Woolsey Peak Wilderness in the Gila Bend Mountains north of Gila Bend, Arizona

by Will
(Arizona)

This area north of Woolsey Peak and Signal Mountain is beautiful! The Gila Bend Mountains are to the south and west, and more mountain ranges can be seen off in the far distance to the north and east. This is BLM land where dispersed camping is allowed. There are no hookups out here, but there's plenty of spectacular desert scenery to more than make up for it! And there are several good RV camping sites. For more photos and details see my Woolsey Peak Wilderness Picture Tour here.

RV Campsite GPS Coordinates: N 33 15.205’ W 112 53.372’

Elevation: 980 feet

Campsite Location: Northwest of Gila Bend, Arizona and just north of Signal Mountain Wilderness and Woolsey Peak Wilderness off Agua Caliente Road.

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Woolsey Peak Wilderness RV Camping Journal

Day 1 2-6-2010

Weather: Around 70 today, mostly cloudy with a few sprinkles.

There are no other campers that I can see, however there are many campsites with rock fire rings like the one I’m camped at now.

Day 2 2-7-2010

Weather: Rain last night, a few sprinkles tonight, very little though. It was definitely cooler today and windy, at around 20 mph. High was probably in the low 60s. It was partly cloudy.

I took a mountain bike ride on some jeep roads to the base of Woolsey Peak. It looks like a difficult climb to the top. I’m not even sure if it can be summited without rock climbing gear. Much of the north side looks steep, almost vertical. Perhaps the west side can be hiked up?

Day 3 2-8-2010

Weather: Beautiful today, sunny with a high perhaps in the mid to upper 60s, just a slight breeze.

I hiked around to the east side of Webb Mountain. I left around 1:30 pm and got back around 5 pm. I hiked up to what I thought was the summit, then saw that here was a higher portion to the south. I may climb it another day. There were great views from the top of the shorter of the 2 peaks. I took a jeep road on the west side to get back down and took pictures along the way.

Day 4 2-9-2010

Weather: Nice, low to mid 60s for the high, mostly sunny, though a few clouds later in the afternoon.

I took a short hike in the afternoon with my laptop testing Verizon internet reception in areas suitable for camping. I didn’t find any better reception so I will stay put for now.

Day 5 2-10-2010

Weather: Rainy most of the day. It cleared up some in the late afternoon. Highs only in the 50s and much cooler.

Once the weather cleared up I took a hike along a jeep road west of my campsite to a well with a windmill and a small pond. It looks like it was, or still is used for cattle. I took some pictures here and some more of the awesome sunset once back at my camper.

Day 6 2-11-2010

Weather: Very thick fog in the morning. It cleared up in a couple hours

and was mostly sunny and nice the rest of the day. Highs were in the 60s.

I took a hike on the east side of Webb Mountain. I tried to get closer to Woolsey Peak. It’s a long way around these mountains though. It’s better to take the jeep road around the west side of Webb Mountain.

Day 7 2-12-2010

Weather: Nice and sunny with highs in the mid 60s.

I took a bike ride further down Agua Caliente Road to try and find a new campsite with faster Verizon internet. I found a spot where I can get mobile broadband.

Batteries: My solar panel is charging the batteries fully every day, except perhaps on Feb. 10th, a day with rain and clouds.

Day 8 2-13-2010

Weather: Very nice and sunny with a high in the low 70s.

I moved to a different spot today about 2 miles down Agua Caliente Road where my internet is faster. I’m a bit farther from the mountains but I still have a nice spot.

I took a hike down a nearby wash that had trees along its border. It was pretty, sort of an oasis in the desert.

Day 9 2-14-2010

Weather: Even nicer today with highs in the mid 70s, very calm, and no clouds. Perfect.

Day 10 2-15-2010

Weather: Just as nice as yesterday and perfect with a high in the mid 70s.

Day 11 2-16-2010

Weather: Sunny, no clouds, high in the mid 70s. It was a bit breezy, but calmed down later in the afternoon.

I took a long bike ride today. I headed to the west side of Woolsey Peak along jeep trails, then I hiked in closer to Woolsey Peak. I would like to have climbed to the top of Woolsey, however this would require an overnight backpacking trip. I enjoyed great views from where I was though.

Day 12 2-17 2010

Weather: Perfect, high in the mid 70s and sunny all day.

Day 13 2-18-2010

Weather: Perfect again, mid 70s for the high and sunny all day.

Day 14 2-19-2010

Weather: Partly cloudy today and windy. It was still warm and nice. Mid 70s for the high.

Day 15 2-20-2010

Weather: Rain today, mostly in the morning. It was cloudy, windy, and cooler with a high in the low 60s.

I hiked to the top of Black Butte, 1493 feet. It is north of Signal Mountain. It took 2 hours to get there from my campsite. I got some neat pictures with the sun shining through the gaps in the cloud cover.

Day 16 2-21-2010

Weather: I had some rain overnight. Windy and cloudy today and cooler with a high in the low 60s.

Day 17 2-22-2010

Weather: Windy and cool, mostly cloudy. Upper 50s for the high.

Day 18 2-23-2010

Weather: It got pretty cold last night. It was 50 degrees in my camper this morning. Today was chilly, low 60s for the high, but the sun was out all day.

I got the truck and trailer ready for the road and plan to resupply in Buckeye tomorrow.

It has been a successful 18 days of boondocking. The only thing I need more of is food. I’m running very low now. I haven’t had any meat for a few days except for a can of tuna yesterday. Otherwise, I could easily go RV boondocking for a whole month without having to make a trip to town.

Woolsey Peak Wilderness Picture Slideshow