Length: 12 miles roundtrip

Difficulty: Easy

Wilderness Area: North Maricopa Wilderness

Journal: "Same Wilderness, New Year"

**Kid Friendly Hike**

From Gila Bend, drive 10.5 mile east on SR 238. There is small wooden sign at the edge of the road saying "Trail". Turn on this good dirt road and drive 2.5 miles to a small side road with a trail marker. Turn right on this high clearance dirt road and drive 2.0 miles to another fork. Take the right fork and drive .8 miles to the trailhead.

Trail Description:

From the trailhead the trail head east between two small hills. A tenth of a mile in is a trail register. After the trail register the trail heads north for .5 miles before turning northeast for 1.8 miles. The trail in this section is an former jeep road and is easy to follow. The landscape is flat and dominated by creosote and saguaros.

2.4 miles from the trailhead the jeep road ends in a wash. Follow the wash for the next 2.5 miles. Although soft sand makes the going slow, large cairns mark the way so you really cant get lost. About 4.9 miles from the trailhead, the trail leaves the wash. There is a sign here so you can't miss the exit. From here the trail follows the contours and pieces of an old jeep road as it meanders its way north. The trail ends at a major wash which also is the Margie's Cove trail.

The North Maricopa Wilderness is easy to explore as it has numerous washes and routes through it. The solitude of this area is amazing. It would be unbearable in the summer so this is definitely a winter hike.