On Saturday June 15, 1996, Bob Peterson and John Waack led a Tucson Rough Riders trip to the Gila River. In addition to the usual suspects of Bob, John and myself there were 5 trucks from the Rough Riders. Thus we had a total of 13 adults, 3 kids and 2 dogs driving in 2 Chevys, 1 Ford van, 1 Toyota, 1 Suzuki and 3 Jeeps.
After meeting at Houghton and I-10 we drove to Safford and topped up our fuel. We made it to the Gila River at Bonita Creek just before noon. We had lunch under some Cottonwood trees a few miles up river. What made lunch memorable was watching 22 bighorn sheep grazing on the hillside on the other side of the river. We were able to get photos from less than 50 yards, but they were 150 to 200 yards away during lunch.
The river level was very low and most of the vehicles were enhanced over stock, so no winching was required. The tow strap did have to come out a few times to help those who lost momentum in some soft sand. On Saturday we crossed the Gila River 35 times and the San Francisco River once over a stretch of about 10 miles through the Gila Box. We arrived at our sandy camping spot along the San Francisco (at the confluence with the Gila) about 5:30. While some brief thundershowers had slightly cooled the afternoon heat, a swimming hole in the river was just what we needed after a day of summertime wheelin'.
It was a lovely evening at the camping spot. Campfires were primarily decorative as the weather was plenty warm with an overnight low about 66. On Sunday morning we cruised up the San Francisco River to Clifton/Morenci --- we had resisted the urge to drive to town for takeout burritos the night before. We crossed the San Francisco 13 times (without counting about 8 purely recreation crossings that I tried) on the way into Morenci. We spent a little while exploring some Gila overlooks and side trails off the old Safford road on the way back from Clifton. Bob and I explored the Gila for about a mile above the bridge on the Old Safford Road. We arrived back in Tucson in the late afternoon. No vehicle damage worth mentioning occurred.
The first few miles upstream from the Bonita Creek trailhead are easy going, but the crossings get softer and deeper as you proceed up the Gila. In the dry season, the trail rating going upstream is 3.5 at the start increasing to 4.0 as you near the confluence of the San Francisco River. Make that 4.5 if you proceed into the mud flats above the San Francisco. Subtract half a point for coming back downstream. Add half a point for each additional 6-inches of water running in the river or each additional 30 CFS of flow. (The reference level for the above ratings is 18-inches deep on the first crossing above Bonita Creek when the flow is about 90 CFS.) Stock 4x4s can make the trip with assistance along with wide tires and low air pressure. The only obstacles are soft sand and deep water. When in doubt about where to cross, the best place is usually at the top of a riffle where the silt has washed away. Always walk across questionable crossings first --- if your feet sink in the mud, so will your truck.
Area Map for Gila Box from MapQuest
| Landmark | UTM Easting | UTM Northing | Altitude |
| Safford (Hwy 70 & Hwy 191) | 12 6 21 000 E | 36 33 480 N | +2915 |
| Solomon (Hwy 70 & Sanchez Road) | 12 6 28 240 E | 36 31 600 N | +2969 |
| Bonita Creek at the Gila River | 12 6 42 400 E | 36 40 300 N | +3170 |
| Eagle Creek at the Gila River | 12 6 49 000 E | 36 47 800 N | +3300 |
| San Francisco River at the Gila River | 12 6 52 150 E | 36 46 700 N | +3350 |
| San Franciso River trailhead | 12 6 57 400 E | 36 53 250 N | +3400 |
| Old Safford Road crosses the Gila River | 12 6 58 100 E | 36 48 500 N | +3373 |
| Clifton (Hwy 191 @ San Francisco River) | 12 6 59 200 E | 36 57 900 N | +3480 |
| Morenci (X Hwy 191) | 12 6 56 720 E | 36 58 200 N | +4030 |
Last modified: Sun Jun 6 14:29:13 1999
