El Camino Del Diablo
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El Camino del Diablo
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El Camino del Diablo in the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range, near Wellton, Arizona
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| Nearest city | Lukeville, Arizona |
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| Coordinates | 32°4′20″N 113°23′12″W / 32.07222°N 113.38667°WCoordinates: 32°4′20″N 113°23′12″W / 32.07222°N 113.38667°W |
| Built | 1699 |
| NRHP Reference # | 78000560 |
| Added to NRHP | December 1, 1978 |
El Camino del Diablo (Spanish for "the Devil's Highway") is a historic 250-mile (400 km) road which currently extends through some of the most remote and arid terrain of the Sonoran Desert in Pima County and Yuma County, Arizona. In use for at least 1,000 years, El Camino del Diablo is believed to have started as a series of footpaths used by desert-dwelling Native Americans. From the 16th to the 19th centuries, the road was used extensively by conquistadores, explorers, missionaries, settlers, miners, and cartographers. Use of the trail declined sharply after the railroad reached Yuma in 1870. In recognition of its historic significance, El Camino del Diablo was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It has also been designated a Bureau of Land Management Back Country Byway.
The name, like its other historic name Camino del Muerto, ("road of the dead") refer to the harsh, unforgiving conditions on trail.
The southern terminus of the original route was located in Caborca, in what is today the Mexican state of Sonora. From there, it continued through Sonoyta, then past Quitobaquito Springs, then through the lava fields of the Sierra Pinacate, then through the Tule Desert and Tule Mountains. After passing just south of Tordillo Mountain, the route crossed the Tinajas Altas Mountains and then continued to the west of Raven Butte and Cipriano Pass. It then followed the western border of the Gila Mountains, before finally reaching Yuma Crossing at the Colorado River. From Yuma Crossing, travelers could reach the Spanish colonies of California.
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