Rocky Gulch Ridge

Rocky Gulch Ridge offers expansive alpine meadows, called parks by the locals, old-growth ponderosa pines, alligator juniper (the oldest tree species in Arizona), and quiet serenity to those who traverse its 8 miles of beauty. Cattle graze roadside and sometimes right in your camp. It isn't unusual to see a turkey, elk cow and calf, or a few mule deer run across the road in front of you. The trail gently drops in elevation when driven southwesterly. The vegetation changes slowly as pines get smaller, juniper appears, century plants bloom, views open southward, and Apache Maid Mountain suddenly looms ahead.