Sears-Kay Ruin

Seldom is the destination of much consequence when hiking Arizona. What matters most is the journey among cacti and sage, and what we might see along the way.

But that is not the case when hiking to the Sears-Kay Ruin northeast of Cave Creek.

A hike in this part of the Tonto National Forest is all about the destination.

The mode of transportation -- hoofing it up a narrow hiking trail -- is secondary in this adventure. What awaits hikers at the summit of the hill is a history lesson in a wide-open classroom.

Sears-Kay Ruin was once a village. Before stucco homes and Circle Ks, some of the earliest Arizonans lived there and worked the land around it.

The area is well marked with placards that tell of the area's history.

Most of the placards lay things out matter-of-factly. The village was occupied, at best guess, around the year 1200 by the Hohokam Indians. Another sign says the 40-room village thrived for approximately 150 years.

The ruins are well preserved. It includes five walled units of about 40 rooms. A massive stone wall encircled the largest building atop the hill, providing protection.

The stone walls provide a blueprint of the homes that once stood. Today, the ruins are errirly cold, but they cause one to reflect on life then. What was similar, what was different?

The Hohokam lived in the foothills for three-to-four generations. Children became mothers and fathers. And they watched their children grow.

Today we savor the sun as it lifts over Four Peaks. It is the same sun the Hohokam saw each morning.

Before the day when Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue, that village thrived. The Hohokam lived there, slept there, loved there and died there.

But the foothills village did not survive past the 14th century. No one is certain of the reason.

The hike

Even though standing among history is reason enough to tread around the Sears-Kay Ruin, the hike itself is pleasantly enjoyable, if short.

Beginning from a paved parking lot, hikers begin at a large kiosk mapping out what lies ahead.

A thin trail ascends the foothill. It is strictly single-file hiking at first and somewhat steep. The trail widens near the first of the ruins and remains fairly smooth and without obstacles.

Adventurous hikers have blazed smaller side trails around the east end of the hill. The footing isn't so sturdy, and some parts are a bit dangerous, but the views are spectacular.

On the eastern slope of the hill are several rock outcroppings with massive boulders perched upon each other, looking as though they'd topple over and roll down the hill from the slightest breeze.

The trail from parking lot to the Sears-Kay Ruins is less than a mile one-way.

However, the base of the hill offers hikers a chance to get their legs moving with several other trails that wind through the gorges and up small hills in the area.

Facilities are also available at the parking lot.

This hike was first featured March 2001 and revised February 2007.