Drive west from Quartzsite on the frontage road that parallels I-10 on the south, 1.5 miles beyond Love's Truck stop Gas Station. Turn left on the asphalt road (which leads to Rainbow Acres) for 1.1 miles until you see a dirt road taking off to your left. At this point the cabins are visible a short distance away.

Turn on Palm Canyon road. Go approx. 4.5 miles to Kofa Queen Canyon. Take fork to the left (N), travel 4 miles until you reach the mouth of the Canyon and the base of the Signal Peak (3800 foot rock mountain rises like a crown from the desert floor). The Canyon lies along the northern base of Signal Peak and follows an easterly route into the heart of the Kofa Mountains. 4-wheel drive rough road, unmaintained roads, only foot & horseback travel is permitted in areas bordering these trail. (go approx. 4 miles to original site of Kofa Queen Mine.)

 Just East of the Quartzsite Town Hall Building is this wonderful Native Ironwood Tree that is 1026 years old.    

Mining in the Swansea Area began around 1862, but major activity had to wait for the coming of the railroad. In 1904 the Arizona & California Railroad began constructing a line from Wickenburg to Parker. Seeing an opportunity for further development several of the original miners, Newton Evans and Thomas Jefferson Carrigan, secured investment money and began to develop Swansea.

By the end of 1908, a 350 ton capacity furnace, a 3.5 mile water pipeline from the Bill Williams River, and the hoists for five mine shafts were under construction.

By 1909 Swansea had a population of 500. The following year the Arizona & Swansea railroad began operation from Bouse. The railroad was key in moving supplies and people in and out of the growing mining town. Financial problems set in by 1911 and the mines shutdown with a brief reopening in 1912.

The American Smelting and Refining Company bought the mines in 1914 and rebuilt much of the town. The new owners ran the mines until 1937 when the Great Depression closed the mines for good.

  Swansea is located approximately 25 miles (40 km) northeast of both Bouse and the town of Parker at 34°10′12″N 113°50′46″W (34.1700198, -113.8460490). The site is remote, and is only accessible via rough, gravel roads.  

 In 1856, Secretary of War Jefferson Davis (later President of the Confederacy) had a novel idea: transporting freight and people across the desert Southwest on camels. He eventually imported over 70 of the beasts. Along with the first batch came a Syrian caretaker, Hadji Ali. His American masters called him Hi Jolly.  Read his story here: https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/11284

On the East side of Tyson Wash a short distance south of Quartzsite, you can see Indian grinding holes and some faint petroglyphs. There is also a natural tank near the cliff which may have water in if it has rained. This is also the site of the original Quartzsite with was washed away in a flood and subsequently rebuild on higher ground at its present location. It is said that a safe full of gold lies buried beneath the sand at the bottom of Tyson Wash somewhere near this spot, carried away in the great flood.

How to get there: Go South on highway 95 and turn right into the BLM Long Term Visitor Area.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2vixxpZEoo

The canyon is the most visited location within Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, partly since it is the last place in the state where native California palm trees grow in their natural habitat. The last mile of the approach road climbs gradually and ends at a parking area, high enough to enjoy views over a huge area of the surrounding Sonoran Desert.

Around one hundred trees are found in a narrow, southeast-facing, side ravine further up the canyon; they are quite well-hidden and only visible when close by. A half mile path - steep and uneven in places but not at all difficult - leads along the canyon to a viewpoint below the trees.   

How to get there: Drive South on Highway 95 for 23 miles then turn left into the Kofa Wildlife Refuge for approximately 7 miles on the dirt road until it ends.

There are hundred of Petroglyphs here. You will also find the remains of an old stone cabin and an arrastre. Look along the base of the cliff to the left of the stone cabin for the cave where the spring originates. Once you've found it, listen and you will hear it dripping from the cave roof, forming a year round pool of water. A path takes off to the left of the cave, following the edge of the cliff where more petroglyphs can be seen.
How to get there: Dripping springs is one mile down the road from Dos Picachos Mine. The road is steep and rutted. This is a trip for a 4-wheeled drive vehicle.

