ExploreDesert: Arizona Hassayampa Plain, Harquahala & Vulture Mountains

[1MK]

Some good friends of ours moved to Arizona nearly two years ago to Litchfield Park, just west of Phoenix. Since their time there, we’ve visited a few times and even made a day trip out to Lake Pleasant, but haven’t ventured any further then that. There were talks about doing a offroad/camping trip utilizing their new Polaris RZR but nothing materialized until March of this year.

We had originally talked about getting up to Sedona, but towing the RZR back and forth didn’t make sense since some of the trails to surrounding areas were still seasonally closed. Instead, I came up with a plan to explore their backyard.

Thursday after work I rushed home to pick up Candace and Summer and make the journey to Richard and Haley’s. Adventure awaits!

TAC1 hearts gas stations

About 5 hours later and we had arrived. Eager to stretch our legs and excited about the days to come, we spent a couple hours hanging out catching up on whats new and discussing a bit of the morning plans before eventually calling it a night.

Literally leaving their driveway, I had mapped a creative set of routes to take us from Litchfield Park all the way to Tonopah, where we’d grab fuel and last minute supplies before officially starting the trip. While it feels like you’re breaking the law as a Californian, operating UTV’s on the streets is legal, and for our purposes worked out awesome. Before anything though, we needed coffee. Richard, Haley and Summer led the way to a local spot.

Coffee, Coffee, Coffee?


Onward to Tonopah

Surprisingly (mostly to myself), there are no pictures documenting the adventure to the adventure. Ha. But we got our fuel and last minute items and set off on our way up 387th Ave to where we’d meet up with the Belmont Mountain trailhead.

Made a quick stop at the canal crossing to let some air out of the tires to reduce weight and rotating mass. Kidding of course.

I’m glad we did decide to air down here as along the way I could have sworn to smell gas, but wasn’t sure if it was something else. Turned out I forgot to close the jerry can after adding a couple gallons to it……. whew.

Tucked away in the Belmont Mountain is the Tonopah Belmont Mine. A large crushing mill foundation and outcroppings can be spotted well before you reach the area.

Looking back on the trail we came in on.

 

[1MK]

Unfortunately the mines adit and shaft are all gated off

Some foundations and additional outcroppings in the distance

There are so many claims in this area that you could easily spend a good part of a day checking them all out, but that wasn't our goal. From the Belmont Mountain we'd continue though the Hassayampa Plain towards the northern edge of the Big Horn Mountains.

From our location at the Tonopah Belmont mine, we headed north to meet up with Aguila Rd.

Aguila Rd is a wide, flat and highly maintained dirt road due to the current day mining that goes through the valley. We ended up getting stuck behind a transport truck for quite a few miles before we made a break onto a BLM trail.

The timing worked out great to use the Purple Pansey Mine as a spot to take a break and have lunch. A old tin building, concrete foundations, water tanks and the numerous mine shafts made this a big operation back in it's day. Unfortunately, history of these types of places is usually non existent so we can only speculate what it once was.

This is one of only a handful of available mines from the historic Aguila Arizona mining district. Aquila is largely known as a manganese and copper mining area that is located at the North end of the Bighorn Mountains, about 14 miles South of Aguila at an altitude of 2,300 feet. At one time it was actually the second greatest producer of manganese in all of Arizona.

 

[1MK]

Next stop – Black Rock Mine/Little Horn claim. Only a short distance away from the Purple Pansey, a series of trails and washes end up at the end of Little Horn Rd.

Came around a blind corner and slowed down to a crawl, occasionally honking my horn. Usually enough to scare them away but this one stood it's ground and even did the food shuffle as if charging was imminent. Finally coming to a complete stop, I honked and flashed lights for at least a minute or two before it finally ran off into the bushes to join the others.

Just after this encounter we came across a group of cattle and calf near a water source, and my thinking the new borns were most likely the reason for the territorial/defensive behavior.

