Florence, Arizona

   Today we drove to Florence, Az. and drove up the Diversion Dam Rd to the staging area. This is on the northeast end of town, right by McDonalds, where we meet and have breakfast. We drove 6mi. There are numerous trails in this area, it is best to go with a friend or use Charles Wells guide book. On the Atvs we went to the end of the road over a bridge and up the wash to the waterfall and lava rock wash. The waterfall is actually a drop off of about 25ft in the wash. There are many black lava rocks around this area. We followed one of the many wash trails down to the Gila river. Today the level of water was low on the Gila river. There are mountains/hills with an array of colors, yellow, red and brown. Soil types are limestone, iron and shale. We passed the old railroad bridge today. Other rides included old mining towns, the famous Box Canyon, Martinez Wash and several coke ovens.
Here are a few of the Box Canyon, make sure there is no heavy rainfall previous to your ride,
 this area can flood, yes, even though the wash is bone dry!

INFORMATION>
LOCATION>   NEAREST CITY= Florence, Az   DIRECTIONS=As least 5 staging areas
AREA >   TYPE OF LAND=-desert , OWNER=  BLM,                                            QUALITY >  Pro – many miles and diverse riding / Con none/  Length of stay 4-6 days / Rating-stars - 5 out of 5
TERRAIN>  MILES OF TRAILS, hills / dry washes / dust /  river water crossing /elevation change-yes                                                                                       TRAIL MAINTENCE   / SQ. MILE AREA –1,000 /  NEAR BY TRAILS- Numerous
REGULATIONS> Permit required / Camping- commercial or dry camp /whips recommended / helmets req.-no / width req.- no
FEE> Camping / Entry-No
KEY SERVICES> Camping / Gasoline / Diesel / First Aid /  Water /  Dump / Food=Florence
SIDE TRIPS>State Park in town, Prison store