Home Album Guide to Palatki & Honanki Heritage Sites Map No Story
| Distance: | Short hikes at both sites - less than a mile each |
| Difficulty: | Easy - maintained trails with very gentle elevation changes |
| Hike Time: | NA |
| Elevation: | At the Parking Areas: Palatki = 4750 ft, Honanki = 4700 ft. |
| Season: | Year Round |
| USGS Maps: | Loy Butte, Wilson Mountain |
| Directions: From: Sedona |
From the junction of Highways 89A and
179, drive 3,1 miles west on highway 89A to Dry Creek Road. Turn
North and drive 4.6 miles to Boynton Pass Rd. Turn West and drive about 4
mi. to Red Canyon Road. Turn North and drive less than a 1/4 mile to the
fork in the road. - Take the right fork 2 miles to the Palatki parking area. - Take the left fork about 4.3 miles to the Honanki parking area. |
Dry Creek Road is paved past the junction with Boynton Pass Road. Boynton Pass Road is paved for a short distance until it makes a sharp left turn and becomes a rough dirt road. Watch for the signs. The road to Palatki is rough but passable by all cars (if cautiously driven) in good weather. On the other hand, the road to Honanki is very rough and a high clearance vehicle is required. During foul weather travel on the roads should be limited to four-wheel drive vehicles.
This trip has proven to be very unsettling for me. In the past, I was of the very strong opinion that archeological sites belonged to all of us and they are not, and should not become, the sole province of the scholastic elitists or tour guide profiteers. My encounters with graffiti and litter over the last several weeks had given me a great deal of concern but this week's trip to the Honanki heritage site has shaken my opinion.
First, most of the pictograph panels at the Honanki site have been essentially ruined by graffiti. It was very depressing. Second, the Honanki site is under reconstruction and the Pink Jeep Tour company seems to be a major contributor in that effort as well as a provider of a site-steward to help control and reduce vandalism. The dilemma is obvious, how do we protect fragile archeological sites and yet keep them available to responsible citizens? I don't have an answer, but on this website, in the future detailed directions will only be given for already well documented destinations (for the record, both of these sites are documented on the USGS maps as well as a Forest Service map).
The Palatki site is very interesting - I went expecting petroglyphs and found pictographs instead. They are remarkable and the trip is worth every inch of the rough road.
Enjoy!
Trekker