Guidebook

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Segment 11: Gila Valley South  15.4 miles

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Segment Length	from PHX	to ABQ	Segment Status	Season
15.4 mi.	213		finalized & accessible	fall, winter, spring
Resources
OVERVIEW MAP ELEVATION PROFILE G.E.T. Topo Maps 32-34 Town Guide: Safford Water Chart Image Gallery: Album 3				Additional maps: Safford 1:100K Topographic (BLM) visit PLIC website Land management agency: BLM Safford Field Office (928) 348-4400 Coronado National Forest Safford Ranger District (928) 428-4150

SEGMENT OVERVIEW

Our route descends the eastern foothills of the Pinaleno Mountains to join the broad Gila Valley on the outskirts of Safford. Last encountered in Segment 3, the Gila River here is truly a ribbon of life in this otherwise arid valley of greasewood and mesquite. Aided by a mild, Sonoran-Chihuahuan desert climate, the Gila's reliable flow permits the growing of cotton, the staple commodity of Safford's agricultural economy. You'll pass acres of the fluffy white stuff in this segment and the next, much of which is grown well away from the river thanks to an elaborate network of aqueducts. (The main GET route doesn't actually cross the Gila until Segment 12.)

Hikers begin in the canyon of lower Ash Creek and follow dirt roads through Arizona Game & Fish Dept's Cluff Ranch wildlife area, notable for its migratory waterfowl often observed in several developed year-round wetlands. Dry plains and low hills, dotted with creosote bush and uninhabited, lead toward the rural outskirts of Thatcher, sister community to Safford, where a brief stretch of pavement pounding takes us onto the shoulder of a little-used railroad grade and some leisurely, vehicle-free miles of walking across town. Our route then heads right on through the bustle of Safford, a natural stopover for hikers, with numerous services located nearby along US 70, about a quarter mile away. Don't be surprised if you're greeted with the occasional smile and wave from passing motorists; Safford's townfolk are used to seeing self-propelled travelers about, thanks to the Southern Tier bicycle route that comes through town.

Water is available only near the start and end of this segment, at Ash Creek / Cluff Ranch and in Thatcher / Safford, respectively. Quiet camping opportunities present themselves here and there alongside the dirt roads in the first half of this terrain, although the area immediately surrounding Cluff Ranch is private land.

ROUTE DETAILS

From the metal trail sign at the northern terminus of Ash Creek Trail (waypoint 10370, elev. 4672'), travel northeast on Ash Creek Road (FR 307). The narrow, rocky 4WD track parallels lower Ash Creek in its riparian corridor, crossing a cattle guard at 0.8 of a mile, near where it fords the creek itself. An old metal pipeline, used to bring water from the perennially-flowing reaches of Ash Creek to reservoirs in the valley below, follows the road as well. The massive, rumpled folds of the Pinalenos slowly recede to the south and west as the road comes to a metal gate at 1.6, then another cattle guard at 2.0, where it leaves the Coronado National Forest. One more ford of the rocky creekbed leads to an unmarked road junction at 2.8 (waypoint 11040), where our route continues north on Ash Creek Rd, following the pipeline. (Westbounders, take the right fork.)

Ahead, the main road reaches the small residential community of Cluff Ranch, with a few scattered homes at roadside. Here the road changes names to Berry Patch Rd, soon reaching a three-way junction at 3.6. Turn right here (east), joining wide 2WD dirt Cluff Ranch Rd. (Westbounders, turn left at the 3-way onto signed Berry Patch Rd.) The road skirts the eastern perimeter of Cluff Ranch wildlife area, reaching a junction with the main entrance road at 4.7. Administered by the Arizona Department of Game & Fish, the wildlife area supports a variety of upland bird and small game species, as well as a healthy population of white-tailed deer. Scattered small ponds in the area, fed by Ash Creek, are managed as a productive warm water fishery. Fishing is allowed here, as is seasonal hunting, while the surrounding groves of cottonwoods and willows are inviting to all. Developed water is available nearby; detour along the facility's main entrance road, stay left at a junction and follow signs toward the bunkhouses, where you'll find a faucet along an outside wall of the first of two guest cottages.

