Arizona State Trust Department and Gila District Bureau of Land Management
District
Highlights
The highlight of this trail is the ancient petroglyphs that have been scrawled onto the rocks within Cottonwood Canyon. This area is a Bureau of Land Management Petroglyph Study Area. There are many beautiful petroglyphs to be found, mostly on the northern face of the canyon walls. These ancient writings are not to be touched or tampered with. It is recommended to take pictures but please leave these writings undisturbed for future explorers to discover. What the petroglyphs are telling us may be a mystery, but they are but a brief glimpse into the lives of the ancient people who may have lived or traveled through here many years ago.
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The trailhead can be found by way of [Mineral Mountain Road](https://www.trailsoffroad.com/trails/2201-mineral-mountain-road-arizona). The Mineral Mountain Road trailhead can be found approximately 25 miles south of Apache Junction, Az, on US60, between mile markers 214 and 215. Look for the flag pole and large staging area on the right. Follow Mineral Mountain Road to the Cottonwood Canyon Petroglyphs (6.8 miles).
Easy trail off of Mineral Mountain Rd. The treat here is the easy trek into the wash to see the petroglyphs. I would imagine there are thousands of them in this small area. Cool place.
Arizona National Forests and State Lands are back open for travel. There are still some very important fire restrictions in place. These restrictions can often change by specific areas.
Due to extremely high fire danger, exceptional drought conditions, resource availability, and increased fire activity, the Department of Forestry and Fire Management and the Arizona State Land Department will implement closures to State Trust Land throughout Arizona. These closures are also in conjunction with our USFS partners.
As of 8am on June 25, 2021, closures will be implemented on state-owned and managed lands in all 15 counties. All state-owned and managed lands are closed to entry for recreational purposes, including hunting, camping, and off-road vehicle use. Target shooting and fireworks are prohibited year-round.
AZ State Land Closures Notice
The cactus are starting to bloom and the temps are rising so we headed out with some friends to check out the glyphs and Box Canyon. The trail was in good shape and easily passable for a stock 4x4. I really like the leaping man drawing at the top of the cliff, the only one I've ever seen anywhere in the country.
I took my family out today for a nice trail run. A fellow club member came along who brought friends visiting from Canada and North Carolina, neither have ever seen a petroglyphs. Turned out to be a wonderful day on the trail.
What a nice way to end a long day on the trail, with an easy walk down into the canyon to see the O'odham petroglyphs. I took a small group of people down there who had no idea the petroglyphs were even there. When this guide was originally written, it was after a brief rain and the petroglyphs really popped off of the rocks. They are still cool to look at.
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While living in the Midwest, I developed a passion for searching out new trails and hidden spots. That passion continues to this day in the beautiful southwestern United States. My wife and I are full-time RVers who travel from region to region, exploring every nook and cranny we can find. While getting to know the locals, we gain insight into these areas and then pass on that knowledge to our subscribers. We truly enjoy traversing long, beautiful back-country routes with epic campsites, but we equally enjoy pushing the limits on challenging rock crawling trails. Our rig was built to do everything, and that's what we hope to share with our subscribers.
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