Agua Caliente Backcountry Byway, Arizona Bureau of Land Management

Named for area hot springs used for medicinal purposes in the late 1880s and early 1900s, the route begins about an hour west of Phoenix near the Gila Compressor Station (about 14 miles south of Arlington), and traverses a natural Sonoran Desert area formed by the Yellow Medicine Hills and the Gila Bend Mountains. The rugged Eagletail Mountain Wilderness and Saddle Mountain areas loom to the north; Face Mountain is south. The maintained, mostly-dirt road passes the ghost town of Sundad (visitors must hike over or use a four-wheel drive); hilly parts of the route offer expansive desert views of plains and mountains. The southern part of the route features the Sentinel Plain Lava Flow. The stark landscape of 15-45 meter-thick lava is the largest volcanic flow in the state. Other points of interest include several old mine sites in Sundad, and the Jackpot and Dixie Mines. Traveling this route is recommended October through May only due to extreme conditions.

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