Kofa Queen Canyon

Every king needs a queen. Kofa got its name from the abbreviation for the large King of Arizona Mine. So it wasn't much of an imaginary stretch when prospectors named their small nearby mine the Kofa Queen. Today only the mineshafts and a few small stone walls remain where miners once toiled in the Kofa Queen. But the scenic sandy canyon that provided access to the mine back in the day now provides hikers and offroaders access deep into the Kofa Mountains. Beginning on the King Valley's vast plain, the trail marches relentlessly toward the low jagged ridgelines of the igneous Kofa Mountains. These are not gentle wind-sculpted sandstone bluffs. Rather these edifices were violently created from near-molten heavy minerals violently pushed up from deep below the earth's mantle, bringing with them the precious gold, silver, and manganese that the miners came here to find. Today those formations are valued for their rugged, angular beauty by the hardy folk who venture here. Dropping into the wide sandy canyon takes you into the depth of the mountains. Formations in many improbable shapes surround you. Scary Skull Rock is just one apparition formed by the immeasurable forces that created this landscape. Side canyons invite you to explore deeper on foot. The many campsites beckon you to spend time and take it all in. The trail ends near the site of the Kofa Queen Mine. The Kofa Mountains gave the miners gold. What will the mountains and Kofa Queen Canyon give you?