Lower Morgan City Wash, AZ

Status of this area is not currently known. Do not enter if posted closed.


Notice! Please stay on trail and exercise good HAZ "Leave no trace" etiquette. Access to this area is under a magnifying glass and can be taken away very easily.

For years Phoenicians have been looking for a creekside, shady hike that didn't dry up as soon as the came along. I for one will never have the need for forced Mall hiking, or "Miking", not to be confused with "Swiking" as defined in Tibber's Cibeque hike. Either way a comfortable pair of hiking shoes with good drainage should be considered.

We first discovered this hike when we responded to an advertised hike, Ranger Terry's "Morgan City Wash Exploring Hike" see Maricopa's website. I would definitely recommend this hike for your first introduction to this hike, cause it's just plain fun to hear the history of this place. Some of which I have listed here, but there is plenty more.

This lasso has 1.8 miles (round trip) worth of classic (i.e. Full sun) desert hiking to a 2.3 mile loop that has plenty of access to the creek shade for a total of 4.1 miles. After the first .6 mile stretch you should come to a wash. You guessed it! This is the Morgan City wash. Stack some rocks and familiarize yourself with the area cause you'll need to remember where you came in so you get out. From here go left or east down the wash. Keep an eye out for where the loop intersects with the wash. It should be just over a 1/4 mile or so, and you'll have already entered the shady protection this wonderful oasis.

From here You'll chance seeing some of the wild burro that known to the area, javelina, mountain lions, wide variety of birds, frogs, lizards, and all manner of desert creatures. Yes, that means keep an eye out for rattlers especially on the perimeter of the tree line in the high grasses. We also saw Roadrunner actually fly on this, Wendi and I didn't even know they could truly fly but to assist in little more than jumps, so it was interesting to watch one fly fully out of sight.

The hike itself is largely shaded, but ventures out into the sun every once in a while for short jaunt, but, and I recommend you do this, there are plenty of places to get your feet and hats wet, or just plain roll around in before those short sunny excursions. If you've ever taken a spring time hike through "Jewel of the Desert" near Spur Cross, this hike has that same feel (Prior to the Jewel's fire and the flooding, anyway). Keep a look out for the soon-famous Rattlesnake Arch towards the end of the loop. Ranger Terry notes that every famous hike has a famous arch so he proudly wants us to point that out. If you reach the road, you've gone far enough and you should see the trail looping back on the other side of the stream. Bear in mind this is restricted access, no foot or car access.

Other points of interest is a 50+ year ol' hunting blind fashioned out 4 huge-n-rusty truck beds turned 90* and a 1/4 buried. There's no hunting here but the blind tells how popular this place is to the Javelina. There's also the nearly gone road that may very well be the last remnants of an old stagecoach road going to the very town from which this wash gets it's name.

The Ranger related one story that on one hike they watched a mountain lion leaving the one real cave, a shallow one, they have on the hike. We would later learn, when we passed the cave that this could be a very literate mountain lion because I found two paperbacks is his lair, "The Road To Omaha" and "The Horse Whisperer", no word if he has ever seen the movie.

Check out the Official Route and Triplogs.

Leave No Trace and +Add a Triplog after your hike to support this local community.

2011-07-16 WilliamnWendi