The plan was to do the Arcadia Trail by Safford but a half mile in and I was soaked as the rain and thunderstorms took ownership of the Mount Graham area. The other hike on the agenda was the Bass Canyon-Hot Springs Wash Loop down a little West of Wilcox.

Plan B kicked in and off I went. There is a long (roughly 29 mile) dirt road to get to the trailhead at Muleshoe Ranch. The road is easily passable by most cars as long as it is dry.

The Old Ranch is now a Cooperative Management area by: The Nature Conservancy, The BLM, and the Coronado National Forest Service.

It is really short but fascinating and very different hike. You start off by Hiking North on the Jackson Cabin Road until you reach Bass Creek which is about a mile up the road. From here you turn left or West and follow the Creek. The trail was overgrown in many areas and I it doesn't look like it gets much travel. With that being said it isn't difficult to follow as there are trail markers on the trees. At the creek side I saw a bunch of frogs and in the creek some small fish.

This continues on for about a mile or so. A little passed the dirt 4x4 road and it's time to take another left turn at the Hot Springs Wash. This was pretty much dry but I saw some Bear tracks and Deer tracks in the sand and mud. Following the wash upstream I say a couple Deer and two Javalina. In addition there were tons of unique birds that I couldn't identify.

The wash continues for a mile and a half or so and takes you back to the Ranch. Along the wash there are two other trails that cross it's path. My brochure said you could take any of the three options back to the Trailhead. Cool little spot that has plenty of solitude if that's your thing. It would be fun to spend an afternoon exploring the area further.