Limestone Peak Citadel Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2021-08-22 | Another of the many 'citadels' found over a vast area of Arizona, with the requisite 'rubble filled' walls over a meter thick, dating from, I assume, 1000-1200 AD. This one is unusual for its triangular shape, probably necessitated by the shape of the peak itself.
Hackberry Wash ruin #10020 Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2025-05-16 | Another ruin near Rosalie, this one irregularly shaped.Apologies for the DJI Mini's gymbal jumps.
Hackberry Wash Ruin #10022 Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2025-05-16 | One of the many nearby "children" of the Rosalie ruin, assuming they were built after Rosalie ran out of space. There are dozens of them to the north and east. This one has an interesting symmetry.Rosalie Ruin was named after the abandoned mine nearby, just to the east.
The Rosalie ruins Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2025-05-16 | This is one of the biggest on Perry Mesa, if you include both ruins. They are joined by a huge 'plaza' leveled by a big curved retaining wall. After the initial zoom up, the fly-around starts at 2:30. I wanted to really get a look at that retaining wall since I'd not noticed it last time. Making it involved moving a lot of earth, which I have no idea how they did without shovels, or even metal! I've seen several similar leveled areas like it in other ruins over a big area. Some ruins are built on a leveled area entirely surrounded by retaining walls like this. An odd thing to notice is how the remains of the walls now make a mulch that helps bushes grow on them. The same bushes even define the edge of the plaza, growing in the rocks of the retaining wall.Another fascinating thing to me about many of these ruins is how they manage to keep anything from growing a few meters around them even after so many centuries. It was a good idea since the whole mesa is fire-prone grass land.Please excuse the occasional "gymbal jumps" especially near the end - they seem unavoidable on my DJI Mini drone.
Pine Creek Enclosure -first from above, then from around Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2025-04-25 | Another of the hundreds of 'enclosures' all over Arizona, obviously meant as places of security from attack. On this one in particular you can see how carefully the wall extends from cliff edge to cliff edge in order to block out enemies. Even the little bit on the south that was vulnerable, though extremely hard to reach, is walled off. Also typical are the super-thick "rubble filled" walls, broken down at mid-point by whom no one knows.As usual there are no pottery sherds about since it wasn't inhabited.No petroglpyhs either except a big number of them from 1889 to the 1920s! The Glyphers were from places like Iowa and Indiana but why so many were there I have no idea. There may have been a trail up at one time from the end of an old road below but as it is now, this ruin requires a lot of bush-wacking and is really hard to get to.
Ashdale Ruin -big but hard to see Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2025-03-01 | I put up a video of this ruin earlier but I wanted to try again before the grass grows up again and see if I could make out more of it.Unfortunately it's still hard – there are some thick piles of wall-fall but they're almost all covered with trees. All those rocks function as a kind of mulch, so it's common for trees to grow among them.
Los Brazaletes Ruin -recreated in 3D Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2025-01-23 | The hilltop was recreated from over 100 drone shots using photogrammetry. Then the building was recreated, to the best of my ability, using Blender. First a look at the mountain top, then the reconstruction. Los Brazaletes got its name from one of the three skeletons that were found there when it was excavated in I believe it was the 1920s (back when they did excavations), which had 13 shell bracelets on one arm. According to the excavators the skeletons hadn't been buried and were missing their arms and skulls – taken, I assume, as war trophies.This is by far the most elaborate ruin I've seen and I suspect it was a palace, especially from the quality of the huge amount of sherds everywhere. It has line-of-sight to the Sunset Mountain lookout far below in the Verde Valley from what appears to be balconies, based the amount of wallfall.The two smaller buildings seem really bizarre but it's all I could come up with based on the wallfall.There seems to be a large terrace on the west side, just below the 'palace'.
Boulder Creek Ruin #4 – one of the most unusual ruins Ive seen Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2025-01-18 | This is one of the most unusual ruins I've seen so in my search for remote ruins far.First, though most of these ruins are collections of rectangular rooms that seem to accumulate over time, the entire enclosed area of this ruin has curved areas, looking like it had been planned that way. There seems to be a large 'courtyard' area and what looks like rooms all seem to be round, though there may be a row of rectangular rooms on the side. Plus it's not on a level area but runs along a hillside, which is also unusual.Like the others in the area there isn't a lot of wallfall, so If it was even a building at all I can't tell. I never encountered any sherds.There are about a dozen other ruins scattered around the valley all within sight of each other but this one is out of view of them all, tucked away behind a hill and they are all the usual collection of rectangular rooms.
