b'good old-fashioned sightseeingbe sure to bring yourHIKE THE BIG HORN TRAIL County Mountain Wilderness camera! It is recommended that you visit sometimeIt shouldnt come as a surprise that with all its wide-openAreas 63,000 thousand acres. A between October and April, as temperatures in thespaces, Gila Bend is crisscrossed with trails of all sorts.nine-mile roundtrip, the hike summer can be extreme. Especially in the winter months, the areamay not be best for the very is a nature lovers paradise. The trails areyoung or old, but remember The monument contains threeeasily accessible and convenient, evenyou dont have to go all the distinct mountain ranges, theif you only plan on staying for a fewway; even a mile or so will get Maricopa, Sand Tank, andhours. Big Horn Trail is reserved for fityour heart rate up and give you Table Top Mountains, as welland advanced hikers; its strewn withviews of some amazing washes, as the Booth and White Hills,large boulders and covers significantcanyons, and cliffs. The area is all separated by wide valleys.elevation changes. The trail is located infull of cactus species of which The monument also containsthe South Maricopa County Mountainprickly pear, cholla,three congressionally designatedWilderness Area and although its notand fishhook barrels are wilderness areas and manywell marked, there are cairns along theamong the most prevalent. Theres lotssignificant archaeological andtrail that will guide you to the massiveof wildlife in the area too. If you want to catch a glimpse historic sites. Visits to the Sandpeak thatll never be out of your sight. of some fascinating desert critters, remember theyre the Tank Mountains, located southblm.gov/visit/south-maricopa- most active in the morning and evening.of Interstate 8, require a Barrymountains-wilderness-area visitgilabend.org/day-hikesM Goldwater Range permit. The permit is free, butSHAWMUT LOOP TRAILyou must registerIf youre a beginner or online and watch aintermediate hiker or justBUTTERFIELD STAGE DAYSsafety video. Permitsan all-around lover of trains,If you happen to find yourself in Gila are valid for oneyoull want to check out year, from July 1the Shawmut Loop Trail.Bend in July, make it a point to check out through June 30 ofFollowing along the railthe towns Butterfield Stage Days and the following year. lines of the Southern PacificRodeo. It takes place over a weekend in There are nearlyRailroadwhich has beenthe middle of the month and celebrates 30 miles ofhauling freight throughthe rich heritage of one of the oldest and trails withinArizona since the 1870sthemost historic stagecoach routes in the the monumentrailroad is an American icon.American West. The event kicks area. HorsesThe railways modern diesel are a favoredlocomotives no longer useoff with a parade and means of seeingsteam and coal like they onceincludes rodeo events the sights, sodid, but they still sport theof all kinds, a carnival, consider a guidedrecognizable emblem of thelive entertainment, and sun setting over a rail line. The equestrian tour. Despite the harsh, stark landscapeShawmut Loop isnt welltons of great food that doesnt look like itd be home to many plants andmarked, but the trailhead in town is easy to find and its aa lot of which has animals the Arizona Sonoran Desert has a remarkablereal must for railroad aficionados. Native American roots.array of life and is particularly abundant in birds of many different species. Many live here year-round, andMARGIES COVE TRAILothers are migratory and therefore only show up a fewAnother of the City of Gila Bends trails is Margies months out of the year. Due to its riparian environment,Cove Trail, which passes through the North Maricopa the Gila Bend area is home to many wading birds, plovers, and even waterfowl. Theres no shortage of predatory birds either, like owls ranging from the majestic Great Horned Owl to the tiny Burrowing and Elf Owls, some of which arent much larger than a mouse. blm.gov/visit/sonoran-desert-national-monumentArizonaRealCountry.com April 2021 25'