Aravaipa Canyon – Home of the Dark Rocks People

Hiking Arivaipa Canyon, Home of the Arivaipa Apache (Nde) People

Latitude 32.8970° N, Longitude 110.4876° W

May 2007

The Arivaipa people are an Apache band whose home was in the canyon of Aravaipa Creek, a tributary of the San Pedro River in Southern Arizona. The Aravaipa are known in Apache as the Dark Rocks People (named after the black rocks of the  Mountains and Aravaipa Canyon). The Apache lived by a combination of seasonal farming, hunting, and gathering nuts, berries, leafy greens, and medicinal herbs. It was my fascination with the different bands of Apache that led me to want to explore and walk in the places that these people lived, fought for, and died for.

Our Arivaipa Canyon trek was taken on 5/14/2007 with Russ L., Arnie W., Claude E., and Mike H. It was my 22nd hike of the year. Below is the trail, 12.5 miles west to east through the sand and water.

 

We secured a permit from recreation.gov. as permits are required for both day use and overnight backpacking. Cost is now $16. They could be purchased up to 13 weeks in advance, or if you were flexible, you may find sooner availability on a weekday. I purchased my permit only 10 days prior to hiking. Rangers frequently patrol the area to make sure you have your permit and ID on you while hiking.

Aravaipa is located between Tucson and Phoenix. there are 2 entrances into the canyon, east and west. The west entrance allows 30 people per day while the east entrance allows 20. You need to specify which entrance you are starting from when filling out the permit application. The east entrance requires high clearance vehicles to get to the trailhead while the west is passable by car. We departed Surprise, AZ to arrive at the canyon by 6:30 AM, the first hour they allowed daily hikers in. We hiked in from the west entrance even though we had a number of Jeeps between us.  Temperatures at the trailhead were in the 90’s even at that time of morning but dropped as we descended down into the canyon and into the water.

There are no designated trails, camp sites, signs, or facilities within the wilderness boundaries. Good, sturdy footwear is a necessity as you will have to hike in sand and gravel and navigate multiple creek crossings. Water shoes with rugged soles and water socks adorned our feet. Trekking poles were a necessity. Depending on the time of year you hike it, the water can be quite chilly, especially while hiking through shaded sections. When we hiked it, the water temperature was fine. Very soothing for a hot day. Also, dogs are not allowed and fishing is prohibited.

Mileage between trailheads is 12.25 miles with as much as an elevation gain of 430 feet. While it may not seem difficult, trudging through sand and water can be very tiresome. Add exploring slot canyons that we found throughout the hike, necessitated that we were in good shape. We hiked roughly 5+ miles before turning around. We logged 10.8 miles through the creek roundtrip with 360 feet of elevation gain. As we neared the end of the hike, we were exhausted but still had a long steep climb out of the canyon.

As I always do, whether it was an exploratory hike or taking my Jeep into the wilds of Ouray, Colorado, I journal. I take notes so details too mundane but prevalent at the time, can be recalled. As I write this in 2022, I go back to my thoughts and impressions of that day in 2007.

Something simple like notes on the trail or something more permanent:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the trip home, we stopped at a DQ for a tradition we had at the end of a hike in brutally hot weather. Partaking in a DQ Blizzard, hit the spot.

With towering cliffs, flowing water and a rich diversity of flora and fauna, Aravaipa Wilderness remains as one of Arizona’s truly unique, pristine, and remote areas. Mike, from our group, almost stepped on a rattlesnake but I pulled him away out of the snakes striking area. Scared the hell out of him. There are bear and mountain lion and other species there but we did not see any. We did our part to keep this place pristine by packing out all trash (ours and any we found along the way) and disposing of waste properly.