ACB October 2004 - Cherry Creek Run
By Taad Janson

Flowing through the deep canyons, towering cliffs and exceptional scenery of the Sierra Ancha (Wide Mountains), Cherry Creek beckons. The subtle burbling of this lazy creek, whispers a challenge to check out what secrets are hidden in the wilderness that surrounds you. We were determined to do just that.

Leann and I left the house on a crisp, bright, October 23rd morning, the Bronco loaded with all the gear needed for an overnight campout. We buzzed up the Beeline Highway to the Bush Highway turnoff, hoping to see a herd of Bronco’s ready for some fun. Pulling up at 7:00a, we were relieved to see that ACB’rs Doug and Sandy Larson were there, ready for action. At least we wouldn’t be alone. Doug’s Bronco is well built for the rigors of Arizona wheeling and being a member of the National Guard, he definitely knows a thing or two about being prepared and well equipped.

We waited around till the 7:30a departure time, but unfortunately, no one else showed. (Hopefully next time we’ll get a few more of you out to enjoy this great run.) We fired up the Bronco’s and roared up the Beeline to the Highway 188 turnoff. We topped off the gas tanks at Jakes Corner and then cruised up to Punkin Center, where we turned off the highway and hit the dirt.

The run from Punkin Center to Highway 288 (Young Highway) takes you on a climb from about 2400’ to over 6000’ where you travel from Sonoran Desert terrain up into the Manzanita and Ponderosa Pine forests of Mogollon Rim country.

Along the way, we took a side trip, when I took a wrong turn to the south (gotta pay more attention to that GPS!). The forest was getting thicker, the brush denser and the trail smaller the farther we went. We ran into a hunter out scouting on a quad; he was surprised to see us in our Bronco’s and was pretty impressed that we had gotten them back in where we were. After talking with him a bit, we turned back from the pack horse trail we were on and ended up having lunch at an old ranch line cabin called Dupont Cabin.

After lunch, we spent some time picking up the garbage that others left behind at the cabin…it amazes me how people can have such little regard for such a beautiful place. Doug has a big ammo can that is fixed on his rear tire carrier and over the course of the trip; we crushed cans and other garbage and filled it, mostly with other people’s garbage.

We picked up the correct trail and continued winding our way through the Tonto National Forest, enjoying the panoramic views as they presented themselves along the way. Our goal was to get to a campsite alongside Cherry Creek, before nightfall, that we found the last time ACB made a run here a few years ago. Along the way, Doug experienced a sidewall puncture in one of his BFG’s. I broke out my plug kit and after a squirt of CO2 to reseat the bead, we were on the trail again.

We continued on until we hit Highway 288, turned north for a couple miles and then turned off on
FR 203 which begins the winding journey into the Cherry Creek drainage. The Sierra Ancha Wilderness Area lies along the southern side of Cherry Creek’s canyon country. There are numerous springs and feeder creeks that you traverse as you wind your way along this narrow, primitive road. As you drop in, you find yourself surrounded by rugged cliffs and mountains covered by big trees and thick foliage. Because it was October, the fall colors were outstanding.

We found the turnoff that dropped down to Cherry Creek and our campsite for the night. This is a narrow, steep and loose descent to the creek bottom. The branches were reaching out, doing their best to scratch our Arizona pinstriped rigs, but Doug and I weren’t worried as our rigs won’t be winning any Show and Shines anyway. Oh, the beauty of spray can paint jobs!

 
As dusk, then night fell, we hustled to setup camp, collect firewood and get the fire burning. We settled in for the night, the scent of juicy steaks sizzling on the fire. Doug’s rig has a very organized field kitchen setup that Doug built and integrated into his Bronco. The storage and organization ideas in his rig are impressive. After dinner, we talked around the campfire until the firewood was gone. We crawled into our sleeping bags and fell asleep listening to the night sounds and quite murmur of Cherry Creek.

We awoke early and enjoyed a good breakfast, thanks to Leann and Sandy! I walked around to check out the area before packing up and found this spot to be even nicer than I first thought. It was decided that as we wheeled on through the Cherry Creek area, we would explore some of the side trails that presented themselves along the way. As luck would have it, we’re glad we did!

From our campsite, we backtracked a few miles on the main trail, to a side trail that led down to a nice old cabin near a creek. It was situated near a clearing that has some old fruit trees growing. It turns out the cabin has quite a story, as a handwritten history posted on the wall inside attests.

A couple old-timers named Pendleton and Barkley built the original PB Cabin around 1898, close to PB Creek. They were in partnership running about 200 head of cattle. Barkley was the money backer, having a lucrative livery stable/feed store in Globe, AZ. They dug an irrigation ditch from the creek to a field they cleared and formed, where they planted a variety of fruit trees. Some of these trees still bear fruit. The only way to the cabin was by horseback or on foot.

Around 1910, the homestead was sold to the neighboring Cherry Creek Ranch. The original cabin was used as a winter line shack until around 1950, when the new cabin was built by miners who were mining down PB Creek. The new cabin is still used by Cherry Creek Ranch, but is also enjoyed by hikers, hunters, x-country bikers, nature enthusiasts, USFS personnel, (four wheelers ;^) and many more, on a first come, first served basis. All they ask is that people take care of it, haul out their garbage, and leave any extra supplies you can spare. It’s equipped with a sink, gas stove, fireplace, barrel stove, futon bedding, lots of emergency rations and an outhouse! All and all, it would be a comfortable place to hang out and enjoy one of Arizona’s great “secret” spots.

After checking out the PB Cabin, we hit the trail as we still had a lot of ground to cover and sites to see before heading back home. We checked out another campsite location that had a steep, narrow descent down to Cherry Creek. It’s a great spot, a lot like Slide Rock near Sedona, with great, sandy, level spots for tents and a large group. There are several shallow pools to play in that would be welcome relief during the Arizona Summer heat.

We made several stops along the way, scoping the cliff walls across the canyon, looking for the Indian cliff dwellings the Sierra Ancha is famous for. We found three after a lot of binocular action. A few words on the cliff dwellings: It’s believed that the Mogollon Indians of the northeast uplands or the Hohokam and Salado of the southwest Tonto Basin settled in these cliff dwellings about 650 years ago, though no one is sure why. Another mystery is why they disappeared around the turn of the 15th century and where they went; archaeologists are still looking for answers.

There are several cliff dwellings that can be hiked to via rugged trails through demanding, beautiful country. These doorways to the past, reveal glimpses of a lost culture, with broken pottery and stone tools, bits of cloth, worn baskets and even food remaining behind. It should be emphasized that disturbing any of these artifacts is against the law with stiff penalties for breaking it. We didn’t get to hike into any of these sites on this trip, but future trips here will definitely include hiking to the cliff dwellings.

After a full day of exploring Arizona’s Outback, it was time to gallop the Bronco’s to the barn. We made a fast cruise out past a couple working ranches until we linked back up with Highway 288. We aired up at the Salt River Diversion Dam, then heading south, hit the Apache Trail (Hwy 88) northwest to Roosevelt Lake Dam. We continued up Highway 188, gassed up, and blew by Punkin Center, Jakes Corner and back on the Beeline, south to home as the night grew dark and the evening chill set in. It was a cool ride home!

This was a great trip, with great company and one that I hope to share with more ACB members. It’s a great trip to bring the family on if you’re in the mood for camping. It’s not a tough four-wheeling trip, though there are some challenges along the way. It is tough on nice paint jobs though. Keep this trip in the back of your mind for next year. I hope to see more of you on the trail ...Keep the rubber side down!!