for ceremonies, its only known use.

Walnut Canyon seems to have a higher density of small alcove sites than any area of the Four Corners. The population estimate for this area at its peak is 75 to 40, but the map of archaeology sites shows a very high density.

 My hike took about 1:00 hour for the 1 mile. There is also the 0.7 mile Rim Trail at Walnut Canyon that provides views of the Island area and has a mesa top pueblo site.

Walnut Canyon Rim Trail

The Rim Trail at Walnut Canyon National Monument is a 0.75 mile loop that overlooks the area of the Island Trail and has an excavated mesa top pueblo ruins site of the Sinagua people. Walnut Canyon is 10 miles east of Flagstaff on Interstate 40 in northern Arizona. Besides the Rim Trail, Walnut Canyon also has the 1 mile Island Trail that descends into the canyon and passes many small alcove ruins sites.

The trail is paved and the walking is easy. Besides the views into Walnut Canyon and the many small alcove ruins sites, the Rim Trail identifies many of the diverse plant communities that occur in this lush environment.

One of the plants I noticed here that I haven’t seen in other Four Corners canyon areas is Fernbush in the Rose family.

One of the highlights is the two room pueblo building. This type of structure represents the architecture used by the Sinagua around 1100 AD. The Sinagua people farmed the mesa top area, growing corn, beans, and squash. They also gathered acorns and pinion nuts, and hunted large and small game.

Across from the two room pueblo is a structure described at a pit house. This represents an earlier form of dwelling and may have later been used for storage.

In the vicinity of the two room pueblo, there is also an unexcavated site that appears as a pile of rubble. The interpretive information says that there are many sites like this in the Monument area that are being left undisturbed for now.

There is an interesting example of the diversity of plant life in the Walnut Canyon area along the Rim Trail. At one spot the Utah Juniper, Oneseed Juniper, and Rocky Mountain Juniper are growing side by side. The Utah Juniper is the most common in the Four Corners area and the Rocky Mountain Juniper grows commonly in places that are a little moister. The Oneseed Juniper is not as common and is recognized by having many limbs rising from the ground rather than a distinct trunk. There is also an example of the Alligator Juniper growing along the Island Trail.

My hike on the Rim Trail was in early September and took 0:25 minutes.