http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/1229goodread1229.html

No road to these ruins

Dec. 29, 2005 12:00 AM

The world is full of guidebooks. Some people like them, some don't, preferring to find their own adventures.

Some take the middle road, acquiring a few books and a passing familiarity with them. Taking this approach will lead you to appreciate some books more than others.

Dave Wilson's Hiking Ruins Seldom Seen (Falcon, 1999, $14.95) is one such book.
You won't find these hikes in a Chamber of Commerce brochure. Many of the hikes are near Phoenix but require serious effort to accomplish.

They range from bushwhacks to trails, Sonoran Desert to southern Utah, Hohokam to Anasazi.

Not all of the ruins are spectacular - that's why they are not tourist attractions - but a few are impressive. At Grand Gulch, for instance, you'll find hikes long enough to weed out the tourists. They also give you a real feel for the place.

If you must have a guidebook, it may as well be one about ruins that one does not usually spot by looking at a map. Give this one a try.

- Ron Dungan