Off-road to Mt. Logan Overlook & Hell's Hole, Arizona

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Just east of the Sawmill bronze plaque and Mt. Trumbull trailhead along Mohave County Road 5 is the BLM1044 spur road that heads south to Mt. Logan. Reset your odometer to zero at the Fire Danger sign. Look for the grey Kaibab squirrels with their bright white tails in these woods. They were released here from a population taken from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in the 1970s by Arizona Fish and Game. The new population took the area well and should be easily seen.At mile 1.2 on BLM1044 look to your left to see a continuous wall of jumbled black boulders. This is the remnants of a 950 year old lava flow from the Little Springs eruption. There are no trails onto the lava flow and the basalt is very loose and dangerous. Read more about Parashant volcanoes. Continue on BLM1044.At mile 4.5 you will come to a Y. Take the right fork. You will see the marker for BLM1064 after you round the corner. Continue on BLM1064 but don't reset your odometer. Note: Only UTVs and specially modified short wheelbase 4x4s should continue south on BLM1044 toward Whitmore Canyon past the 1044/1064 Y as the 1044 gets very rough before you reach any viewpoints. At mile 5.2 you will end up on top in a meadow. On the left side of the road are several lava rock boulders and a pulloff to park. Stop here for the first of two stunning views. You are now at 7,600 feet above sea level. Between the boulders you’ll see the trail. Walk about 100 yards out to the Mt. Logan overlook of a section of the Grand Canyon.Continue 1.1 miles further to the end of BLM1064. You will find another overlook to the north towards the Pine Valley Mountains. This is also the recently restored trailhead to the top of Mt. Logan and nearby Hell's Hole, an amphitheater of colorful clay similar to Cedar Breaks National Monument. As you head back to CR5, if you want a better view of the Little Springs Cinder Cone take a 1 mile diversion on BLM1029. This road wraps around the southern flank of what is left of the cinder cone. At mile 0.8 what geologists call a 'spatter rampart,' similar to a cinder cone but made up of larger lava bombs, comes into clearer view. There is no trail but it is a short 1/4 mile walk over rough lava rocks to see what is left of the cinder cone. It was ripped in half by the lava flow that came up beneath it. Aerial View of the cone and the NW and SE lobes of the lava flow.The first mile of BLM1029 is fine for all 4x4s. However the road becomes very rough and is only passible for UTVs, Jeeps, and modified short wheel-base 4x4s. If you have the right vehicle, BLM1029 is a shortcut to Nampaweap from BLM1044. All other 4x4s need to return to CR5 to get to Nampaweap.

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