Red Cloud Mine Road and the Picacho Recreation Area along the lower Colorado River--Arizona and California

In late January of 2006, my friend Neil F. and I were looking for a warm place in the desert to spend a few days. He had never been along the lower Colorado north of Yuma Arizona. I wanted to check out a spot above Imperial Dam called Walter's Camp. Walter's Camp is the put in for many short two or three day canoe trips down the river. By taking the Red Cloud Mine Road and connecting to the Clip Wash Road we could travel on the Arizona side of the river to Cibola, cross the river and travel south back to Walter's Camp on the California side.

So off we went from Tucson. The Red Cloud Mine Road starts at Fisher's Landing at Martinez Lake north of Yuma. For several miles this good dirt road follows along the river and then turns northward away from the river as it bends to the west. In these early miles you are on the Imperial Wildlife Refuge. The Red Cloud Mine is one of several named mines in the Trigo Mountains. North of the mine, the road deteriorates(improves) to an easy/moderate 4wd road with narrows, rocks and ruts. In a mile or so, you will reach a saddle and then drop into the Clip Wash drainage. This drainage is a passage through the Trigo Wilderness to the river. At the river you can drive the levees north to Paymaster Landing or on to Cibola. The desert, especially from Clip Wash is really scenic.

Red Cloud Mine Road	Red Cloud Mine Road	Red Cloud Mine Road
Campsite Clip Wash	Clip Wash Road	Rocky Ledge in Clip Wash

A couple of weeks earlier in January of 2006, with my sons, daughter in law and granddaughter, I had checked the take-out point for canoe floats down the Colorado. That is at Picacho State Recreation Area on the California side opposite from the Red Cloud Mine Road. Access to the recreation area is on an 18 mile long dirt road that can be very washboardy from the All American Canal north of Winterhaven California. There are very extensive dumps of the Picacho Mines alongside the road on the way in. At the river, there is a campground and a scenic hike available to a couple of old mill sites. A primitive road continues north of the campground along the river. It is very narrow and could be a challenge during the wet seasons, especially down in the floodplain along the river. The sand in the washes may require 4wd. The river along this section has its natural banks and is very scenic. At Gavilan Wash the road turns to the west away from the river and climbs up a steep 4wd grade through Indian Pass where you can continue out to the Ogilby Highway.

Chocolate Mountains	Upper Mill Site	Lower Mill Site	Picacho Peaks	River View
Wash Road	Son Jerry building Fire	Granddaughter!	Son Eric The Cook	One More River View