Easy hike leads to dramatic red rocks
Striking in its simplicity, the hike to Red Cliff slips through a spare, waterravaged landscape just a few miles south of Wickenburg.
Surrounded by the oddly formed peaks of the Vulture and Harquahala mountains, railroad tracks and acres of shadeless plains, the route is a stomping ground for ATV riders, roaming livestock and a disturbingly robust community of turkey vultures.
Nothing about the dirt staging area at the mouth of Little Domingo Wash screams “gateway to an epic hike.” A scraggly fringe of spindly willows, mesquite and invasive tamarisk survives among tire tracks, cow pies and horse apples.
Small aircraft sometimes glide into a nearby backcountry landing strip and occasional 4x4s hauling trailers rumble over a maze of dusty dirt roads that lead to abandoned mines and homesteads.
As stark and unpromising as it appears, this is the start point of an interesting walk that explores the anatomy of a major desert waterway.
Over its 100-mile length, the Hassayampa
River flows through a variety of eco-zones and amazing topography. From its humble source in the pine-covered Bradshaw Mountains south of Prescott to where it empties into the Gila River southwest of Phoenix, the Hassayampa runs through mountain woodlands, gorges, plains and riparian corridors.
Except in a few places — like the Hassayampa River Preserve at Vulture Mountain Recreation Area along U.S. 60, where water flows above ground year-round — the waterway runs under
ground. In this area of the river, about 28 miles north of Interstate 10 and roughly 40 miles north of the Gila River, surface water exists in the form of flash floods and occasional puddles.
Rain water and snowmelt deposits that course through the river’s wide corridor are quickly absorbed into the porous ground. Within hours to days, the only signs of recent water works are debris piles and mud flats.
But water has shaped the character of this rugged desert backcountry for thousands of years. Running water has scoured channels, chiseled cliffs and leached precious minerals from the volcanic and sedimentary rocks, thus attracting miners and ranchers to this otherwise desolate land 30 miles west of Phoenix.
The trek begins where Little San Domingo Wash merges with the course of the Hassayampa River. Because water is constantly altering the terrain, this is a hunt-andpeck sort of hike.
Head left (south) from the wash and follow the riverbed. Although there’s no standard path, it’s advisable to dodge your way around the willows and debris and hike close to the cliffs on the west bank of the river.
At roughly the halfmile point, a gate near a huge saguaro marks where a rough dirt road parallels the river. It’s a short but scenic diversion and a nice change from walking in sand and mud.
At 1.5 miles, first glimpses of Red Cliff come into view. The brilliant red-orange escarpment soars to 2,091 feet — 360 feet above the river. Mesquite, paloverde and ironwood trees huddle at its base while raptors and vultures roost in its many nooks and shallow caves.
Although this stony piece de resistance is the main objective of the hike, the trek may be extended by passing a barbed-wire gate at 2 miles (the first of several gates that control the roamings of domestic cattle) and continuing south as far as you like.