Tracking down Arizona's hidden wild palms

Sunset, Feb, 1992 by Jim McCausland

Beyond their elegant place in suburban gardens, California fan palms have an impressive wild side. One of the best places to see wild palms is in the native groves of Arizona. There are only two such groves--three if you count a century-old grove near Wickenburg. All are worth visiting this month, when mild temperatures make hiking comfortable.

PALM CANYON

Many visitors to Palm Canyon in the Kofa Mountains near Quartzsite never see palms until they start looking for resident bighorn sheep. The reason: the palms are in rocky canyons high on the north side of the main canyon. Canyon walls shelter palms from hot sun and channel water to their roots.

From Quartzsite, drive 18 miles south on U.S. Highway 95 to the Palm Canyon/Kofa National Wildlife Refuge sign. Turn left onto a dirt road and drive 8 miles to its end; pick up free interpretive brochures near the canyon entrance.

Walk 1/4 mile up the main canyon to a sign that says Palms. Look for the trees in a tributary canyon up to your left. A massive, knife-like rock outcrop marks the canyon entrance. Scramble up the slot to the right of this rocky spire to reach the grove. (A trail to the spire's left quickly becomes steep and dangerous; it's best to stay off it.)

HASSAYAMPA RIVER PRESERVE

This Nature Conservancy preserve in a riparian woodland includes a gorgeous stand of mature palms along a half-mile trail. There's plenty of interpretive help--signs along the trail as well as on-site naturalists and brochures at the 1860s ranch house by the trailhead.

These palms were thought to be native until scientists took pollen samples from mud in an adjacent lake; no palm pollen was found in century-old mud. These trees were likely sown by travelers who brought seed down the old stagecoach road from Castle Hot Springs.

The preserve is east of Wickenburg (milepost 114) on U.S. Highway 60. Hours are 8 to 5 Wednesdays through Sundays.

CASTLE HOT SPRINGS

Arizona's third group of native palms is near Castle Hot Springs, about 40 miles east of Wickenburg. Scattered in small groups among desert shrubs, these palms aren't as accessible.

From Wickenburg, drive east 10 miles on U.S. 60/89, then east 2 miles on State Highway 74. Turn left on Castle Hot Springs Road and drive 28 unpaved miles to the palms.