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by Larry Heck of
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...earned its name by taking the lives of travelers without mercy. Even
before Columbus discovered America, this passage across baron desert lands was luring
travelers into its clutches and never letting go. Although mankind has long since
developed the means to boldly go where others have perished before them, grave sites still
mark ended journeys from years gone by.
In 1540, eighty years before the Mayflower arrived at Plymouth Rock,
Spanish explorers traveled the Highway of the Devil. During the 1690s, it was being used
by those traveling between missions. By 1800, settlers were using it as a shortcut to
connect points in Mexico to points in California. During the 49ers gold rush, would-be
prospectors charged into its summer heat in a dash for California riches. Many of them
were unprepared for what they called, a trip through hell. An estimated 400 graves soon
lined the narrow dusty path.
The first motorized vehicles traveled the Devil’s Highway in 1915. Our
group, Pass Patrol, made the journey in March of 1996. The only similarity between the two
trips is the fact that both parties did it. In 1915, the Model T Fords bogged down in the
sand, overheated, had to be pushed and pulled, and one even had to be left behind when it
broke down. The ’96 Blazer I drove was air conditioned, cruised along at fifteen
miles per hour without ever spinning a tire, and made the journey in both directions in
three days. Most of the others in our group of nine vehicles had the same comforts thanks
to modern technology. El Camino Del Diablo is on a diminishing list of roads across public
lands not yet closed to motorized travel. Even those who are aging, physically impaired,
or confined to a wheelchair can experience isolation and desolation unsurpassed anywhere
else in the country by taking a 4wheeling journey along the Devil’s Highway.
The original Devil’s Highway connected the
town of Coborca south of the Mexican Border to Yuma, Arizona. The official boundary survey
between the two countries was in 1890. Crossing that boundary anywhere along the
Devil’s Highway is forbidden. The road now connects Ajo, Arizona to Yuma. Most of the
route is confined within the boundaries of the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range. A
portion of that range includes the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge. Crossing either
one requires permits which can be obtained at the refuge office in Ajo.
The Barry M. Goldwater Airforce Range was established during the year before Pearl Harbor was bombed and instantly became the premier U.S. training range for aerial warfare tactics. According to the official visitor information: “The range supports flight training operations in air to air gunnery, air combat flight maneuvers, air-to-ground bombing and strafing, low level attack and evasion, tactical coordination, as well as other activities.”
We took a photo of a sign along side the road warning of a “live
missile shoot”. Although we already knew the exercise was finished, the fact that the
sign was still there provided lots of C.B. chatter.
“Scotty! Get more power to the shields!”
“But, Capn’! We’re running at maximum warp! If I divert any more power from the engines, the whole thing’s gonna come apart!”
“Belay that order! They’re using heat seekers! In this hot desert sun, that red blazer is the hottest thing for miles around! Just keep us away from it!”
After a visit to Yuma, we made a night journey back to Tule Well and came upon a squad of military vehicles performing maneuvers using night vision scopes and running without lights. They stopped beside the road and waved us by.
The Cabeza Prieta Wildlife Refuge is a one of a kind place. You will never be invited to come but once you get there you are welcome to visit. It is set aside as home to the desert bighorn sheep and other Sonoran Desert Wildlife. Sonoran pronghorn, javelina, coyotes, mountain lions, and bobcats are hard to find, but rabbits, kangaroo rats, pocket gophers, and turkey vultures are in abundance.
The only vehicles allowed on the refuge are 4wheel drive. According to Bob Schumacher, Refuge Manager, impact upon the land has significantly decreased since limiting access to 4x4s. One area which can be very soft and deeply rutted was once scarred by those driving around the obstacles. After limiting the use to 4wheel drive which can easily take the original route, the scars are healing.
By definition, a wildlife refuge is home to the wildlife living there. Although we are welcome to visit their home and observe their interaction with their habitat, we must not interfere. The protection of the wildlife and their habitat creates lots of restrictions.
All roads except the Devil’s Highway are closed to public use. Firearms are prohibited. Charcoal fires are permitted, wood fires are not. Camping is permitted anywhere along the highway except within one quarter mile of a water source. Collecting plants or critters is forbidden. Treasure hunting, collecting rocks or minerals, and littering are all major offenses.
So many restrictions are difficult to enforce, yet the future of the Devil’s Highway depends on visitors who will obey those restrictions without being policed. It would be so easy to simply lock up both ends like so many Wilderness areas across the country. It would be so easy to put a post in the middle of the road like so may national forest roads and desert roads throughout the Rocky Mountain region. The Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge has the one thing we would like to see in every Wilderness area … a motorized corridor right through the middle … open access to those of us who can not hike for days at a time living out of a backpack. Protect it. When you visit the Devil’s Highway, obey all the rules.
We began out journey at the Cabeza Prieta headquarters in Ajo where each
vehicle was given a permit and all the occupants signed a waiver. From there, we took the
Darby Well road into the Organ Pipe Cactus Monument. Just before we crossed the boundary
between Organ Pipe and Cabeza Prieta, we passed an intersection for a back road to the
Organ Pipe Ranger Station. We saved that road for the last day and continued to the
established campground at Papago Well, where we set up camp.