Nearly to the mine, the only set of "obstacles" of the day were ahead in the wash. One being a tight turn that required a few attempts to get through minimizing pinstriping and a rock that appeared more of a challenge then it really was while approaching it.

The Rzr definitely had the advantage here...

A sharp turn forces a exit from the wash with a decently steep climb to the top of the hillside. At the top the mine comes into view.

A spiraling road brings you to the bottom of what appears to be a open pit.

At the bottom, you can see the numerous adits and interconnected tunnels bored throughout the mountain. The cooler temperature and shade was a welcomed change so we ended up hanging out and exploring all the areas for a couple hours.

 

[1MK]

Candace in her happy place

By the time we were ready to crawl out of the giant hole we were in, the realization that it was almost sunset became apparent. There were a couple choice camping spots just above where we were so it worked out rather well.

Got everything setup and while Candace was cooking us all a rad dinner I took Lucy for a hike to get a view of our surroundings.

Time for some beverages and campfire stories under a blanket of stars

To be continued...

 

[jgaz]

Nice write up. Great pics! Thanks for posting

 

[toddz69]

Great pictures and a beautiful area that I'll admit I haven't explored in all my years in AZ.

Todd Z.

 

[OneFastGeek]

Great pics! Got any GPS routes to share for this adventure?

 

[1MK]

Nice write up. Great pics! Thanks for posting

Thanks!

Great pictures and a beautiful area that I'll admit I haven't explored in all my years in AZ.

Todd Z.

Practically in your backyard! You have so much to see in the surrounding areas, I'm jealous.

Great pics! Got any GPS routes to share for this adventure?

Thanks, I do not unfortunately.

 

[1MK]

In the morning, business as usual. It can be hard to start the day no matter how eager you are about what's to come without a solid breakfast and a bit of go juice from the french press. Candace, as usual, whipped up a solid serving of both while the rest of us started cleaning and packing up.

Before long, it was time to………..

We left behind the Black Rock Mine via Little Horn Rd and made our way to Eagle Eye Rd where we'd have to take a bit of pavement to the Harquahala Back Country Byway.

Made a quick stop at the facilities, a maintained pit toilet and fantastic informative center. I've always found it great when public agencies provide kiosks like this, it can really help make you have a better understanding and respect for the areas your going to be driving through and visiting.

They should include a optional window so you can do your business while taking in the view…

Road to Adventure

Welcome to the Harquahala Mountain Back Country Byway! Harquahala Mountain is the highest point in southwestern Arizona at 5,681 feet. This 10.5 mile byway was constructed for mining access over a span of 70 years and reached the summit in 1981.

The name Harquahala comes from the Native American words “Aha qua hala”, meaning “water there is, high up”, due to the numerous springs that were present at the higher elevations.

If you're curious about this area and would like to read all of the information provided, I have pictures posted on the ExploreDesert Flickr account.

And we were off to the top. We picked the perfect weekend for this trip as springs bloom (super bloom! super bloom!! super bloom!!! Anyone else tired of hearing that this season?) made the desert vibrant in color and life.

 

[WeLikeCamping]

Beautiful area this time of year!

 

[1MK]

A couple miles in a fork in the road gives the option for a slight detour to the Monterey Mine and the remnants of a old rock structure. We didn't make it to the mine workings as they were a ways back and appeared to be a narrow and rocky path to get there.

As the trail gains altitude, the views become more and more incredible. I was torn on keeping eyes on the road ahead and taking in the surroundings.

It was tempting to pull over at every opportunity and look around.

If you look closely, you can follow the trail all the way up the mountain side.

 

[1MK]

Towards the last mile or so the trail really begins to climb and has some decently steep sections. Eventually 4-low was needed so a quick stop was made to make the switch and wait for the Rzr to catch back up.

Rad camp spot. It's worth mentioning that there are quite a few camping opportunities scattered among the trail, some even proving tables and what appear to be charcoal bbq's.

