Trail Overview

This is a fairly easy trail to negotiate with many interesting sights along the way, most bringing back memories of days long past. This is not a loop trail - you will have to come out the same way you went in, however, the ever-changing scenery looks mostly different on the way out than it did on the way in. There are many long-abandoned small mines and digs along the way to explore and photograph, plus two natural arches. The grand finale is the Big Eye Mine at the trail's end. From the small Big Eye Trailhead "parking" area it is a fairly easy .6mi uphill hike over a rocky trail to the series of mine structures and storage tanks.

Photos of Big Eye Mine

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Difficulty

Uneven, rutted dirt trail with potential for loose rocks and sandy washes. Potential trail obstacles up to 6" including ledges and short, steep grades. There are ample places to pass along most of the route.

History

I believe the Big Eye Mine was most active in the late 1800s to the early 1900s and was manned with limited production until the 1930s. At the previously-designated parking area, there is a kiosk that has free annotated maps that explains a lot about the history of the surrounding area including the Castle Dome, KOFA, and Big Eye Mines.

Technical Rating

Slim

Apr 06, 2026

Open

The featured routes in OnX split the road into two routes---Castle Dome to Big Eye Mine, and then Big Eye Mine. But note it is one road and not sure why they did that. To me, once you turn onto the road where you'll see a sign saying Big Eye Mine 15 miles (near the mining museum), that is the actual route. That said, this route was super easy and fun, and the scenery is some of the best in AZ. I drove from Castle Dome Mining Museum all the way to the Big Eye Mine. You'll park in a wash and have to walk to the mine (about 1/8 mile walk). It's obvious when you've driven as far as you can go. The best parts are when you near Thumb Butte and head deeper into the mountains. There were a couple sections near washes that had some ruts caused by rain, but they were very tame and easy to navigate. I personally would assign a 2 out of 10, maybe even a 1 out of 10, for difficulty, even for stock 4x4's like my ZR2. This is a nice little dirt road Sunday drive with a cool mine property at the end to explore.

robert titmas

Nov 27, 2025

Open

The old mine buildings at the end are pretty cool to walk to and explore.

Michael Dorrett

Dec 17, 2023

Open

I only add it to a 5 as the harder roads were definitely better per OnX ratings the road is rough some steep short hills with soft sand or large rocks. Near the end you will find yourself in a nice sandy wash and narrow in some areas

AJ Brown

Oct 22, 2023

Open