Cottonwood Canyon Access (1 Viewer)

[inkpot]

For those of you who like to wheel around in the Middle Gila Recreation Area (as the BLM likes to call it) out by Florence Junction, the LEN Ranch at the east end of Cottonwood Canyon has been sold a couple of weeks ago. The new owners have locked the gate that leads into the creek. The BLM is quite aware of this closure, and they are trying to find any documentation that proves public access has been established in the past. It appears that the LEN Ranch predates the BLM (1946), but they have gone back into state and federal records as far as 1903 searching for a way to establish legal access , but no luck so far.

We are still working on it, but for now the gate remains legally locked. There is a viable bypass route to the south of the homestead. It is usually in good enough condition to be driven by a hi clearance vehicle whenever I have traveled on it. Maps are available from BLM of the Middle Gila Recreational Area. This one shows the bypass. John

 

[Cdaniel]

you can also bypass that from the north off of us60, no?

 

[inkpot]

you can also bypass that from the north off of us60, no?

Yes, you can still use Mineral Mtn Road south off of the US 60 to get back there. It does have a small staging area just off the hiway. There are a few camping areas along Mineral Mtn Rd, but not many compared to all of the ones in the State Trust Land along Cottonwood Canyon Rd. There has also been quite a bit of mineral exploration going on all around Mineral Mtn Rd, as part of the expansion of the Magma Mine Project.

BLM is still actively trying to get the gate opened up, but that may take a while. The by pass route on the south will need some improvements to handle the amount of traffic that normally goes thru the gate. I have suggested that BLM install signs on both ends of the bypass to make it easy for folks, especially those without a handy dandy map readily available. It would be a good project for the OHVA Team. John

 

[re_guderian]

I shoulda read this before trying to get out this route yesterday...

 

[GBinAZ]

For those of you who like to wheel around in the Middle Gila Recreation Area (as the BLM likes to call it) out by Florence Junction, the LEN Ranch at the east end of Cottonwood Canyon has been sold a couple of weeks ago. The new owners have locked the gate that leads into the creek. The BLM is quite aware of this closure, and they are trying to find any documentation that proves public access has been established in the past. It appears that the LEN Ranch predates the BLM (1946), but they have gone back into state and federal records as far as 1903 searching for a way to establish legal access , but no luck so far.

We are still working on it, but for now the gate remains legally locked. There is a viable bypass route to the south of the homestead. It is usually in good enough condition to be driven by a hi clearance vehicle whenever I have traveled on it. Maps are available from BLM of the Middle Gila Recreational Area. This one shows the bypass. John

thanks for the heads up. Much appreciated.