The desert came alive after the sun went down. Coyotes howled all around us and night creatures rattled the bushes as they came to check us out. The sky was full of stars and a half moon lit up the desert around us. Our charcoal fire produced a piping hot dutch oven cobbler and lots of popcorn to go with the campfire tales of near-death adventures that seem to get more dramatic each time they’re told. The night temperature dropped to near 50 degrees, perfect weather for viewing a special treat straight out of the depths of the universe. Our first night on the Devil’s Highway provided the most spectacular view of Comet Hyakutake ever visible from the Sonoran Desert. By 5am, the Comet’s tail could be seen stretching half way across the sky.
On the second day, we reached the campground at Tule Well for lunch, then
took the road over Christmas Pass to Interstate 8 and had dinner in Yuma. After dinner, we
took the Wellton exit and traveled the southern route back to Tule Well where we spent the
night. Of the three established campgrounds within Cabeza Prieta, our favorite was Papago
Springs. Tule Well has been abused by visitors unfamiliar with the proper way to dispose
of human waste and Christmas Pass is so wide open, the ladies decided there just
weren’t enough bushes.
On the third day, we drove back across Cabeza Prieta to Organ Pipe where we explored the back road to the Organ Pipe Ranger Station. Along that route, we came upon an abandoned truck. It had apparently been stolen but being 2Wheel drive it was high centered in a wash about six miles from the border. The last few miles of the back road runs along side the fence that separates us from Mexico. Mexican Highway 2 runs along the fence on the other side of the border and for a while we were running nearly side by side with a bus on that highway. When we arrived at the ranger station, we reported the truck and was told that won’t be the first time a stolen truck would be recovered on that road.
The Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge is a great place to visit. Our thanks to Bob Schumacher for taking time to provide our group with the Department of Interior viewpoint of the purpose of the refuge and its interaction with the public. For more information, maps, and permits, write to Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, 1611 North Second Avenue, Ajo, AZ. 85321 or call 520-387-6483.
Odometer reading were taken with a Chevy Blazer.
GPS readings were taken with a Trimble Navigation ScoutMaster.
Your visit must begin at the office for the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge in Ajo, Arizona. You must get a permit before traveling this road. From Ajo, go south on Highway 85 to the turnoff marked for the Darby Well Road.
Trip Latitude Longitude Meter position position Landmarks & other locations 0.0 Turn off Highway 85 south of Ajo onto Darby Well Road. 1.9 Take the left fork on Bates Well Road. 8.4 32 15 01.7 112 52 24.7 Right fork. 9.3 32 14 25.7 112 52 50.6 Left Fork 12.4 32 12 01.1 112 54 17.0 Organ Pipe Boundary 16.5 32 10 13.5 112 57 00.8 Gray's Ranch 22.6 32 08 43.7 113 02 35.2 Right. Left fork is back road to Organ Pipe Ranger Station. 25.3 32 07 48.8 113 05 05.8 Boundary for Organ Pipe and Cabeza Prieta. 30.5 32 06 10.3 113 09 55.9 Right at post with "11" on it. A sign points right also. 39.0 32 05 55.2 113 16 59.4 Papago Springs Campground. 32.2 32 06 00.8 113 17 13.5 Left. 63.5 32 13 33.0 113 44 58.6 Tule Well Campground.
Trip Latitude Longitude Meter position position Landmarks, & other locations 0.0 32 13 33.0 113 44 58.6 Tule Well Campground. Take the right fork. 6.7 32 16 39.1 113 41 26.8 Christmas Pass Campground. 17.4 32 25 04.1 113 40 10.7 Leaving Cabeza Prieta and entering Goldwater AFR. 40.4 32 41 37.9 113 50 57.6 Left. Leaving Goldwater AFR. Follow the road to the entrance ramp for I-8. This ramp is at mile post 42.
Get off I-8 at the Wellton exit at the 30 mile post. Turn south and go to the "T" intersection.
Trip Latitude Longitude Meter position position Landmarks & other locations 0.0 Get off at Exit 30 and reset to zero. Go south. 2.7 32 37 11.5 114 08 27.9 Turn right at this "T" intersection. 3.9 32 37 10.9 114 12 33.6 Turn left at this "T" intersection. The road then enters the Goldwater Range. 46.4 32 13 33.0 113 44 58.6 Tule Well Campground.
This intersection is 2.7 miles from the Western boundary of Organ Pipe.
Trip Latitude Longitude Meter position position Landmarks & other locations 0.0 32 08 43.1 113 02 36.5 Sign says Puerto Blanco Drive is 14 miles. Visitor Center is 34 miles. 13.5 31 58 00.1 113 00 43.5 Puerto Blanco Drive is one way. Turn right. 15.3 31 56 33.1 113 00 38.6 Left. Right goes to Oasis. 23.8 31 54 00.6 112 52 58.2 Right 28.7 31 53 37.1 112 48 41.2 Highway 85. Lukeville is right. Ajo is left.
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