Weather: 65°, mostly sunny
About this Hike: I originally read about the hike up to Spanish Ruins via Doll Baby Trail last January. After looking at a home for sale in Payson, we set out to visit Doll Baby, but the dirt road was extremely muddy and rutted. We opted to turn around and went to Peach Orchard Trail that day instead. My intention was to return to Doll Baby in a drier season.
Now Payson is home, and with unseasonable warmth and dryness, I decided it was time to give Doll Baby another shot.
The road was dry, save for where water always trickles across the road near the sewer treatment plant. I don't know if I want to know the reason why there seems to be a perennial stream in this area...
What's really intriguing about this hike is the drive to get there. The road goes from dirt, to good paved road, and then back to dirt again. There are also utility boxes for electric and fire hydrants. Why is there so much developed infrastructure along a forest road? My best guess is that it serves the ranches in the area.
Finally we reached the Doll Baby TH and parked. We had it all to ourselves. I've read this is a boring hike. I'd have to beg to differ. There's very intriguing geology in this area. Red and purple Mazatzal quartzite is scattered on the ground. I was admiring a Sedona-esque red rock cliff face that loomed just above the hiking trail. The hike at this point involves climbing a steep hill on an old road.
Upon passing a large metal gate, an immediate left turn reveals the side trail up on top of that same red-rock cliff face. The side trail can be confusing. People have set up cairns, but I believe more than one route has been traversed. It involved a lot of off-trail trial and error. The red cliff facings form the edge of a mesa, and once we'd hiked and scrambled a bit, we were on top. The search for the ruins site had commenced.
We got off trail quite a few more times. Hiking GPS definitely helped to re-orient us, especially after following a few oddly placed cairns.
Eventually we got to the ruins site. It is much bigger than I anticipated. I wonder how whoever created this structure found so many relatively flat red stones to build these walls out of. There is no mortar between the stones and they have fallen in a few places. However, the walls are surprisingly sturdy. I imagine whoever built this used it as a lookout on the Verde River valley far below.
And that brings up another point I wish to mention. The Verde River is lined with sycamores and cottonwoods. I want to revisit this area in the fall. I imagine the color is fantastic.
After hanging out at the ruins for a while, we hiked back to Doll Baby TH and did a quick side trip over to the Verde River. Being as this is right in Payson's backyard, I look forward to exploring more of this area in the future.
