Location

  • Oak Tree Canyon to Lakes Road

Length

  • 13.1 miles

Southern Access Point: Oak Tree Canyon

  • GPS Coordinates: 31.81072° N, 110.72330° W
  • NOTE: This trailhead is not directly accessible by vehicles. The trailhead is approximately 0.7 miles west of the access point (31.80926° N, 110.71026° W) along a two-track road.

Access

From the intersection of I-10 and AZ 83, drive south on AZ 83 to 0.8 miles past milepost 44. Pull off on the right (west) at an unmarked road (FR 4072). A gate prevents vehicles from proceeding very far. Park in this area and walk along the fence about 0.8 miles west to an AZT trailhead sign.

Northern Access Point: Lakes Road

  • GPS Coordinates: 31.90910° N, 110.67151° W
  • NOTE: This trailhead is not directly accessible by vehicles. The trailhead is approximately 0.6 miles west of the access point (31.90857° N, 110.66196° W) along a two-track road.

Access

From the intersection of I-10 and AZ 83, drive south for 7.2 miles on AZ 83 to milepost 51.4. Turn right (west) and go through a gate on an unmarked, rough dirt road about 0.6 miles to the AZT. This road requires a 4WD high-clearance vehicle, or park near AZ 83 and walk in (recommended).

Trail Route Description

This passage begins in Oak Tree Canyon (3/4 mile west of Highway 83) on FR 4072. The trail climbs slightly up to a gate and then begins a long, gradual descent. It crosses FR 4064, passes through another gate, works its way around a small hill, and then descends into Barrel Canyon. After crossing FR 231 the trail climbs up to a gate on a pass and then drops down into Scholefield Canyon. There is another gate and a climb up past FR 4062 and on to Papago Canyon. There is a short stretch on an old two-track road and then it goes through Mulberry Canyon and heads due north, contouring up and down for several miles. After one last gate, the route is a gradual downhill for the last few miles until the end of the passage at Lakes Road.

Difficulty

  • Moderate

Season(s)

Water

There may be water off of FR 4064, otherwise water is intermittent and scarce. Plan to bring your own water.  Check the online Arizona Trail Water Report for current information at https://aztrail.org/explore/water-sources/.

Notes/Warnings

All water along this passage should be purified prior to use.

Resources

  • USGS Topographic Maps: Empire Ranch and Mount Fagan.
  • BLM Information Center maps.

For more information

Current Passage Info

 

Flickr Photos

Photos from the Arizona Trail Association’s Flickr galleries, for this specific passage. View the entire Flickr account.

[AFG_gallery id=’6′]

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