Chloride Big Wash Road Loop

Chloride Big Wash Road Loop is a 22-mile grand tour through the rich mining area of the Cerbat Mountains near Chloride, Arizona. The GPX route starts at Grasshopper Junction, the intersection of US93 and County Highway 125, right by the big Chloride Sign. Driving on pavement for a few miles takes through the almost ghost town of Chloride and its old town charm. Make sure you stop and explore quaint Chloride before making your way up the trail. Continuing on Tennessee Road, you will cross a cattle guard, and your off-road journey begins. Following the GPX track takes you to the famous Chloride Murals. "The Journey" was painted by artist Roy Purcell in 1966 and covers 2,000 square feet of rock. Once you pass the Purcell Murals, the trail gets significantly rougher and heads up the mountainside through hill climbs, switchbacks, and rocky sections. Along the way, you will have terrific views of Chloride and the US 93 corridor to the west. There are remnants of mines and multiple areas to pull off and explore. The section of trail between the town of Chloride and the Windy Point Campground is the most difficult section. Running the trail from US 93 on the north end to the Windy Point Campground is much easier. This road travels primarily through the Bureau of Land Management Land (BLM) but has sections that cross State Trust Land and private property. It runs along the border of the Mt. Tipton Wilderness area on the far north side. Multiple other trails branch off the main route. BLM operates two campgrounds at the top of the mountain, Windy Point and Packsaddle. As of September 2022, there is a fee to use Windy Point Campground but no fee to use Packsaddle. More details can be found on BLM.gov. These campgrounds are more easily reached from the north leg of Big Wash Road. There are also multiple dispersed campsites available along the road.