G.E.T. Guidebook

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Segment 7: Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness   12.3 miles

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Segment Length	from PHX	to ABQ	Segment Status	Season
12.3 mi.	124		finalized & accessible	all year
Resources
OVERVIEW MAP ELEVATION PROFILE 4 G.E.T. Topo Maps 20-21 4 Water Chart 4 Image Gallery: Album 3				Additional maps: Mammoth 1:100K (BLM) visit PLIC website Brandenburg Mtn (USGS) Booger Canyon (USGS) Land management agency: (Aravaipa Canyon permits) BLM Safford Field Office (928) 348-4400 Brandenburg Ranger Station (520) 357-6185 Klondyke Ranger Station (928) 828-3380

SEGMENT OVERVIEW

Aravaipa might well be considered Arizona's "Grand Canyon of the Sonoran Desert." For like its neighbor to the north, Aravaipa Canyon is also a place born of water, uplift, and erosion - a great curving and carving of the land into a sheer-walled labyrinth of light and color, liquid and life. In terms of geography, this grand canyon is small - a fifth as high, its main passage walkable in just a day or two. Yet by measure of its life, Aravaipa is a place of rare grandeur. Its perennial creek, fed by artesian waters from past Ice Ages, harbors more native species of fish than any low country stream in Arizona. Aravaipa Creek and its tributaries nurture some 1000 acres of diverse, deciduous riparian forest. Mountain lions and bobcats are here, as are bighorn sheep, javelina, and coatamundi. One hundred and fifty species of bird have been recorded in the canyon, including the large, unmistakable Great Blue Heron, a common and striking sight in this desert land. For just beyond the leafy shade at creekside, the saguaros, cholla, and prickly pear of the Sonoran Desert take hold once more, clinging to buff brown slopes worn sheer by the work of time.

The above was written prior to the devastating flood of summer 2006, which tore through the canyon with a force powerful enough to uproot full-grown cottonwoods and other native shade trees by the thousands, in some cases depositing them miles downstream. Much of Aravaipa Creek's riparian corridor was destroyed, opening the canyon bottom to the desert sun and, in an ironic turn, enhancing the canyon's scenic quality by permitting unrestricted views of the surrounding cliffs. Anyone fortunate enough to have experienced the canyon pre- flood will in many ways find it unrecognizable now, so much was the focal point before on the narrow string of verdant splendor. Yet this canyon is nothing if not resilient; the "river forest" will grow back, as it has done in the wake of similar floods before (a generational event, history shows). And in this warm, sunny climate, recovery in the presence of a perennial stream is comparatively quick.

Now as before, Aravaipa Canyon remains a pristine riverine ecosystem due to its designation as a BLM Wilderness area. The BLM does not maintain trails in the canyon in order to promote "dispersed hiking." In spirit, this is a cross-country hiking experience - one walks along the bank of Aravaipa Creek until the canyon bends, then crosses to the other bank, and so on. Social trails did exist before the flood, worn down by hikers as paths of least resistance along the banks. You may still find remnants of these trails here and there, but by and large you'll be walking along the exposed banks - spits of sand, rock, and debris between the creek and canyon walls. Sometimes it may seem easier just to slosh up the creek itself - it's usually only ankle or shin-deep, somewhat quick, but easily negotiated (except in flood, of course, when you should definitely avoid the canyon). Finding an efficient line of travel is half the fun and most of the challenge in Aravaipa. Expect a pace no faster than 1-2 mph along with numerous creek crossings and continuously wet feet. All things considered, conditions really aren't that bad nowadays; unavoidable blowdowns require negotiating here and there, and some "quicksand" may be present (and avoidable), but hiking times to traverse the entire canyon remain essentially unchanged.

In any case, the business side of raw, pristine wilderness in the case of Aravaipa Canyon is the permit system. Everyone entering the canyon has to have one: day hikers, thru-hikers, overnight campers all. This business is complicated by the fact that permits are limited in number, usually need to be reserved in advance, and once paid for cannot be changed. Business appears to be good, though. The Canyon (and probably afterward, you too) will appreciate the patronage... and native solitude. See the GET Trek Planner chapter on Permits for more info.

