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TRIPS

San Domingo Wash
Monarch Wash

Columbia
Humbug

Gillette to Tiptop
Beyond Tiptop

Tule Creek
Humbug Creek

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

Other resources

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 

Topo. Map  Columbia 7.5
Township 8N   Range 1E   Section 29   SW

Tule creek is located north of Lake Pleasant and southeast of Columbia and Humbug. On the Columbia topo map it is in T8N R1E, section 29, SW quadrant. Use map datum WGS84 on your GPS receiver.

This trip should be combined with the Humbug creek trip. You have to use the same roads to get to each place for most of the trip.

Take I-17 north to Carefree Highway. Go west on State Route 74. Take a right after mile marker 19 onto Castle Hot Springs Road into Lake Pleasant regional Park. The road will intersect about 3 miles. Turn left. Set your trip meter to 0.00 when the dirt road starts.

2.2 miles	Bridge over Castle creek
2.8 miles	Turn right, the road straight will take you to Castle Hot Springs resort, well worth seeing.
5.4 miles	Right turn.
5.8 miles	Left turn. N 33* 58' 11.0" W 112* 16' 32.6" Stay to the right at any forks or left turns.
6.6 miles	Stay to the right. Left will take you to Humbug creek but you can no longer get across. Check out the dam downstream a bit if you go this way.
7.8 miles	Humbug creek. Use road to the right and turn left and drive up creek.
8.0 miles	Cross Humbug creek
8.2 miles	Stay right and keep staying right until you come to a good size road coming in from the right.
10.3 miles	Road coming in from the right. I will call this Humbug creek rd. Turn left. N 33* 59" 39.5" W 112* 16' 53.7
10.5 miles	Turn right. Straight will take you to the humbug creek trail.
11.6 miles	Cross Tule creek
11.8 miles	Turn left and go through the gate.
12.2 miles	Tule Creek Riparian Area. N 34* 00' 18.2" W 112* 16' 16.6"

You have reached the Tule Creek Riparian Area. An amazing area for the desert. Fish and Game has fenced this area off with good reason. So you will have to walk from here. There are several buildings, a mill foundation(?) off to the right and some diggings in the area. the most distinguishing feature is the creek it self and the vegatation within it.

On the other side of the fence is a road going up the hill. That road continues up the creek. You can walk up the creek but it does cross the creek several times and it is difficult to get through the vegetation since it goes way back up the creek. I finally gave up about a 1/2 mile up the creek. You will also see a road coming in from the west on the other side of the creek. This road can be reached by the way of the Humbug creek road but that road is also fenced off.

As you walk toward the shack check out the grave of the miners dog on the left under a tree before you get to the shack.

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