Richinbar Mine Pueblo

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 1.4 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 3495 - 3513 feet
Cellphone: 3-5 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: I - 17 Exit 252 +1.1
Fee: none
Attractions: ruins, petroglyphs

The Richinbar Mine Pueblo is a small site that is located in the Agua Fria National Monument northeast of Black Canyon City, Arizona. The site includes some sort of ruins as well as a score or so of petroglyphs.

There is a rest stop on I-17 at Exit 252. The turnoff to the Richinbar Mine is about 1.1 miles north of that exit. A short road leads from the interstate to a locked gate where there is room enough for a car to turn around and park. If you are pulling a trailer you will want to consider dropping it near the rest stop or at Exit 256.

The road continues on the other side of the locked gate for a short distance to an old windmill and a couple of water tanks. Just past that there is a junction where Agua Fria Road 9005 branches off  on the left toward the Badger Spring Pueblo. Continue straight through this intersection.

At the 0.8 mile point from the gate there is another road that branches off on the right that leads to the Richinbar Mine Pueblo and Ruins Tank.

Follow the road to the right for about 2 tenths of a mile. Right before it drops down the hill there is a primitive campsite on the left that serves as the trailhead for the Richinbar Mine Pueblo and Ruins Tank.

Head east from the primitive campsite toward a boulder pile at the top of the rise.

The ruins don't amount to much. There may have been a few rooms but they look mostly like an outpost or lookout. Possibly a small fort. They may have been important because of line of site between other ruins like Badger Springs Pueblo, Ruins Tank, and some of the ruins on Perry Mesa on the east side of the Agua Fria River.

Looking around on the boulders you can find a few images of deer and sheep.

This looks like a Gila monster or something else with a scorpion in its mouth.

Here is a small anthropomorphic image.

And another.

And a bear paw.

The Richinbar Mine Pueblo is interesting due to its location and the few petroglyphs that are found at the site. It only adds a few minutes to explore for those that are already in the area to see Ruins Tank and the Richinbar Mine Petroglyphs. This site might also be one that we have seen referred to as 'Black Mesa Fort' which presumably has 12 rooms. If you would like to see them all for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.