About this place
Table Top Trail sits inside the 34,400-acre Table Top Wilderness.
It takes you from the floor of Vekol Valley at 2,299 feet to the summit of Table Top Mountain at 4,356 feet. That is 3.5 miles.
On the way up there are Sonoran Desert plants and animals, long views, and plenty of evidence that this country is volcanic.
From the summit you look out on a dramatic panorama of rugged mountain ranges and desert plains.
The trail starts by crossing small washes and bajadas. A bajada is the apron of gravel and sand that spreads out at the foot of a mountain.
It then winds northeast toward the mountain, through forests of saguaro, cholla, prickly pear, paloverde and ironwood.
At the base of the mountain the switchbacks begin, and the climb turns steep.
Near the top the trail runs between walls of loosely piled stone about four feet high. Nobody knows who built them or why.
On the summit there is a 40-acre island of desert grassland. That is an unusual thing to find up there.
Horses are not recommended. It is too steep for them.
The trailhead has a three-site campground with a vault toilet, and that toilet is accessible. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring.
There is day use parking for about 10 vehicles. No water is provided and nobody collects trash.
You can come all year. Late October through mid-April is the window most people use, and the trail is quiet outside it.
Bring every drop of water you will need. Plan on a gallon per person per day, and more if you are working hard.
Pets are not allowed on Table Top Trail. Service dogs are legally permitted anywhere a visitor can go.
Cell phone service can be unreliable, and there is no public internet or Wi-Fi.
This is remote country and the access roads are not maintained. Phones do not work across much of the monument.
Elevations here run from 1,000 feet to 4,400. Summer is rough on people, and the temperature can pass 110 degrees.
Wear sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat.
Start out with a full gas tank, spare water and full-size spare tires, in a vehicle you trust.
The desert sun brings rattlesnakes and other reptiles out as early as February.
A sudden storm can send a flash flood down a wash. Carry good maps, know how to read them, and have a plan.
One more thing. The southern part of the monument is a corridor for drug and human smuggling.
Stay alert for illegal activity, and for law enforcement working the area.
The facts
- Cost
- Free to camp
- Roads around it
- The access roads are not maintained
- Stay limit
- 14-day limit
- Drinking water
- No, bring your own
- Toilet
- Yes, an accessible vault toilet
- Phone signal
- Can be unreliable, and does not work across much of the monument
- Type
- Specific campsite
- When it’s open
- All year, though late October to mid-April is the recommended window
- Managed by
- Bureau of Land Management
Rules and restrictions
- Pets are not allowed on Table Top Trail. Service dogs may go anywhere a visitor can go.
- Fire restrictions change. Find out the current ones before you go.
- Exploding targets, fireworks, sky lanterns, tracer ammunition and anything else that starts a fire are prohibited on public land in Arizona.
- Leave no trace of your visit.
- Report vandalism, dumping or suspicious activity on 1-800-637-9152.
How long you can stay
Most public land here is open to camping away from a campground. Three things stop it.
- A sign saying camping is closed.
- A clash with something else the land is being used for.
- Harm to wildlife or to the land itself.
You can camp on public land here for up to 14 days in any 28 days.
Getting there
You need a high clearance vehicle to reach the Table Top Trailhead.
From Phoenix, take Interstate 10 west to exit 112 for Highway 85. Go south on Hwy 85 about 32 miles to Gila Bend, join Interstate 8 eastbound and carry on 25 miles to exit 144, Vekol Road.
Or take Interstate 10 east from Phoenix to exit 164, State Route 347. Turn right off the exit and head south on SR 347 for 28.4 miles to Hwy 84. Take Hwy 84 west for 5.6 miles onto Interstate 8 westbound. Stay on it 7.1 miles to exit 144, Vekol Rd.
Either way, go south on Vekol Rd for 2.1 miles to the Vekol Ranch turnoff. An information kiosk is on the right. Keep right and carry on south on Vekol Rd for 8.7 miles to BLM Route 8024. Vekol Rd is BLM Route 8007 here, a primitive dirt road. Turn left onto Route 8024 and go 4.5 miles to the trailhead.
Coordinates 32.716428, -112.159573
Open in Google Maps Agency page
What is near here
There is another spot of ours within reach, and some better-known places further out.
- Sonoran Desert National Monument Directions
- Isanaklesh Peaks Directions
- Sonoran Desert National Monument Directions
- Casa Grande Ruins National Monument 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
- Kohatk, AZ Directions
- Maricopa, AZ Directions
Maricopa 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.