Directions to the Canyon Claims
All sixteen of the Canyon Claims are located in Gila County, AZ, several miles east of Punkin Center, in the Tonto Basin.
An easy way to get there is to drive north out of the Chandler area on US Hwy 87, headed toward Payson. About sixty-five miles north of Chandler, or about seventeen miles south of Payson, turn east on Hwy 188, at the state rest area (closed the last time we went by) and follow Hwy 188 through Jakes Corner and on to Punkin Center.
Hwy 188 does not go into Punkin Center and it is necessary to make a left turn into town. After the turn into Punkin Center, follow the road into town and look for the motel and bar, as seen in the photo below.
Immediately past the bar, before the white building shown below, turn left on Greenback Valley Road and head down the road on the left side of the photo, toward that tan industrial building.
Greenback Valley Road winds through a residential area and eventually reaches the stream shown below. The streambed seems somewhat like cobblestone and is fairly solid. As can be seen, large vehicles manage to cross safely. However, stream depth varies with the seasons and the road can become impassable at this point. Be careful ... :)
The next item to watch for is this junction, shown below ... stay to the far left and follow the road over by the yellow sign that says pavement is about to end ... don't follow the road around to the right.
The next landmark is the cattle crossing across the road, seen below ... we are getting very close to Canyon Claim #10, at Haystack Butte, which will be on the right.
Below is Haystack Butte, off to the right of the road we are on. The trail in the photo that ends at the base of Haystack Butte leads to an old quarry site, where it appears zeolite was mined in the past.
Canyon Claim #10 includes most of Haystack Butte, a handy landmark that can be seen easily from just about any of the Canyon Claims.
About a mile past Haystack Butte, where the road bears to the left, there is a clearing on the right often used for parking and camping. The majority of the Canyon Claims are located to the east of this area.
