Routes » Gila River Ramble
The Gila river runs between Kelvin and Florence, cutting through some of the most amazing country Arizona has to offer — from rhyolite cliffs to deep saguaro studded canyons, singletrack to freeride rock mesas and brutal roads. This loop has a little bit of everything, using an incredible stretch of the Arizona Trail as its backbone.
At less than 80 miles, this route is doable in a day, but don’t let the mileage fool you. There is over 10,000 feet of climbing and plenty of slow riding. It is best done as a two day bikepack. Maybe three to really take it in.
GPS Data
3D image from TopoFusion software – click to enlarge
Gila River Ramble 2013, recommended core loop, version 1 [updated 1/14/2013]
Gila River Ramble 2013, area Network, version 1 [updated 1/14/2013]
Route Notes
The AZT is all done in this amazing area. The time to get out there is NOW!
Fording the Gila River with a bicycle is not recommended, but is sometimes possible. November->January the river’s flow is very low, making crossing easy — this can seriously shorten the loop on the west side. Most times of the year, however, and especially in the spring, the flow is swift and deep. Crossing at the bridge and the diversion dam by Price is no longer possible due to construction and fencing. Instead you can cross the river’s flow on a gaging station catwalk some miles west of the dam, then continue west on roads to cross the Gila River (usually dry west of the diversion dam). See the GPX file.
Two reliable water sources are shown as waypoints. Others may exist in wetter times, such as a flow down Box Canyon.
Area 52 is a rock mesa that can be an adventure in itself, for those so inclined. There are no trails, however, and a guide is recommended. The track follows a moderate route through some of the lower lines, but Area 52 can also be bypassed completely by taking the 4×4 road just north of the mesa. Check the GPX file for this bypass, which is recommended if you do not have a guide that has ridden 52 before.
Spring (late March into early April) is the prime time to do this loop. This area typically has some of the best wildflowers in Arizona. But generally the season is October to April. The rest of the year is quite hot and these are low AZ elevations.
Trip Reports
2010 Gila River Ramble Trip 1 by Scott Morris, with Lee Blackwell
2010 Gila River Ramble Trip 2 by Scott Morris, with Chad Brown
Important update: the diversion dam at the Gila River (far west portion of the GPX file) is out of commission and is being rebuilt. Water is flowing down the main course of the Gila, so fording is now required. Depending on the water level (Gila River is controlled by a dam much further up stream) it may or may not be safe to cross. Nov/Dec the river generally runs low, but the rest of the winter it can be quite high.
Stay tuned for further updates.
I wanted to try this in the spring. How and where do you cross the Gila River??
There are two options on the east end of the loop – a railroad bridge (where the GPX track shows) and a car bridge in Kelvin that is even further east.
The status of the diversion dam and the roads to the south is unknown. I have looked online for a project timeline for the repair of the dam but have found nothing. I need to get a call in to see if I can get info. Will post anything I hear.
I saw on one site an indication the loop was approx. 47 miles. Is that a different version of this loop or is the mileage just off? Anyone planning on riding this in March?
You might have seen the ride when Chad broke his frame and we had to turn around midway through the loop. It would be hard to do a version of the loop that is much shorter.
I still haven’t heard any reliable info on the state of the diversion dam. However I plan to do this loop sometime in March, so will be researching it soon.
I’ll probably be doing this solo so I’m wondering about cell reception out there. How about the SPOT locators? Never done any bikepacking in the desert so this shuold be interesting. Your pics are just fantastic!!
There is some cell reception out there. Surprising given the remoteness, it’s usually not too hard to find a signal somewhere (verizon). SPOT of course works everywhere.
Thanks for the compliment. Flowers aren’t going to be as good this year, but we just got another storm so hopefully things will start getting green out there soon.
Can’t wait to do this again…
Scott, Any update on the diversion dam? I haven’t been able to get any information on that. Do you have an elevation profile for the route?
At this time it looks like the dam is closed, until the end of 2011. I would not count on being able to get across, though we are planning some recon to see if there are any other options once down there. Fording is an option, but the river is definitely not shut off (currently 350 CFS). Stay tuned for updates, though I myself will not be able to get out there for several weeks.
Fording the river below the dam will not be a problem. The wash/river bed down stream from the dam is wide enough that it will not be too deep to walk across with a bike. Fording shouldn’t be necessary at all since there are roads that run along both sides of the river all the way out to pavement.
Tyler — you are right that fording the river west of the dam is not hard, since most of the water is in the canal. But you have to get across the canal — that is the problem. And without using the dam/bridge to get across, I don’t know of any other way.
Using the roads to go all the way to Florence is certainly an option for people. The problem is it adds approximately 18 flat miles of roads, which is not really the experience most people are looking for. Thanks for the input though.
GPX file has been updated with a route around the Ashurst-Hayden diversion dam construction site. It adds quite a few miles to the route, but it does work. We are working to see if anything better exists, since it seems that the whole area around the diversion dam is unlikely to reopen to the public, even after construction completes.
Looking forward to next year when the AZT should be near complete in this area, which should seriously enhance this loop.
Has this been repaired? Can a vehicle cross this bridge?
Some known water sources:
Latitude: 33.01988 Longitude: -111.023718
33.036966, -111.154063
33.048797, -111.049580
33.066876, -111.033010
33.056225, -111.045417
New 2013 GPX files added — with the full AZT through this area, and fording location for low water. Also includes ice cream loop to Superior, with LOST (Legends of Superior) route, off highway from Superior to the Picketpost. There’s so much to see and do in this area, and the time to head out there is NOW!
Despite the rain, we had a great time on our Gila Ramble:
http://www.whileoutriding.com/arizona-trail/bikepacking-the-superstitions-az
[...] Scott Morris for scouting the loop and making following the route easy. And especially to Gary and Cass for the company. Check out Cass’s trip photos and words [...]
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