ROUTE DETAILS

At the west trailhead at the end of Aravaipa Road, sign the register (enter your permit number) then follow signs toward Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness. The wide track soon narrows to a rocky trail which descends to reach once-sycamore-and-cottonwood-shaded Aravaipa Creek at 0.2 miles (elev. 2600'). You'll find some trees still standing, though. The next mile is located on land owned by the Nature Conservancy, where camping is not allowed. A use trail initially crossed Aravaipa Creek to follow its south bank, then returned to the creek, and it appears hikers are still going this way. Here you could ford then look for a resumption of social trail or else walk up the creek itself - the standard options here in Aravaipa. Reach the BLM Wilderness boundary at 1.3, beyond which dispersed camping is permitted.

Progress within Aravaipa Canyon is most easily gauged by way of its side canyons (which, it's worth noting, were largely unaltered by the floods and remain more biologically intact). These side canyons appear at fairly regular intervals, left and right as you progress in the main drainage, although some are easy to overlook. Pass a narrow side canyon called Hell's Half Acre on the right (south bank) at 1.9, which you can explore a short ways to a boulder-choked pour-off - an impressive reminder of the power of moving water. Ahead, the main canyon briefly narrows into a sheer-walled box composed of dark red schist, where you are forced to walk in the creek itself. Watch out for areas of quicksand here - it won't pull you under, of course, but can be difficult to walk out of.

Javelina Canyon, on the left at 3.3, often pours forth a small flow of water. The main canyon floor widens somewhat now, while orange and buff-colored cliffs of ash-flow tuff soar to more than 1000 feet above the creek. The scene is perhaps most impressive near Virgus Canyon at 4.3. Good campsites among the bordering cottonwood groves may still be found in the vicinity of this tributary.

Booger Canyon joins from the left at 6.2, while the high walls of Aravaipa Canyon - comprised, collectively, of the Galiuro volcanics group - now diminish somewhat, permitting a sunny mesquite forest just above the riparian creek environment. The geology of the canyon changes near Hell Hole Canyon at 8.0, where distinctive, cobbly conglomerate cliffs appear eastbound, rising sharply from the canyon bottom. Hell Hole is perhaps the most rewarding of Aravaipa's tributaries to explore, as it remains navigable (without impassable pour-offs) for several miles, its slot-like passage narrowing at times to under 20 feet. Be careful not to take sandy-floored Hell Hole Canyon by mistake, though, as Aravaipa Canyon bends sharply toward the south at the confluence (waypoint 07100).

Reach the east boundary of Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness at 10.4, (waypoint 07120, elev. 3050') where the canyon of Turkey Creek converges from the south. Eastbound, you have two options here.

TURKEY CREEK ALTERNATE ROUTE: This alternate route, described in Chapter 8, follows sometimes-dry Turkey Creek (where free, permit-less camping is allowed), passing a well-preserved Salado cliff dwelling in 1.3 miles. The alternate route eventually leaves Turkey Creek to follow 4WD roads over to Fourmile Canyon where it continues to Klondyke Road at Klondyke, 2.4 miles south of the main GET route. The alternate route is a good option for hikers planning to resupply at Klondyke then continue around the Santa Teresa Wilderness on the south side (via the Buford Hill alternate - see Seg 8). And of course, westbounders without a permit to enter Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness can bypass the canyon via Turkey Creek and the Rug Road, as described in Segment 6.

MAIN ROUTE: From the confluence at 10.4 continue east in Aravaipa Canyon via 4WD Aravaipa Canyon Road, soon entering Nature Conservancy land once more, where camping is not allowed. A few long-adandoned homesteads soon appear at roadside, a peaceful and contemplative scene. You can follow the road or take a meandering, overgrown trail that eventually returns to it. Ford Aravaipa Creek a few more times via the road, then reach a junction with Bear Canyon and its 4WD road at left. Eastbound, take the right fork (westbound, left fork) and momentarily arrive at Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness east trailhead, at 12.3 (elev. 3190').

3Segment 6

Segment 84