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| Table Top Wilderness Area | |||
Location and Description The 34,400-acre Table Top Wilderness lies in western Pinal County. Easily recognized from Phoenix, 45 miles north and Case Grande, 20 miles east, Table Top Mountain, at 4,373 feet, is the highest peak in the area and its flat-topped summit is a familiar landmark. Steeply rising flat-top mesas, ridges, lava flows, wide canyons and mesquite-and ironwood-lined washes surround Table Top Peak. Hikers, backpackers, horseback riders and others venturing into the wilderness are rewarded with solitude. The four-mile-long Table Top hiking trail leads to the summit of Table Top, with the trailhead at the southwest corner of the wilderness. The view from atop the peak is a panorama of mountains ranges and desert plains. The abundant desert vegetation includes an unusual 40-acre island of desert grassland on the summit of Table Top and dense saguaro forests on the southwest side. The Lava Flow Trail meanders through the lowlands of the wilderness area. Desert bighorn sheep, coyote, quail, javelina, giant spotted whiptail lizard and the Ajo Mountain whipsnake, and numerous birds, reptiles and raptors abound. Access This wilderness area is a two-hour drive from metropolitan Phoenix. Road conditions vary with high-clearance and four-wheel-drive vehicles recommended. Interstate Highway 8 is north of the northern wilderness boundary with access available through the private highway service facilities at exit 151 (junction of Interstate 8 and state route 84) and exit 144 (Vekol Road). The Vekol Road is maintained, but can be rough or washed out. Inquire locally about conditions. Nonfederal Lands Some lands around and within the wilderness are not federally administered. Please respect the property rights of the owners and do not cross or use these lands without their permission. Related Maps
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"In wild country we confront, immediately and directly, . . . the bare bones of existence, the elemental and fundamental."
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