Another small ruin south of Kentuck Mountain Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2024-12-29 | One of dozens if not hundreds in this area, some just a single room, all appear about the same size and rectangular proportions.This one seems to be one room, or a small 'courtyard' with small side rooms on two sides. And one separate room (or maybe a small storage room?) just next to it.I also found a circle of rocks nearby that were most likely the remains of an Apache Wickiup.
Two Rooms in the Tonto Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2024-12-18 | One of dozens of small ruins in the foothills around Kentuck Mountain.This is two rectangular rooms, one of which is connected to a wall.Many of the stones used are as carefully cut flat - some cut on five or six sides - as the multi-room ruins atop the hill above. And the rooms seem about the same size and rectangular proportions as those ruins, though in this case, at odd angles to each other. I assume all this means they were of the same culture.But unlike the multi-room ruins, these small ruins have nothing but one row of rocks along the ground. Were they foundations for a wood structure? But where would the wood come from? The 'wickiups' built by the Apaches out of brush seem to be invariably round. It's all a complete mystery to me.
Blue Mountain ruin - aka Camp Ruin Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2024-12-07 | This is a second look at an amazing ruin, this time after last summer's fire. Everything is easier to see, now that the greenery is gone. It's even easier to make out the 'boat' shape.One can see that the buildings are surrounded by a huge terraced area – an astounding feat considering all the earth that had to be moved to create that without machinery, pack animals or more than baskets. Some of the interior walls still show how carefully flat they were built from stones and this ruin is unusual for having a few rooms with rounded corners. They seem to be standing unconnected with the other rooms.
Blue Mountain plateau East -after the fire Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2024-11-24 | Just east of 'Camp Ruin #3' the plateau clearly had people living there but I was never able to see ruins. So I sent the drone up and found them revealed by the fire – at least three 'single family dwellings', one two rooms and the others one. There also appears to have been a wall along the accessible part of the plateau.
Blue Mountain Camp ruin #1 after the fire Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2024-11-23 | The ruin between the south ruin and the ruin above on the hilltop.Now that there's been a burn, it's much easier to see what's there.At the beginning you can get an idea of how carefully these buildings were originally made – the perfectly flat walls and 90 degree corner of the room still show.It looks like a row of rooms and a 'courtyard', and just north of that a single 'room' with a wall nearby.
Blue Mountain Camp ruin #3 after the fire Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2024-11-23 | There was a huge amount of building atop Blue Mountain, and this is the southern most ruin on the plateau above the floodplain and below the hilltop ruin. A fire last summer makes it much easier to see what's going on, so I was anxious to make a video since the absence of plants makes the site and its individual rooms much clearer.The building is clearly defensive with steep cliffs on three sides, and defensive walls on the parts of the building more easily reached, including the odd double wall along the east side.
LOOKING FOR BUCK BASIN RUIN Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2024-04-11 | Another ruin that looks really hard to get to, so I sent the drone over to see if I could find it.It appears about 1:39 and looks to be quite small.I would have looked more closely but a 'high wind warning' convinced me to turn around and come back. Unfortunately high winds are normal on these high hills.
BUCK BASIN RUIN #1 Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2024-04-11 | A ruin down the hill from #2.This ruin isn't large but it has a huge amount of 'wall fall', as you can see, which makes me wonder if it wasn't two stories originally.A bit of one wall remains, showing split stone construction but it's impossible to make out any rooms, especially with all the bushes. A stack of broken portable metate pieces can be seen at bottom right at 1:49.
Buck Basin Ruin #2 Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2024-04-11 | Another hilltop ruin in an obscure area. Maybe two room, a courtyard and a storage shed?The nice thing is without the video it would be impossible to make it out, at least for me. At ground level it just looked like a big oval.The stones that remained visible of the walls all look uncut, unlike the others I see, especially in this area.
Camp Ruin #1 Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2024-03-13 | There's a whole chain of ruins arranged conspicuously along the cliffs above the floodplain, and this is one of them. Unlike the ruin on top of the mountain, though, these ruins wall are encased in soil and grass for some reason, so they're not as easy to see though their silhouette is clear.
Desert Mountain Ruin Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2024-03-12 | This ruin, not far from the previous posting, seems to have the same boat-shaped terracing and wall with the flat side to the north and the curved sides bending in to the south. Except in this case rather than multiple rooms there seems to be only one, elevated at the center.
Apache Peak Ruin Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2024-03-08 | Inside a strange little ruin built into the giant boulders with two small rooms in the 'plaza' outside. It was inhabited because there are a few sherds about but like all the other ruins about, by whom is a mystery. I suspect that being on Apache Peak gives a clue.
