Round Trip Distance: 1.4 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 3780 - 4119 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 1 hr. 30 mins.
Trailhead: Sacred Mtn. 34.66132, -111.71303
Fee: none
Attractions: pueblo ruins
The Sacred Mountain Ruins is a mountain top pueblo that is located north of Camp Verde, Arizona a short distance from the Crane Petroglyph Heritage Site.
To get there, take I-17 Exit 298 and follow the Beaver Creek Road for 3 miles to the unmarked trailhead. For turn-by-turn directions enter 34.66132, -111.71303 into your driving app. There are trails from the parking area that look like they head straight toward the mountain but it's better not to take any of them. Instead follow the route that looks like an old 4WD road that has a brown mylar marker.
After following the road for about a quarter mile you will come to a gate. Pass through the fence and turn immediately to the right.
Follow a faint trail that mostly parallels the fence on its east side. Note that there is also a faint trail on the west side of the fence before going through the gate but that route won't get you to the next fence crossing.
If you went the right way you will come to a walk-through in the fence where there is a 'Respect the Past' sign.
Continue following the faint trail as it crosses a small wash and begins climbing around the lower shoulder of the mountain. Eventually you will come to another sign that says 'Respect the Sanctity of the area ...'.
The rest of the route is obvious as the trail gently climbs around the mountain and makes it way up to the summit from the south side. There is some small scree in places that makes the trail a little slippery.
The rubble pile ruins of the pueblo cover a large part of the mesa. Judging from the amount of rubble some of the rooms must have been more than a single story.
A few sections of walls sticking out of the rubble are still intact.
There are also a few shards of pottery that can be found throughout the ruins.
You might also come across a grinding slick.
