Passage #5 - Santa Rita Mountains

Location:  Gardner Canyon Road to Oak Tree Canyon

Length:  13.5 miles

Southern Trailhead:  Gardner Canyon Road - FR 92
- GPS Coordinates:  31.71873° N, 110.75704° W

Northern Trailhead:  Oak Tree Canyon - FR 4072
- GPS Coordinates:  31.81072° N, 110.72330° W

Trail Route Description:  This passage begins on Gardner Canyon Road, just west of Gardner Canyon Trailhead. The route passes the trailhead, heads over to Cave Creek, descends into Fish Canyon and then heads northwest to Kentucky Camp. It goes through the camp area, follows the Kentucky Camp Road and then works its way up Sucker Gulch. It goes past Granite Mountain, through Ophir Gulch and then turns on to FR 165. It descends to Enzenberg Canyon, climbs up to a road, crosses California Gulch and then crosses FR 62. After a couple of small ridges the trail reaches the upper end of Oak Tree Canyon. It follows this canyon down to a point about 3/4 mile from Highway 83.

Difficulty:  Moderate

Season(s):  Fall, Winter and Spring.

Water:  Water is usually available at Kentucky Camp. Water may sometimes be found in several stock ponds along the route including one on FR 165 and one near the north end of the passage.

Notes/Warnings:

• All water along this passage should be purified prior to use.
• Kentucky Camp is a collection of old buildings that were used for mining operations. A tour through this area is an interesting side trip on this passage.

Resources:

• USGS Topographic Maps: Mount Wrightson, Sonoita, Helvetia and Empire Ranch.
• Coronado National Forest map.
• BLM Information Center maps.

For more information, contact:

• The Passage Steward
• Coronado National Forest, Sierra Vista Ranger District, 5990 S. Highway 92, Hereford, AZ 85615   (520) 378-0311.
• Friends of Kentucky Camp
• BLM Information Center, One North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004   (602) 417-9300.

Current Trail Information:
4/2007 - The trail access point at FR 785/Flume/Gardener Creek has been realigned. See the 'trail conditions' page for more details.