Kofa Queen Canyon

Trail Overview

Located inside KOFA National Wildlife Refuge, Kofa Queen Canyon is a scenic drive that will take you around some amazing towering buttes. You'll find some fun side roads to explore as well. Camping is allowed, unlicensed vehicles are not. Obey rules on the refuge, including the 25 MPH speed limit.

Difficulty

Easy: The road to Palm Canyon is wide and hard packed. The trip to Kofa Queen Canyon follows a wash that has soft sand mixed with rock. Terrain can change after rain storms. High clearance SUVs recommended.

History

Kofa National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1939. The area encompasses 664,300 acres of pristine desert and low, rugged mountains. It is home to bighorn sheep, white winged dove, desert kit fox and the desert tortoise. Several mines were started in the area in the early part of 1900s. The most famous mine was the 'King of Arizona Mine.' It gave the Kofa Mountains their name - 'Kofa' is short for 'King of Arizona.'

Technical Rating