Blue Mountain ruin Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2024-03-03 | This is a fascinating ruin that includes terracing on its north and south ends to make a 'boat' shape. There are three other ruins in the area that I know of that have the same shape with the same north-south orientation.A little below it at about 2:20 is a small and faint ruin which also has a bit of terracing in front of it that even contains a 'lawn' of green grass.
Sunflower Ruin Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2024-01-13 | This is a remarkably large ruin not far from 87 and just north of Sunflower, with apparently over 30 rooms all enclosed in a rectangular wall – at least on two sides anyway. First a look at the site from above, then a fly around. Sorry for the choppy editing in the center.It looks like it was once a tourist stop, maybe from back in the days when archaeology was more popular – there's an old trail that seems to lead to it, and along the way is a signpost that's lost its sign.
Coyote Spring Ruin Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2024-01-06 | Another of the mysterious 'enclosures' found almost everywhere in AZ.This one is on the west side of Four Peaks, similar to another lower in the valley and there are others around as well. The walls are remarkably flat and rectangular and the stones on the inside of the walls are meticulously flat, I assume by splitting them like with many other ruins. The ground is not at all level, and clearly there were no rooms inside, except for what looks like a circular enclosure. Although I've just started exploring 'enclosures' in this area, these are not at all like the dozens of enclosures to the north all the way to Flagstaff, which are round and encased by super-thick 'rubble filled' walls, usually with inexplicable ankle-level 'loopholes'.Please excuse the relatively low viewpoint of the drone – for some reason my Mavic Mini refused to go above 50 feet, no matter how many times I tried to reset it.
St Clair Spring Ruin #4 Overview Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2023-06-02 | A look at the series of ruins that comprise this set, located high on a steep hilltop. The previous video of St Clair Spring Ruin #4 only examined the lowest section.
Hog Mountain Spring Ruin Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2023-05-25 | Another clearly 'defensive' site, with walls along all areas that weren't protected by cliffs and really difficult to get to.Except for the part protected by the cliffs, it's fully enclosed by a straight wall which has fallen down completely, barely visible on the left side.Like so many others it seems carefully made, with each 'room' inside the enclosure aligned with the others. I suspect if it was inhabited it was for some important person who lived in the main, central building - especially since it has a door (rather than a rooftop entry) and a wall along the builiding that I assume was for a covered 'porch'. It apparently wasn't inhabited long, because no matter how hard I looked I couldn't find a single pottery shard.
St Clair Spring Ruin #4 -A clifftop defensive site Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2023-05-13 | Unlike the many ruins around the Brazaletes/St Clair Mountain ruin, this one is high on a cliff and almost impossible to get to, apparently for defensive purposes. Originally from above it appeared to be just a few 1-room buildings scattered about but on closer inspection it's an elaborate enclosure with walls and terracing all around. Unlike all the other ruins in the area, I could find no pottery shards about so I assume it wasn't inhabited for very long, if at all.This is the lowest part of a series of ruins along the hilltop.
The Marcelle Claret Cup Cluster Ruin - mountaintop communication relay? Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2023-04-15 | This is the largest of several ruins from a mountaintop area oddly called 'Claret Cup'. It's remarkably elaborate, not only with several rooms (one of which seems to have a rare doorway) but also with at least two levels of terracing below, the topmost of which seems to have been surrounded with a wall.It seems clear that many of these ruins on extreme heights like this allowed communication over a vast area and this one has line of sight with the ruin atop Sunset Peak to the east and also the walled ruin atop Skull Mesa about 8 miles to the South. (I'd been looking for a visual relay with that ruin for some time, so I was happy to find one at last with this ruin.) Here are 'as the crow flies' distances of line-of-sight hilltop ruins as they link to each other:East Fort ruin in the Bradshaws to Squaw Creek Ruin14.4 milesfrom there to Six Bar ruin5.29 milesfrom there to Sunset Peak10.9 milesfrom there to this ruin4.3 milesfrom this ruin to Skull Mesa7.45 milesSunset Peak, by the way, overlooked many ruins along the Verde River below and had direct line of sight to Brazaletes Ruin7 milesfrom there to the foremost Kentuck ridge ruin2.69 milesfrom there to Blue Mountain ruin3.89 miles
The Ancient Lamb Tank Canal Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2023-03-19 | One of the many canals that brought water from Mt Graham to the pueblos below, some of them almost 7 miles/11 km long and obviously involved a lot of work and careful planning.. They're called 'hanging canals' since they often traversed steep hillsides.My location: 2°48'10.82"N 109°55'17.57"WOne of the most important investigations, by James Neely, in 2015:researchgate.net/publication/275963064_The_Prehistoric_Bajada_Hanging_Canals_of_the_Safford_Basin_Small_Corporate_Group_Engineering_in_Southeastern_Arizona
Safford Valley Grids - a quick look Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2023-03-19 | I'd been wanting to video these ancient grids, which cover hundreds of acres of mesa north of Safford AZ, for years, but when I finally got there the wind was too fierce to fly very high or far with my little Mavic Mini, so excuse the brevity and occasional jerkiness.To get a satellite view of these grids, I was somewhere around here: 32°55'58.65"N 109°48'47.93"W They cover a huge area: about 1.5 miles/2.4 kilometers in both directions."Approximately 55 miles of rock alignments provide a farming area of about 203 acres. A multidisciplinary team investigated these fields in the late 1990s and found several lines of evidence indicating that agave was the crop grown. Based on areal measurements, an estimated 44,500 agave plants are believed to have been grown on, rather than inside, the rock alignments." The rocks were found to work as a kind of mulch for the plants.
