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| Kofa Mts in Kofa Nat'l Wildlife Refuge (looking east) |
Kofa is a 664,327 acre refuge that was
set aside in 1939 to protect the desert bighorn sheep. More than
eighty percent of Kofa is current protected under the Wilderness Act
of 1964. Camping is permitted in the refuge but is limited to 14
days a year and must be within 100 feet of a road, thereby protecting
the environment. We are camped on BLM land just outside the refuge
on the Palm Canyon Road. The GPS coordinates of the intersection of
Palm Canyon Road and Route 95 are 33.372998 -114.173423.*
The refuge is dominated by the Kofa
Mountain range which rises suddenly in the flat plains of the Sonoran
Desert south-southeast of Quartzsite, AZ. The refuge actually has a
Yuma, AZ address but Yuma is at least another 50 minues south. The
parts of the refuge we have
seen appear quite pristine. There is not the trash and litter that we
saw in so much of the BLM land around Quartzsite. Sadly, there
are warnings on printed material and roadside information centers
that the area was used for military training during World War II and
there are still unexploded ordinances such as handgrenades and
land-mines.
Visiting in early February, the
temperatures are quite pleasant. Our first day here it was 82, but it
was cooler the rest of our stay. It is a good 500 feet higher
elevation than where we stayed in the Dome Rock Mts by Quartzsite and
almost 800 feet higher than the town of Quartzsite. The night time
temperatures are in the high fifties as the weather is starting to
get warmer.
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| What passes for a road. It doesn't look as bad in the picture as it actually is. |
On our first day of exploration we
travelled up to Palm Canyon as well as Kofa-Queen Canyon. They are
both areas of great beauty and interest, and well worth the trips BUT
I do have to warn you about the roads. According to the refuge's
literature, "most roads require the use of a four-wheel drive
vehicle." The Palm Canyon Road, which goes from highway 95
all the way to the canyon, is a fairly good dirt road wide enough for
two vehicles to pass. I wouldn't try it with a vehicle too low to
the ground, but if you have relatively good road clearance, you
shouldn't have a problem. You'll know long before you get to the
entrance to the refuge. At the entrance to the refuge, which is
simply a sign and an information kiosk, the Kofa Queen Canyon road
turns north-east off the Palm Canyon Road. I almost hate to use the
term 'road' in the same sentence as Kofa Queen Canyon. The Kofa Queen
Canyon Road is two ruts on very rough terrain. It crosses numerous
washes which mean some rather difficult drops, turns and climbs.
Don't even think about
taking this road without four-wheel drive. I had to stop and take off
my hitch after our big Blue Ox hitch - which is lower than the truck
and sticks quite a ways out the back - kept dragging through the
washes. Even after removing the hitch, I was very careful going
through the washes because many had sides with very angular and sharp
rocks along with steep, narrow sides. There were times that we were
at such a tilt I was afraid of the side of the truck being scratched
by rocks on the edge of the road. It is not a trip for the faint
hearted nor anything less than a good four-wheeler.
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| Palm Canyon |
Palm Canyon has a half mile trail that
leads up into the narrow canyon where you can view the palm trees
growing on a shelf. There was one other developed trail that we
observed although you are free to hike anywhere. Coming from the
mountains where the vegetation is very fragile, I avoided getting off
the path and would recommend great caution off trail. There are two
reasons for this caution: first, there is some fragile plant life and
no vegetation needs our big feet trampling them. Second, many of
these plants have thorns or needles as protection. If you're not
careful it could be very painful.
We saw miles and miles of Teddy Bear
Cholla cacti (cylindropuntia bigelovii) most of which were beginning
to bloom. Then there were the stately Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea),
both types of barrel cacti - the echinocactus and ferocactus - and
the ocotillo (fouquieria splendens) which is not really a cactus. The
life in the desert is amazing. There was a great deal of palo verdes
(Parkinsonia aculeata), which literally means 'green tree' since the
bark and branches are quite green. They were especially abundant in
the Kofa Queen Canyon area.
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| Pamela next to a large bolder of rhyolite |
The mountains are rhyolite, which I
believe is volcanic ash which, when mixed with water, acted like
cement and created the rock we see today. It breaks easily and does
so along planes. (See picture) The rock has a redish brown color. We
don't see the tremendous amount of quartz on the west side of the
refuge where we're staying but the refuge flyer says that there is an
area where people can collect and keep quartz.
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| Kofa Queen Canyon |
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| A Teddy Bear Cholla cactus ready to bloom |
Kofa is a wilderness area, so you want
to visit prepared. No matter how little you plan to hike or how close
you think you will stay to your vehicle be sure to have plenty of
water, snacks, and sunscreen. Dress properly when you are out. A hat,
not a baseball cap, is the best headwear. Even then you will want to
put sunscreen on your face and neck if you are going to be out.
Sunglass are also essential. I use photogrey (transitional) when I'm
driving and polaroid whenever I go outside. If you are just getting
out to look around and aren't going to hike, short sleeve shirts and
shorts are okay. Just remember the sunscreen. If you are going to
hike - even the one mile round trip to the Palm tree observation - it
would be best to have long sleeves and trousers. Always wear either
hiking boots or good substantial shoes. Sneakers, flip-flops, etc.,
are not really good. Just walking around looking at the sights, this
type of footwear will leave you with sore, and likely, bruised feet
at the end of the day. The desert floor is hard and covered with
rocks. These rocks can cut, poke and give you nasty bruises if your
footwear is inadequate. No matter how hot, I wear wool socks and my
Keen high hiking boots. If you are going off on a trail, trail poles
or a walking stick and day pack with first aide kit, survival gear
and plenty of water, some energy and salty snacks are a must. I
don't go out without a map and compass. You are in the wilderness
when you're in Kofa. It is a marvelous place and you will have a
great time, but there's no reason to risk that great time by not
being prepared.
Have a great time and tell that
magnificent, giant, four-armed Saguaro just before you get to the
entrance that Pamela and Russ sent you.
Happy travels.
======= NOTES ============
* If you have never used the GPS
feature on Google Maps, simply put the coordinates in the search line
and it will take you to that spot.
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