Nicknamed “The Devil’s Highway,” Many Have Perished Traveling This Remote Highway In Arizona
Arizona has its fair share of dangerous roads, but none quite compare to El Camino del Diablo. This middle-of-nowhere road in the vast, remote Sonoran Desert dates back at least 1,000 years — and claimed the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, during its heyday.
Way down south near the border with Mexico, this 250-mile road traverses some of the driest, most remote landscape in all of Arizona. Named "El Camino del Diablo," or "The Devil's Highway," the treacherous thoroughfare has claimed up to 2,000 lives due to dehydration, heat stroke, sunburn, and hyperthermia.
The highway earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and has also been designated Bureau of Land Management Back Country Byway.
Native Americans began traveling along the road at least 1,000 years ago. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, it was used by conquistadores, explorers, missionaries, settlers, miners, and cartographers.
It wasn't until 1870 when the Southern Pacific Railroad reached Yuma that use of the trail started to decline.
The original route began in what is now the Mexican state of Sonora. It continued north into Yuma Crossing, a point from which travelers could cross the Colorado Desert into the Spanish colonies of California.
Sonoyta, Mexico, to Yuma, a 130-mile stretch, was the most perilous leg of the journey.
Most of the graves lie in the final 30 miles of the road. Summer temperatures can reach up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, a level of heat that demands two gallons of water for each person just to ensure survival.
Not used to travel in the desert, many of the deceased were unprepared for such harsh conditions.
Today, the highway has largely disappeared south of the Mexico-U.S. border. The current route begins just southwest of Ajo, between Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge.
From there, it passes through Papago Well, the Pinacate Volcanic Field, Tule Tank Canyon, and the Lechuguilla Desert before reaching the Tinajas Altas Mountains.
At this point, travelers will encounter a fork in the road. A shortcut leads through the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range, while a longer route -- which parallels the original highway more closely -- culminates in the unincorporated community of Fortuna Foothills, Arizona.
Katie Lawrence is a Southeast Texas native who graduated 18th in her high school class with a GPA of 4.25. She attended college in the Houston area and changed her major twice (psychology, computer science, and finally criminal justice) before taking a leap of faith and dropping out to pursue a career in freelance writing.
Today, Katie writes for the Texas and Arizona pages of OnlyInYourState.com and has never been more passionate about a job before. Outside of work, you can likely find her curled up on the sofa with a hot cup of coffee, watching a crime TV show or scary movie.