Goat Hill Ruin Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2023-03-19 | Kyle Woodson, in his archeological excavation in 1999 [researchgate.net/publication/280925699_Migrations_in_Late_Anasazi_Prehistory_The_Evidence_from_the_Goat_Hill_Site] estimated this site was built about 1270-90. The site, like so many others, is clearly 'defensive' with two narrow entrances on either side and Woodson concludes it was occupied for only 25-50 years before it was burned and abandoned. On the basis of its unique architecture, Woodson concludes its builders were refugees from the collapse of the Anasazi civilization. There was a lot of work involved, including the construction of a D-shaped Kiva in the ruin’s center. There’s also a remarkable amount of agricultural features in the valley below it, including canals, a reservoir and ‘check dams’, which would be fascinating to examine using Lidar. As it is, it’s unfortunately full of catclaw. A few seconds into the video, you can see a canal crossing the hillside from right to left. At 5:05 you can see where a pothunter dug a hole, I assume.I didn’t make it into the ruin itself, having lost a lot of time entangled in the valley below only to discover afterwards that I still had to cross a creek that was an impassable raging torrent. So I flew the drone over from a distance.As always, please excuse the occasional 'Gimbal jerks' of the Mavic Mini.
Horseshoe Road ruin Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2023-02-18 | One of many small ruins in the area around St Clair Peak and its huge ruin. It looks like four rooms and a 'courtyard' from above.Like the St Clair Peak ruin, aka 'Brazaletes Ruin', and several of the others, it has line-of-sight to Sunset Peak. That high peak had a ruin atop it that I assume was for communication with far away Squaw Creek ruin on the Agua Fria plateau, via two intermediate peaks with ruins.The 'Brazaletes' ruin is one of the few that was excavated in the area (and that was in the 1920's as I recall) -named after one of the three skeletons found unburied, all missing their hands and skulls, and one with 13 shell bracelets on one arm. So theft wasn't the motivation. It was apparently abandoned at that point.
Examining Richinbar Ruin Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2023-02-04 | Another of the many ruins on the Agua Fria plateau, named after a nearby mine. These ruins are all meticulously built, with flat interior walls, ninety degree corners and careful perpendicular alignment to north, south, east and west, at least with those I've looked at so far. The exception in this ruin is one room in the upper corner, slightly out of alignment with the rest.At 1:48 you can see the 'starting point' of the 'racetrack' that nearly all these ruins have associated with them, in the upper left. At 4:35, a 365 degree view from what I assume is rooftop height. At the end, the freeway in the distance.Some of these ruins are surrounded by innumerable petroglyphs but I only found one anywhere around this one, which was unusually large and bizarre. If only we knew what they meant.
A Cliffside cave above the Agua Fria river Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2023-02-04 | Searching inside a cave below the plateau with its dozens of ruins. Would there be anything inside? Pottery? Skeletons? Cave Trolls? Unfortunately, no, but using the drone saved hiking there.
An Agua Fria Canyon Ruin Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2023-01-10 | A small ruin on a small cliff. It looks like access to the plateau above wouldn't have been difficult but access to the river below looks almost impossible.Sorry about the constant jerkiness of the camera. This is a Mavic Mini and pointing the camera straight down makes it jerk up for some reason, so sometimes it's a battle to keep it positioned.
Inside the Maggie Mine Ruin Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2023-01-05 | This is a quickly and roughly built but very high wall enclosing a small area protected by cliffs on all but the wall side. Why it's here is anyone's guess but it's completely unlike the well built multistory multiroom 'Henry' fort on the plateau across from it. The plateau its on is very flat and surprisingly unrocky, scattered with petroglyphs and with no other sign of building that I could find.
