Dobe Wash Trail - Saguaro NP West, AZ

Overview
The Dobe Wash Trail connects the Sandero Esperanza trail to Hohokam Road and follows along one of the multiple streams of Dobe Wash. Dobe Wash is flowing down a large alluvial and has many branches depending on the amount of water coming off the mountains. When the wash comes to narrows these multiple branches combine back into one. The trail is marked every so often along these washes to indicate that you are actually on a trail. This trail has some fairly large Ironwood trees, at least some of the larger examples in Saguaro National Park West. Going east to west on this trail is easier than the other direction because it is downhill and easier to walk in the sand. There is a 400 foot elevation difference between start and finish. Western Trail Head is along Hohokum Road and the eastern Trail access is on Golden Gate Road about 100 yards north of the Ez-Kim-In-Zin Picnic area at the Sendero Esperanza Trail Head.

Hike
The Dobe wash Trail from the signed intersection with the Sendero Esperanza Trail heads down the eastern most tributary of Dobe wash. Other than the sign indicating a trail and my GPS route you will have to use your imagination to spot a trail. Just follow where the water would go (I had the help of a few boot marks from some previous hikers). Just when you wonder if you are still on the trail there is a sign indicating a trail. This trail heads down to a gap between some west-east running hills where Dobe Wash is constricted. Just prior to the constriction is a junction with the western most tributary of Dobe Wash. At this western most tributary of the Dobe Wash, if you take a side trip up this tributary for about 0.5 miles there is an old wind mill and cement tank that is worth visiting. I found some old rusted cans strewn about the desert as if this area was once inhabited or at least used as a camp site. One of the cans was an old Spam (Some Parts Are Meat) can with it’s tell tale key used for opening. I’m showing my age by the fact that I remember these. Back on the Dobe wash trail; from here for the next 0.3 miles the trail is rather sandy with some fairly large examples of Ironwood trees (at least for Saguaro National Park). After about 0.3 miles exit the wash to the west, this exit point is signed. The trail follows along the desert for a welcomed relief from sand walking for about 0.5 miles before entering a side wash of Dobe Wash, probably a side channel used during high water flow. Follow this side Channel for about 0.2 miles to Hohokam Road. This trail is probably used mainly as one leg of a larger loop trail, one example would be the western portion of the Hugh Norris Trail to Sendero Esperanza to Dobe Wash and return to Hugh Norris via Bajada Wash Trail.

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2017-09-26 markthurman53