Eagletail Mountains Wilderness

The Eagletail Mountains Wilderness is located 75 miles west of Phoenix just south of Interstate 10. It covers portions of Maricopa, La Paz, and Yuma counties. Directions to Courthouse Rock: From Phoenix: Take I-10 west to the Salome Road exit (#81). Turn left at the stop sign and make an immediate right onto Harquahala Valley Road and follow for 5 miles to the intersection of Centennial Road and Courthouse Road. Turn right onto Centennial Road and continue west for about 6.5 miles until reaching Pipeline Road (unmarked). Turn right onto Pipeline Road and follow it for 3.8 miles until reaching backcountry route YE013 (near the Wilderness designation sign). Turn left and park near the information kiosk. From Quartzite: Take I-10 east to the Hovatter Road exit (#53). Turn right onto Hovatter Road. After crossing over the canal, turn left onto an unmarked dirt road. After 1 mile, turn right onto YE005. Follow YE005 until it dead ends at Pipeline Road (unmarked). Turn left and continue until reaching the natural gas pumping station. Drive around the north side of the facility and continue east on Pipeline Road for seven miles until reaching backcountry route YE013 (near the Wilderness designation sign). Turn right and park near the information kiosk. Due to infrequent maintenance and the wide range of road conditions that you might encounter, it is strongly recommended that high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicles are used for access to the Eagletail Mountains Wilderness boundary.

There are no permits, passes, or fees required to visit this wilderness area. It is free. However, commercial, competitive, and large organized group events require a special recreation permit. Contact the local managing field office for more information about special recreation permits. Recreational activities on any nearby state trust land require a permit from the State of Arizona.