North of Cleator

TRIPS

North of Cleator
Norhtwest of Cleator
South of Cleator

Constellation Road
First Stop
Monte Cristo
Third Stop
Gold Bar

Binghampton

Links

ghost towns.com
4x4 Basics

Arizona Pioneer Cemetery Research Project

Other resources

Az. Dept.Of Mines

Ghost Towns of Arizona by James and Barbara Sherman U. of Oklahoma Press

Arizona's best Ghost Towns by Philip Varney Northland Press

Arizona Ghost Towns and Mining Camps by Philip Varney Arizona Highways

Printable Directions click on images to enlarge

The Cleator area is full of mines and digs and old shacks. There are 3 trips that I will use Cleator as the starting point. One to the north, one to the northwest, up the road to Crown King and one to the south where you will eventually come out just south of Bumble Bee.
The first trip I will tell you about is the one to the north. About 2 miles to the north of Cleator is a shack sitting by itself. The first time I saw it is was abandonded and falling apart. In January of 2002 someone was living in it. Although the door was on the floor and the glass in it broken. There was food and even a transitor radio on a table inside. So it had been or is being used by someone.
This trip is loacated on the Cleator topo map. There is no township-range numbers to give you because there is none on the section of the map this trip is located on. Set you map datum on your GPS to NAD27 CONUS.
Take I-17 north to exit 259 Bloody Basin Rd. Turn left and go under I-17 towards Cleator and Crown King. Set your trip meter to 0.00 when the road turns to dirt.

3.2 miles	Cordes, turn left
6.1 miles	Stay to the right.
7.1 miles	Take a right. Left will take you to Bumblebee
8.0 miles	Stay to the left.
8.8 miles	Golden Bell mine on the left. Well worth your time to stop and check this place out. there is still a standing house in good condition.
10.8 miles	Turn right on FSR 93 just befor houses on the right. Reset trip meter to 0.00 after your turn.
1.0 miles	Cross Turkey creek
1.7 miles	Turn right.
1.7 miles	Mine shaft on the hill to the left.
2.0 miles	Turn left and follow road to the shack.N 34* 18' 21.9" W 112* 13' 52.9"

After you explore the shack you will take the road behind it to a mine with the head frame still on it and to a shack built into a side of a hill in Turkey creek canyon. The road down into Turkey canyon is a bit challenging because of its steepness. It is in good condition with a place or 2 to pull over and walk the rest of the way to the shack. There is no road going across the creek. It has been washed out. Find the road behind the shack and follow it.

2.4 miles	Road to the left will take you to the mine. About .2 of a mile in.
3.0 miles	Stay straight.The road to the right dead ends about 1/2 mile up the road. Drive down into the canyon and stop where you feel the safest getting back out. the shack is on the south side of the canyon

I have been unable to find any information about these places, but interesting none the less. You have 2 options when you head back out. When you get to the road that goes back to cleator, you can turn left and it will take you to the Blue Bell mine and you can continue on to State route 69. Or you can go back into cleator and take one of the other trips of the Cleator area.

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