About this place

The 63,200-acre North Maricopa Mountains Wilderness Area lies in the Sonoran Desert National Monument in southwestern Maricopa County, about 12 miles east of Gila Bend and 20 miles southwest of Phoenix. The wilderness provides outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation, including hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, camping, wildlife observation and photography. The Margies Cove and Brittlebush Trails take you through the heart of the North Maricopa Mountains Wilderness.The North Maricopa Mountains Wilderness contains a 10-mile section of the Maricopa Mountains, a low-elevation (1,000 to 2,813 feet) Sonoran Desert range, and extensive surrounding desert plains. The North Maricopa Mountains are a jumble of long ridges and isolated peaks, separated by bajadas and washes. Vegetation includes saguaro, cholla, ocotillo and other Sonoran Desert plant species. Desert bighorn sheep, desert tortoise, coyotes, bobcat, fox, deer, Gambel's quail and raptors live in this wilderness.