Safford-Morenci Trail

About this place

Eighteen miles through the hills of eastern Arizona, and a long way from anywhere. You start at 3,700 feet and finish at 6,200, crossing the Gila Mountains and Turtle Mountain. The view changes as you go, from dry desert to the green strips of growth that follow the creeks.

Ranchers and farmers cut this trail in 1874 to move goods up to the mines at Clifton and Morenci while they were booming. Cars finished it off in the early 1900s. What's left is the old pack route and a scatter of ruins, and you'll walk straight past both.

Three things to make sure you see:

• the creekside habitat at Bonita Creek
• the red-walled slot canyon at Midnight Canyon
• the view from the top of the pass near Turtle Mountain

Vehicles are allowed on parts of the trail, though most of it is closed to them and most people out here are on foot. Where they're allowed, expect them around the next bend.

The trail was worked on in 2025. Two stretches of it: from the west trailhead as far as Johnny Creek Road, and from East Bonita Rim Road to the reservation boundary.

This is a moderate to difficult route and you need to be able to navigate. Signs are few and the trail is easy to lose. Carry proper topographic maps, a compass and a GPS. Don't rely on any one of them.

If you want something considerably longer, the Grand Enchantment Trail runs along this one for part of its route. That's 730 miles between Phoenix and Albuquerque. A long-distance hiker mapped it out, no authority has ever recognized it, and it brings a few dozen backpackers through here a year.

When to come

Fall through spring. It's cooler then and the hiking is better for it.

The trail itself is open all year and at any hour.

Water

Bonita Creek runs clear and cold and it will be tempting. Treat it before you drink any of it, because there are people, cattle and wildlife upstream of wherever you're standing.

Carry plenty of your own as well. Water on this route is extremely limited, and Bonita Creek is the only source you can count on.

Phone signal

Patchy at best. Don't build any part of your day around being able to call for help.

Dogs

Service animals go anywhere you can go. Any other dog stays under your physical control the whole time.

Staying safe

You're responsible for yourself out here. For law enforcement, an ambulance or a fire, the phone number is 911, and there is no first aid anywhere on this trail.

In winter, be ready for snow higher up.

Pack on the assumption that help is a long way off. There are bears and mountain lions here, particularly down along the creeks. There are cattle too. The trail crosses grazing land that is still in use.

The rest of the hazards are venomous animals, heat and cold at both extremes, and flash floods. Weather turns quickly. Check the alerts before you leave, and carry the gear, food and water to wait one out.

Side trips

There is nothing out here to buy. No store, no water, not so much as a candy bar.

What's worth the detour is the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area, Bonita Creek, Eagle Creek and the Pueblo Devol Cliff Dwelling.

The facts

Cost

Camping fee not confirmed

Roads around it

Parts of the last 4 miles need a four-wheel drive with high clearance

Stay limit

14-day limit

Drinking water

No treated supply. Bonita Creek has to be treated before you drink it

Toilet

No. There are none at the trailheads or along the trail

Phone signal

Not reliable. Do not depend on it in an emergency

Type

Specific campsite

When it’s open

All year, at all hours. Fall through spring is the comfortable half

Managed by

Bureau of Land Management

Rules and restrictions

Toilets and trash

There are none, at the trailheads or anywhere along the trail. Deal with human waste the Leave No Trace way and carry the rest out.

Permits

The trail crosses several different owners' land, and two stretches need permission before you set foot on them. You need an Arizona State Trust Land permit for a short section. You need a San Carlos Apache tribal permit for the part running through the reservation.

How long you can stay

You need no permit to camp on the stretches of trail the Bureau of Land Management looks after. On those stretches the limit is 14 days in any 28, and after that your next camp has to be 25 miles away or more.

The trail also crosses Arizona State Trust Land and San Carlos-Apache Tribe Land. Different rules can apply there.

Getting there

To the west trailhead

This end is near Bear Springs, about 12 miles northeast of Safford. The way in is along Solomon Pass Road and Salt Trap Road.

1. Take 8th Avenue north out of Safford.
2. Cross the Gila River bridge. Half a mile after it, take the right fork onto Airport Road.
3. Drive 4.3 miles to Aviation Way. Turn left onto it, then take the immediate left onto a paved road with no sign on it.
4. That road is Solomon Pass Road. Follow it 8.0 miles to the junction with Salt Trap Road.
5. Take the left fork onto Salt Trap Road and follow it 1.8 miles.
6. Turn left and go about 4 miles west to the trailhead. If you come to a storage tank with corrals, you have gone past the turn.

Parts of the last 4 miles need a four-wheel drive with high clearance. This is the harder of the two ends to reach.

To the east trailhead

This end is 6 miles west of Morenci in a straight line. The drive is a good deal longer than that.

1. Just north of Morenci, turn off Highway 191 onto Lower Eagle Creek/Black River Road. The turning is about a quarter mile past a hillside cemetery on your right.
2. Take the left into what looks like a dirt parking area. The road starts there.
3. Ford Eagle Creek just below the water pipeline by the ranch house, then carry on about another 4 miles. The trailhead is signed.

Lower Eagle Creek/Black River Road is maintained gravel, so the road itself is not the problem. The creek crossing is. In high water it needs high clearance, and this end wants a four-wheel drive as well.

There is somewhere to pull off and park at both ends of the trail, and both are signed.

Coordinates 32.973, -109.622

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What is near here

A few more of our own spots are within reach of this one, along with some better-known places.

• Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area 25 miles by road · conservation area · free camping here too Directions
• Black Hills Back Country Byway 30 miles by road · byway · free camping here too Directions
• Mount Graham 52 miles by road · mountain Directions
• Fishhooks Wilderness 59 miles by road · wilderness · free camping here too Directions
• Mount Turnbull 64 miles by road · mountain 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

• Safford, AZ nearest settlement · 21 miles by road · about 10,300 people Directions

Safford 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.