Vulture Peak Wickenburg, AZ

Entrance to Vulture Peak

Wickenburg is a small town; its population in 2017 was 7,409 residences.  The town is 8.7 miles from Vulture Peak.

BLM documentation of Vulture Peak states, “The reddish mountain is a composition of 25-million-year-old volcanic tuff, Becca and rhyolite that is soft and easily eroded sculpt the steep cliffs and rugged cuts.”

I guess that explains why there is so much gravel and rocks in this area. In the past, I would have enjoyed hiking Vulture Peak trails because it looks awesome for a distance. However, my lust for hiking ceased after foot surgery.

Meanwhile, this is a great BLM property. I enjoy the quietness and that I only have three neighbors in my section. The evidence that more campers are on this property is based on the low traffic of jeeps, dune buggies and golf-carts passing-by periodically to exit this property.

The darkness in Vulture Peak reminds me of my summers as a youth. When I visited my grandparents, who lived in the country (outside city lines in the woods). During that time, there were no streetlights or home electricity only gas-lamps.

I plan to return to this property in the future; hopefully it will still be under- used by mobile home owners and primitive campers when I do.

Rocky Grounds
Two neighbors behind me on right

Second neighbor on my left

The outlaw in third spot

Saddle Mountain Ranch Tonopah AZ

Saddle Mountain is a landmark peak in the desert west of Phoenix in the township of Tonopah AZ. This BLM property is surrounded by private and State lands.

Folks are quick to speak of beautiful mountainous scenery and quietness, but not the flies. These suckers are determined to ruin your day.

You are greeted by many flies as soon as you open your door; they brutally attack by flying close to your face, ears and head until you kill it. I’ve tried but can’t determine why there are so many flies in this area because it does not stink.

Further, this property is not easy to access if your mobile home’s leveling jacks are close to the ground. Otherwise, your jacks will be damaged due to volcanic size rock scrapes upon entering the access road and throughout the grounds.

Tonopah is a small farming community consisting of a service stations, a post office, restaurants and schools. If you need to shop or conduct any type of business, you must travel 4.2 miles to Avondale, 23.5 miles to Buckeye or 33.6 miles to Goodyear. In fact, I travelled to Goodyear because the closest Staple’s supply store was in that area.

I spent 3-days at this BLM property; mostly inside my mobile home looking out the windows. I conclude, the mountains are certainly interesting.

Saddle Mountain_2

Saddle Mountain_3
A very rocky area – no runners here

Imperial Dam – BLM Property, Yuma AZ

Imperial Dam Terrain

It was my intent to stay a month at the Imperial Dam area near Senator Wash Reservoir, because it had all the conveniences a self-contained mobile home owner needed such as water, trash dumps and dumping tank stations. As well as, restrooms and outdoor showers to accommodate campers or mobile home owners that need these facilities.   

During my arrival, I did notice a lot of mobile homes parked at various angles close to the mountains and areas surrounded by medium and large rocks; trailers, chairs, pop tanks and other items to inform newcomers – those areas have already been claimed by him/her.

As a result, I and a few others parked in the center of the grounds where no one else was parked. Most people, who joined me in this vast open space was gone within one to three-days. At this point, I understood early comers were bunched near the mountains to lessen his/her exposure to 20-35 miles an hour wind gust.

However, prior to my departure the wind constantly rocked my mobile home, knocking all three recessed awnings against my vehicles’ exterior. Finally ripped the rubber molding that protects frame screws from rusting; from its track.  The molding was waving in the wind like a ribbon. I used scissors to cut the molding and threw in on the floor in front of the passenger seat where it remains.

The only good things about this BLM property that interested me were views of the beautiful mountains, the sky and facilities needed to dump my tanks and trash. Otherwise, the grounds were covered by large, medium and small rocks. If you usually walked for exercise; like me. You weren’t going to do it here.

I watched a guy trying to negotiate his way on a two-wheel motorcycle from the rocky grounds he parked his mobile home on to something you might call a road; he had one hell of a time but made it to the road using a running motion with his feet. Further, I have a Harley-Davidson Trike (a three-wheel) motorcycle but had no intentions of unloading or riding on/from this BLM property.

BLM Long-term Visitor Stay Property
Where I parked the Outlaw
View behind me
Imperial Dam Area