Whoopsie Trail

With more twists, turns, ups, and downs than the plot of an Agatha Cristie who-done-it mystery novel, the Whoopsie makes you keep your eyes on the trail. The wash crossings are simply too numerous to count. The trail never goes straight for more than a few hundred feet, often less than a few feet. The track is seldom level. The Whoopsie crosses the extreme southern edge of the vast Harquahala Plain in the shadow of the rocky Gila Bend Mountains to the south. Runoff from infrequent rain on the low mountains creates the intricate network of washes that cut the Whoopsie with such regularity. Further north, the Harquahala Plain is as flat as a pancake. Here it's more like an order of curly fries. You will be tempted to glance off at the jaggedly beautiful Eagletail Mountains to the northwest, but don't. When you look back, you will be off the serpentine two-track. Instead, stop. Stretch your legs. Enjoy the sound of the wind crossing the lower Sonoran Desert. Take in the stately saguaros and spindly ocotillos. Then check out the rugged multi-hued mountains jutting up on the far horizon. The Whoopsie Trail isn't long. It isn't difficult. But you will never stop grinning as you drive the roller coaster that is the Whoopsie.