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This Ironwood Forest National Monument is made up of 129,000 acres and contains a significant system of cultural and historical sites covering a 5,000-year period. Possessing one of the richest stands of ironwood in the Sonoran Desert, the monument also encompasses several desert mountain ranges including the Silver Bell, Waterman, and Sawtooth, with desert valleys in between.
Elevation ranges from 1,800 to 4,261 feet. Three areas within the monument, the Los Robles Archeological District, the Mission of Santa Ana del Chiquiburitac and the Cocoraque Butte Archeological District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The monument is a travel corridor for illegal immigrants traveling from Mexico. All suspected illegal activities should be reported to BLM or local law enforcement authorities. Stay safe by avoiding contact with persons exhibiting suspicious behavior or engaged in dangerous activities. Drive with caution and look for fast-moving vehicles and pedestrians on back roads. Some roads are rugged: high clearance or four-wheel-drive vehicles are recommended in those areas.
This is a good spot for campers visiting and wanting a free place to rest for a few days. You can park your RV or pitch a tent just about anywhere. The drawback is that it is rather open and flat along here, so you may not be able to find a private enough spot to enjoy camping out recreationally.
There are no services. This is just open space.
Was 5 stars as it was so peaceful, but apparently El Tiro Gliderport has started a firing range for big guns that have ruined the tranquility of the area. Big guns seem to be the norm, and they start around 5am.
But, being on BLM land, we can’t target shoot.
We will be back. A lot. We stayed for a week. Magnificent! Left before the rain came in and area was going to flood. Otherwise, we would have stayed for another week.
It is between the glider and a parachute glider club, so you see those occasionally. A little airplane noise, mostly small planes, but not often. Peaceful AF. Very dispersed while we were there. Weekends in warmer weather may be less dispersed, but still, nothing like the crowds in the parks.
Lots of paths to walk. Dirt road getting in is pretty good, a little washboarding, but very passable. (If not flooded)
excellent winter camping spot, We stayed for about 9 days. Another reviewer mentioned bigger rigs could park right off the road, which is true but we found if we took the side road to the west just a little bit you could get decent sized rigs a little bit off the beaten path. For example I have a 30 foot travel trailer and saw some massive 5th wheels.