RUIN ABOVE LIME CREEK Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2022-12-24 | One of the many ruins on the hilltops above Lime Creek. The highest one nearby must have served as a communication relay from the ruin above Squaw Creek, to the ruin on Sunset Peak via Goat Peak. So it would have been possible to communicate between Perry Mesa and the Verde Valley, over 15 miles apart, in minutes.
Lower Kentuck Ruin #2 Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2022-11-19 | Another of the many hilltop ruins in the Kentuck Mountain area, west of the 'Las Brazaletes' ruin on the small hill called, for some reason, St Clair Mountain, which is visible at the end.Unlike those at the Brazaletes ruin below and the chain of hilltop ruins above, most of the hilltop ruins nearby are quite faint, like this one.
Kentuck Ruin #12 Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2022-11-12 | The topmost in the chain of ruins that run along a ridgeline near Kentuck Mountain.The ruins in the chain below this one all appear to be meticulously built, with flat interior walls and sharp, 90 degree corners, like almost all the others around. The exception is the ruin atop St Clair peak nearby -visible at the end of this video, which is poorly made. This one looks very sloppily built as well, and there's a very small one on the hillside below it built in the same haphazard manner, which also had a few 'roughware' sherds.
GREEN VALLEY ENCLOSURE Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2022-10-22 | Another elaborate hilltop ruin, with thick outside walls, and, apparently, thinner ones besides.Some of the walls are hidden under bushes, others have fallen down the hillside.There seem to be two large rooms at the center, but what's what exactly I have no idea.None of the rocks used in construction seem to have been split, but the central thick wall, as you can see, is meticulously straight.People must have inhabited it briefly since there are very few sherds about – some rough 'plainware', some more polished and one of the highly textured kind.
Shoofly Ruin from above Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2022-09-24 | This ruin, north of Payson, has its own parking lot and several interesting signs explaining its history and pointing out different areas.Plus it's on a beautiful spot with a fantastic view all around.
Brooklyn Ruin Petroglyphs Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2022-07-17 | Some of the many thousands of petroglyphs on the Agua Fria plateau in Arizona - these are located near the 'Brooklyn' ruins. Mostly elk, mountain goats, antelope – apparently the entire plateau's favorite dishes – and some hunting scenes, including people with dogs.
Brushy Basin Spring Ruin #1 Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2022-05-13 | This is one of many 'enclosure' ruins on the hilltops along the Mazatzal Mountain range. So little is known about these people it's purpose is anyone's guess. It hardly looks effective as a 'defensive' site, since access is easy even from the steepest side and the wall on the north side ends abruptly, leaving it half open.Since the walls are too thin for defense, and there were clearly rooms built inside, it may be something the early archeologist Cushing is reported to have suggested – a 'temple for worshiping the sun.'
Ruins Near Maverick Mountain Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2022-03-19 | First the one on the little hilltop, then another one shows up at about 4:30, after some aimless wandering.
St Clair Spring Ruin #2 Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2022-03-12 | Another of the many ruins in the Kentuck Mt area. This one apparently with multiple rooms around a courtyard.
The Interesting Ruin in the Kentuck Mountain area Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2022-02-20 | Unlike the many others in this area, this ruin is located in a draw rather than on a hilltop. Its layout is difficult to determine but it seems to have several large walled 'courts', also unlike the others and a small stream seems to have cut through the original walls.
Lower Kentuck Ruin #2 Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2022-02-13 | Another of the many small ruins in the area.
Lower Kentuck Ruiin #8 Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2022-02-13 | One of many small ruins in the Kentuck Mt/St Clair Peak area -this one just below the main Kentuck hilltop ruins. All of these small ruins, including the Buford ruin, show no sign of the stacked, split rock and carefully squared corners like the strip of hilltop Kentuck ruins above them and Brazaletes ruin below.
Buford Ruin Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2022-01-08 | Another of the many ruins around Maverick Mountain. There are a fair amount of pottery shards about, though not a lot, and all 'rough ware' or 'plain ware' or whatever it's called that I could see.Unlike the stonework on the several ruins along the hilltop to the east, these all look uncut, and there are no walls visible that show the original construction.
Indian Peak citadel Arizona Ruin Sites by Drone 2021-08-22 | Another hilltop citadel site examination. It has the requisite 'rubble filled' walls over a meter thick but this one is unique for its carefully square shape and for having several rooms in its interior.Also unusual was the presence of pottery shards.
