Moorten’s Mill Trail

Moorten’s Mill Trail is an out-and-back down Cottonwood Wash to the remains of a 1930s gold mill. Plan on about 1.2 miles round trip and around an hour from the Cottonwood Spring parking area. The approach leaves the paved lot over hard-packed dirt and sand, then follows the wash through palo verde and desert willow. The payoff is mining history and a closer look at the desert wash, not a summit or a big overlook.

The route goes south through the wash. About a quarter mile from the spring, the older route description notes the remains of a freight wagon road. Little Chilcoot Pass, built by miners in the 1880s, skirts a rock waterfall before dropping into Cottonwood Canyon; the trail continues about another quarter mile to the mill site on the canyon’s west edge. The route line is not published by the park today, and the older map is diagrammatic, so confirm the wash entry with a ranger before heading out.

“Cactus” Slim Moorten built a five-stamp mill here in 1934 to process ore from three claims, then abandoned the operation in 1939. The old brochure said little of the mill and cabin remained, so expect a modest ruin rather than a restored exhibit. Bighorn sheep sometimes come up the wash for water in the early hours; a sighting is possible, not promised.

The park road ends at the Cottonwood Spring trailhead. This is a desert wash, so carry water and stay out when storms or heavy rain threaten flooding. The park does not allow pets on its trails. Water and restrooms at Cottonwood Campground are a separate signed walk from the spring, not facilities on this route.