White Cliffs Wagon Trail Historic Site is a mile from Downtown Kingman. From the parking lot, it’s about a 15-minute walk to the area where you can see the ruts, but the actual hiking trail is approximately two and a half miles round trip.
To get to the trailhead, you cross a small wooden footbridge.
There are ruins of a building at the beginning of the trail and remains of the support posts. From what I can gather, this was once the Old Trails Tavern, and the flag pole is still recognisable.
We met a man on our journey who told us that he used to play here as a child back in the 50s
Apparently, on the face of rocks, there’s an Old Trails Tavern sign which he was looking for. Unfortunately, we were unable to find it, so it’s either been graffitied over or is further along the trail.
The photo below, taken in 2015, I found from another blogging website.
The wagon road was used in the late 1800s for heavy wagons filled with ore from Stockton Hill Mines at the cost of $500 and is one of the few wagon trails remaining.
Initially a route for the military, but with the discovery of gold and silver in the area after the civil war, mines sprang up. Massive wagons used to haul their loads, creating the ruts.
the wagons
The wagons were approximately 16 feet in length and 14 ft tall. The wheels had steel treads and were 4 inches wide, with the back wheels standing 7ft, thus enabling them to carry the 9 tons of ore.
A good comparison is the Borax wagons for the 20 mule teams at Harmony Borax Works in Death Valley.
The tracks have been cut really deeply into the stone, and on each side, you can still see the holes used for stubbing posts and ropes to help get the weighty wagons to return up the grade. On the way back down the grade, they would also be used for breaking.
The White Cliffs Wagon Trail was once known as Old Johnson Road as it went through Johnson Ranch. Route 66 followed a good portion of this old wagon road.
location Map of the white cliffs wagon trail
Our takeaway of the white cliffs wagon trail
White Cliffs Wagon Trails is one of those areas that has a lot to explore. Passing through neighbourhoods to get there, we did think it may not be worth it. We were wrong!
It is fascinating to be able to stand and walk along the ruts and imagine these massive wagons traversing them. We didn’t hike any further, but even looking up at the cliffs and seeing rock formations that looked like a two-headed Sphinx was fun.
In our opinion it is worth a stop. To see this piece of history and to go for an easy and unique hike.
in a nutshell
- Off White Cliffs Road, Kingman AZ
- Historic site and hiking trail
- FREE
- Free parking at the trailhead
- No facilities
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