El Camino del Diablo

Serving as the southern route to California for hundreds of years, the El Camino Del Diablo (or sometimes called Camino Muerte - Road of Death and also as the Devil's Highway) has carried travelers from the days of the Spanish conquistadors across the sweltering desert from water source to water source until they reached Yuma. The road saw heavy use by the gold rush pioneers in 1849 as it was the only route that even the Apache's wouldn't travel in the summer, which drastically reduced the number of ambushes the pioneers suffered. Today, the original route (which started in Caborca Mexico) has been modified to pass through the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, the Cabeza Prieta Wildlife Refuge, and the Barry Goldwater Gunnery Range to exit on the Yuma side of the Tijinas Altas Mountains. This road is iconic and should provide some of the finest views of the Sonoran Desert you can find. The sense of self-reliance only surpasses the scenery you will experience as you must carry everything you will need with you. There's no gas, phones, electricity to rely on here. However, there is a sprinkling of watering holes, wells, and rock water tanks that you could depend on just like the pioneers did. Many of these unfortunate travelers did not make it across the El Camino Del Diablo alive; You may encounter some of the hundreds of graves that are rumored to line the road during your trip. (About 50 are marked). For more interesting detail about El Camino Del Diablo - CLICK HERE You can read about Raphael Pumpelly's trek across Arizona Here. (pp. 31-98 in particular)