Box Canyon - Florence

The trailhead begins at a large staging area with North Butte located just to the east. This well-delineated area on BLM land has plenty of room for trailers, airing down, group gatherings, and camping. You can find a kiosk here with a map and any important information related to the area, such as fire bans.

Please note that in 0.66 miles, the road enters Arizona State Trust Land, where you will need a state trust permit.

Located within state trust land, this large campsite on the side of the road overlooks the large wash you will soon be traveling through. This campsite is ideal for any type of camp setup, including trailers and RVs.

Cell service is relatively non-existent, so you will need a satellite device if you are looking to connect to the internet or make phone calls.

Still located within State Trust Land, the next three spur roads to the east combine at a very large camp area a few hundred yards off of the main road. This camp area is good for groups and is suitable for any camp setup. The large mature saguaro cacti make a beautiful camp backdrop.

The trail exits State Trust Land, and you once again enter the Middle Gila Canyons BLM area. To the east is another large campsite area with a number of camp spots good for groups and any camp setup. This is the last campsite good for travel trailers and RVs as the road becomes rugged and rough with no viable camp options for trailers or RVs.

This campsite, located just above the wash, is the last campsite before entering the canyon. It is large and flat but ideal only for tents and small adventure trailers due to the roughness of the road to get to this point. Be aware of incoming weather as this spot is only slightly higher than the wash, and heavy rain could flood the campsite.

Entry into the narrow canyon is marked by an optional rock obstacle called Poser Rock. This large boulder provides a great photo spot at the mouth of Box Canyon.

Conditions along the canyon floor can change with each passing rain storm exposing or covering up rocks, but this spot along the canyon is regularly the rockiest. Choose the best line for your rig. Depending on your direction of travel, one side of the canyon has large boulders that will be challenging to navigate, while the other side is much smoother with flat rocks and a lot of compressed gravel.

Nearing the end of the northern end of the canyon, you will pass through the tightest sections. These tight sections do not last long and have space on both ends where oncoming traffic can still pass.

The trail widens out as you leave the canyon behind. Continue to follow the wash as you pass the Sandman trail to the west.

Continue in the wash as you pass Martinez Canyon to the northeast. Martinez Canyon passes other popular trails, such as Orville Loop and Jack Handle, but eventually leads into the Tonto National Forest via Rincon Road.

You can find several small petroglyphs along the flat rock wall to the west. They are hard to spot as they have become significantly weathered, but with a close eye, you are sure to spot them.

On the east side of the trail, across from the petroglyph wall, is an optional rock obstacle. There are multiple lines to try, but this is essentially an up-and-over obstacle.

A small trail partially obscured by brush climbs out of the wash to the west. This trail leads to a stagecoach stop listed on the national register of historic places. Very little history can be found on this stagecoach stop, but the old building and well here is said to have been a waystation for the Butterfield Overland Stage Coach Company and the Pony Express sometime in the 1860s.

Box Canyon comes to an end at a muti-point intersection. Staying left, the road follows the wash and transitions to Mineral Mountain Road, where two significant waterfall obstacles await just a short distance ahead. The canyon to the far right leads down North Box Canyon and bypasses the obstacles along Mineral Mountain Road. The canyon also leads to the Bad Medicine trail. Traveling up the ridgeline straight ahead is the trail known as Rollercoaster. Any of these routes will eventually lead you to the popular Five Points intersection at the end of Cottonwood Road.