Continuing north on Cluff Ranch Rd (westbounders, take the left fork at the junction at 4.7), pass a side road to a designated camping area on the right. (The vehicle-friendly campsite isn't much, but features a picnic table and a short foot trail that ends at an interesting overlook of Smith Pond, as the small reservoir is known.) At 5.2 (waypoint 11070) reach a fork. Cluff Ranch Rd now heads northeast, while our route continues almost due east via a comparable 2WD dirt road (Upper Layton Rd, signed as a private road though public use is allowed). Ignore various lesser tracks as the main road bends northeast, attaining a small rise. The surrounding terrain - mostly state land here - is open and should be quiet enough to facilitate a good, dry camp, with sweeping views of the Pinalenos and out across the Gila Valley. Continue straight at 6.2, here trading Upper Layton Rd for Layton Road, which also heads west. (Westbounders, take the left fork onto unsigned Upper Layton Rd.) For its wide, graded caliber and proximity to Safford environs, Layton Rd affords a fairly quiet walk, surrounded by low desert scrub and distant views of the Gila Valley and Mount Graham. Ignore various unsigned lesser roads (2-track/4WD variety) at left and right, and pass a junction at 7.4 with signed Grandma's Drive on the left, which must go to a few residences visible in the distance. At 8.9 signed Central Cemetery Rd heads north, while the GET heads east, still on 2WD dirt Layton Rd and now with cultivated farmland and the occasional rural residence at roadside. The irrigation channel ("Union Canal") paralleling the road often flows (it's pumped from the Gila River at the head of the Safford Valley) but the water is obviously non-potable. East of 10.0 and Webster Lane, Layton Road becomes paved Palmer Lane, passing through a residential area, then reaching a crossing of the Arizona Eastern railroad grade at 10.7 (waypoint 11100, elev. 2900'), just west of US 70.

Active but with only sporadic freight train traffic, the railroad grade is the suggested route of the GET to 12.9. The wide dirt corridor on the southwest side of the tracks, surrounded by cotton fields and occasional out-buildings, should make for acceptable, efficient passage here through the outskirts of Thatcher. Heading southeast, the tracks cross Reay Lane, then Stadium Ave at 11.4. "Downtown" Thatcher is a half mile north along US 70, while just east adjacent the railroad grade lies the small Eastern Arizona College Thatcher campus, with salient amenities for hikers including drinking water, bathrooms, and possibly internet access. Click to view campus map (PDF) (To detour to bathrooms & water fountain, head south along a walkway just east (left) of the Fine Arts Auditorium (south side of the tracks). The walkway heads into a courtyard in the low-slung South Campus Classrooms building behind the auditorium. Public facilities are around the corner on the right.)

Beyond the campus, dirt corridors parallel the railroad tracks on either side; choose the left (northern) one unless it appears to be in active use by farm equipment. Cross 1st Ave at 12.3 and continue along the railroad grade to 8th Street, at 12.9 (waypoint 11115, elev. 2930'). Here the tracks cross the road, then parallel 8th St eastbound, still with something of a swath alongside the tracks away from traffic. Our route now remains with 8th Street's arrow-straight alignment all the way to segment's end. Cotton fields give way to Safford's business district at 20th Ave (13.4). You can turn left (north) here to reach US 70 where a majority of the town's services are located. And you can easily rejoin the GET farther ahead on your way out of town. Otherwise, continue along the railroad grade swath.

Cross 14th Ave at 13.9; the US Forest Service and BLM district offices are housed in a single complex on the northeast corner here; you might consider putting in a good word on your way by. (Westbounders can also pick up their BLM Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness permits here.) Pass a convenience store with Subway sandwich shop at the intersection of 8th St with 8th Ave (14.4), and continue straight on 8th St. On the opposite side of the road is the Safford public library, with internet access, public restrooms, and a water fountain located inside. After 3 more intersections reach 5th Ave, with the Safford post office located about a quarter mile north at the junction with US 70. 8th Street next leads past an IGA supermarket, then crosses US 191 (signed First Ave) at 14.9 - be careful crossing traffic here. The segment ends a half mile ahead at the junction of 8th Street and US 70 (15.4, waypoint 11130, elev. 2920'), where the railroad grade bends away to the southeast. (Westbounders, join 8th St heading west and follow the adjacent railroad grade/swath, away from traffic.)

Segment 10

Segment 12