El Camino del Diablo

4.9/5 (8 reviews)
Serving as the southern route to California for hundreds of years, the El Camino Del Diablo (or sometimes called Camino Muerte - Road of Death and also as the Devil's Highway) has carried travelers from the days of the Spanish conquistadors across the sweltering desert from water source to water sou...Read More
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Highlights of El Camino del Diablo

Beginner Category IconBeginner
Camping Category IconCamping
Desert Category IconDesert
Ghost Town Category IconGhost Town
Iconic Category IconIconic
Overland Category IconOverland
Sand Category IconSand
Scenic Category IconScenic
Wash Category IconWash
Highest Elevation
1856 ft
Shape of Trail
Straight Through
Typically Open
Year Round
Best Direction
N/A
Official Trail Name
El Camino Del Diablo
Nearest Town
Ajo
Nearest Services
Ajo
Management Agency
Organ Pipe National Monument, Bureau of Land Management, Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, United States Marine Corps
District
OPNM, CPNWR, BGWGRW

Overview

Serving as the southern route to California for hundreds of years, the El Camino Del Diablo (or sometimes called Camino Muerte - Road of Death and also as the Devil's Highway) has carried travelers from the days of the Spanish conquistadors across the sweltering desert from water source to water source until they reached Yuma. The road saw heavy use by the gold rush pioneers in 1849 as it was the only route that even the Apache's wouldn't travel in the summer, which drastically reduced the number of ambushes the pioneers suffered. Today, the original route (which started in Caborca Mexico) has been modified to pass through the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, the Cabeza Prieta Wildlife Refuge, and the Barry Goldwater Gunnery Range to exit on the Yuma side of the Tijinas Altas Mountains. This road is iconic and should provide some of the finest views of the Sonoran Desert you can find. The sense of self-reliance only surpasses the scenery you will experience as you must carry everything you will need with you. There's no gas, phones, electricity to rely on here. However, there is a sprinkling of watering holes, wells, and rock water tanks that you could depend on just like the pioneers did. Many of these unfortunate travelers did not make it across the El Camino Del Diablo alive; You may encounter some of the hundreds of graves that are rumored to line the road during your trip. (About 50 are marked). For more interesting detail about El Camino Del Diablo - CLICK HERE You can read about Raphael Pumpelly's trek across Arizona Here. (pp. 31-98 in particular)

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Guide Overview
59 Waypoints
179 Trail Photos
2 Trail Concerns
8 Community Reviews
1 Video
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