At one point there is a section of concrete where erosion has been a problem. What a job that must have been – side of a mountain and such a radical angle. Really hard to convey through pictures how steep it is!

Fun squeeze towards the edge around a fallen boulder

Looking back towards Salome (left of picture) and Wenden.

And finally at the top! There were only a couple vehicles at the top, which ended up leaving shortly after we arrived. Ended up having the whole mountain top to ourselves.

Welcome to the Harquahala Peak Smithsonian Observatory! Just imagine being sent to this mountaintop to live and work in the early 1920's. That is what happened to eight scientists from 1920 to 1925. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (APO) program in Washington D.C. built this observatory station to collect data about the sun.

In the late 1800's Dr. Samuel Peirpoint Langley believed the sun caused changes in the climate of the earth. He thought that by measuring these changes (dubbed the “solar constant&#8221, scientists could predict climatic events. Dr. Charles G. Abbot, Langley's protege, pursued his theory, Harquahala Observatory was built, and testing began.

The program founder, Dr. Charles G. Aboot, saw this mountaintop as a place with high visibility, clear weather, and a remote location required for this endeavor. Private funding was obtained from John Augustus Roebling of Bernardsville, New Jersey, and the observatory was completed in August 1920.

By 1925 it was decided that another location would be more suitable due to the severe weather conditions, increased haziness in the air, and difficult access. The station was closed and everything was moved to an APO station on Table Mountain in southern California.

Pictures of all the informative signs can be found on the ExploreDesert Flickr account.

 

[1MK]

The view heading down the mountain was even more impressive. You could see for miles and I was able to spot the previous days trails and camp spot and look towards where we were going next.

Back on the Eagle Eye Rd, we headed north to the small town of Aguila to refuel and grab a few supplies.

We ended up having to backtrack quite a bit in order to get to our next destination and situate ourselves closer to Richard and Haley's house for Sundays return. Just a few miles back up Eagle Eye Rd, we made a left and were once again on Aguila Rd. Miles of smooth graded road was relatively uneventful but did provide a great way to cut across the desert.

Apparently the graded dirt, flowing corners and twenty something miles made for satisfactory conditions for a quick nap…

Made a left pointing us north and set our sights on the Vulture Mountains. Directly across from the Vulture Mine we reconnected with a series of BLM trails through the mountain range.

Took a trail that took us up on the west side of Vulture Peak and found a great place for lunch, minus the jumping cactus…

 

[1MK]

Back on the trail, we began make our way around to the east side of Vulture Peak where we would find a suitable camping spot for the night.

Short little section until the next dirt segment. If you're ever in this area, it's wise to purchase a Arizona State Trust Land permit as it's a mixture of it and BLM through the Vulture Mountains.

It gets a bit tight both trail and shrub wise, with a bit of rutted/rocky descents and climbs mixed in. Nothing challenging but 4wd and some ground clearance is needed. Expect some good a pinstripe or two…

A spot just south east of Vulture Peak ended up being home for the night.

 

[1MK]

Once the sun went down the bubbly came out, dinner was served and campfire lit. Another perfect night under the stars.

Morning came way too early. Not only that, we ran out of propane and no way to make coffee. The horror. In a zombie like state, clean up and camp tear down slowly took place. Civilization was only about 45 minutes out and we'd be able to sit down for breakfast and say our goodbyes there.

Cresting over a small hill it was apparent we were close to being on our way back home. Drove south to W Peak View Rd where I just had to make a slight detour…

…to visit the Toyota Proving Grounds! Absolutely ecstatic to get a picture here, haha.

Our last section of dirt was to cross over to Sun Valley Parkway so we could drive into Surprise, AZ. Once on the highway, followed the Rzr so they could set the pace and lead us to a breakfast joint they knew about.

The place was great and worked out perfect. Reminisced about the all the good times over the last couple days and said our farewells for the time being.

Until next time!