Cottonwood Mountain Trail #66

Cottonwood Mountain Trail #66 is a remote long-distance hiking route in the Santa Teresa Mountains of the Coronado National Forest near Safford, Arizona. Expect backcountry travel over a primitive path rather than a signed, easy tread.

As a long one-way day, plan around roughly 8.8–9 miles one-way. The route’s elevation profile is steeply demanding, with about 2,057 feet of accumulated gain and a high/low range spanning roughly 3,674 to 5,316 feet.

The trail is multi-use, used for hiking as well as trail running and horseback riding, so you may share narrow sections with stock groups—especially on approaches to drainages.

Access is not a single straightforward push-on. One common approach is the “Slog” from Black Canyon Trail #65 until Cottonwood Mountain Trail #66 ends, which works out to about 8.5 miles of trekking just to reach the Cottonwood route.

A second approach option is to drive through the nearby community of Klondyke, Arizona, to reach western trailheads before starting the on-foot portion toward the Cottonwood corridor.

Because this is a primitive backcountry route that has seen fire damage and varying maintenance over time, routefinding matters. Bring offline navigation and be prepared for uneven tread, missing markers, and changing conditions across seasons.

Water is intermittent in this arid mountain country. Streams in connected drainages can fluctuate, so carry a reliable water filter and plan for long stretches between dependable sources.

Difficulty is best treated as moderate to challenging, and it can shift with your start point and weather. If there’s wet weather or lingering moisture, inspect for slick footing and consider how burn scars and disturbed ground may affect footing and traction before committing.

More information: Visitor information, Black Rock Canyon Trail #292 • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs, Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness - GET #7 • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs