About this place
Towering cliffs, water that keeps flowing, and a great range of plants and animals. Aravaipa Canyon is one of the few places in Arizona quite like this.
The wilderness covers 19,410 acres and it draws people who want solitude and scenery.
It lies in southeast Arizona, roughly between Tucson and Phoenix. The public and private land around it protects the same living system.
Aravaipa Creek flows all year. In the Arizona desert that is unusual.
That water feeds large sycamore, ash, cottonwood and willow along the stream, with other water-loving plants beside them.
In fall the leaves turn brilliant red and gold. Against the Sonoran Desert around them, the contrast is dramatic.
The Bureau of Land Management runs this place to protect its wilderness character and its fragile environment. Within that, you are left to do as you please.
Expect the wild. There are no marked trails inside the boundary, no campsites, no signs and no facilities.
The land is rugged, and you need to be in decent condition to push through thick streamside vegetation. That thickness is a sign the place is healthy.
Wear sturdy footwear. You will be walking in sand, gravel and cobble, and crossing the stream many times in water up to your knees.
The west trailhead sits at 2,630 feet and the east trailhead at 3,060 feet. Between them is 12.25 miles of uneven ground and a steady 430-foot climb.
Along the way there are side canyons, caves, outcrops, chimneys and windows in the rock to explore.
Strong walkers who only want to get from one end to the other can do it in 8 to 10 hours.
Anyone stopping to watch wildlife, take photographs or wander up the side canyons should plan on one or two nights.
The facts
- Cost
- Camping fee not confirmed
- Roads around it
- High clearance needed. The creek crossings have no bridges and the road is often impassable in a flash flood
- Stay limit
- 3 days (2 nights)
- Toilet
- No
- Type
- Open area. Nothing is marked out
- Managed by
- Bureau of Land Management
Getting there
The East Trailhead is reached from U.S. Highway 70, between Safford and Bylas, along 46 miles of dirt road. There are creek crossings with no bridges, so you need a high clearance vehicle, and the road is often impassable in a flash flood.
The West Trailhead is reached from Arizona Route 77, between Mammoth and Winkelman. That is the closer side to Tucson and Phoenix. The road in is 12 miles: three paved, then nine of dirt.
Coordinates 32.897556, -110.569844
Open in Google Maps Agency page
What is near here
Nothing is close to this one. Everything below is a long drive away, and each line says how far.
- Mount Lemmon Directions
Every distance on this page is the driving distance. A short distance can still take a long time. The road may be closed for the season, covered in snow, or washed out. Many of these roads are dirt. Plan your route before you leave home. Out here there is often no phone signal to look it up on the way.
Nearest town and supplies
- Dudleyville, AZ Directions
- Mammoth, AZ Directions
Mammoth is big enough that you’d normally expect fuel and somewhere to buy food. Nobody from here has been to check, so don’t count on it if you’re running low.
Have you been here?
Fees and access change, and the records do not always keep up. If you have been, tell us what you found.
Thank you, that is recorded. It helps the next person.
Add road notes for this site
The thing we cannot get from any government record is what the drive in is actually like. If you have done it, this is the most useful thing you can leave behind. We read everything before it appears, and we print a first name with it if you give one.
Thank you. A person will read it before it goes on the page.
Where this information comes from
The description on this page is ours. The facts in it, and the fee and facility details below it, come from the Bureau of Land Management’s own records, read in August 2026; opened and read by a person on 2026-08-27.