The area north of Quartzsite was used as a training ground for General Patton's troops during World War II. On this trip you will see rocks laid out in the desert for airplanes to see, spelling out QUARTZSITE and forming an arrow pointing the way.

Up the road from the Quartzsite Rock alignment there is a picture that would also be best seen from the air. It is the Fisherman Intaglio, the outline of a fisherman drawn on the desert floor by ancient Indians. Both the Rock Alignment and Fisherman Intaglio are a short walk from the asphalt road.

How to get there: North out of Quartzsite on Highway 95 for 5.4 miles, then turn right on Plomosa Road. 6 miles up the road look for fences on your left. Inside the farthest fence you will find the Rock Alignment and 1.3 miles farther up the road you come to a second "scenic view parking" sign. Park and follow path up the hill to see the Intaglios.

Tyson's Well Stage Station- Museum is operated by the Quartzsite Historical Society Inc. The original adobe stage station was built in 1866 by Charley Tyson at its present location. It was an important way station on the California - Arizona line because of excellent water and grass for the horses. Miners and freighters, hauling mining equipment and military supplies from the river port at Ehrenberg, AZ also stopped here.

The Quartzsite Historical Society opened Tyson's Well Museum in February 1980, after extensive restoration work. The original structurally sound walls were retained and others were rebuilt. A shell of stabilized adobe brick was built around the original walls to protect them. 

  https://www.quartzsitemuseum.com/  

  This is the original Jail for Quartzsite. It is located behind Solar Bills at 630 Main Street. South of the Jail you can still see the original Court House. Be sure to check out the museum as well.  https://www.quartzsitemuseum.com/

A community working together to make a child's dream come true. Celia's Rainbow Gardens, located in the Quartzsite Town Park encompasses 8 acres of the 40 acre park. The gardens were inspired by the dreams of Celia Winer, an 8-year old girl whose goal in life was to make the world a better place. Celia was a happy, bright and sensitive little girl who loved everyone. Her death from a viral heart infection on October 25, 1994 affected the whole Town. Her love of nature, her desire to save the environment, and dreams of people working together have been taken to heart by this little desert community.   

 http://www.celiasrainbowgardens.com

 The Arizona Peace Trail was first initiated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) in July 2013. With vast amounts of open desert, thousands of miles of old mining roads, and other dirt roads and tracks to manage combined with the growing popularity of motorized off-highway recreation in the area, the two agencies felt it would be able to create a connector trail between Bullhead City, AZ in the North and Yuma, AZ in the South, a distance of nearly 210 miles if traveled along route US95. At the same time, BLM and AZGFD began their effort, the Arizona Sun Riders ATV club based in Quartzsite, AZ had been working with La Paz County since 2011 to create a loop OHV trail system around the Quartzsite area. Additionally, the Bouse Ghost Riders ATV club based in Bouse, AZ was working with the La Paz County Board of Supervisors to develop OHV recreation opportunities with the hopes of attracting more winter visitors to their small town.  

                38 miles north of Wenden, Alamo Lake offers excellent bass, bluegill and catfish. Nature lovers appreciate the abundance of wildflowers in the spring and year-round wildlife including fox, coyote, mule deer, wild burro, javelina , bald and golden eagles and waterfowl.

http://azstateparks.com/Parks/ALLA/

                Harquahala road provides a scenic drive on good dirt roads for a high-profile 2 wheel drive vehicles past numerous deserted gold and copper mines. The mining camp cemetery is marked with wooden crosses. One of the richest strikes in the area was Harqua Hala Bonanza Mine. Herbert Hoover visited these mines for a San Francisco investment company around 1896. It is said that Wyatt Earp mined in the vicinity.

http://www.ghosttownaz.info/harquahala-mine-cemetery.php

Massive granite boulders and rock formations make Indian Springs a unique place to visit. Granite from the quarry at the site was used for an addition to the Arizona State Capitol in 1949. Part of the road travels down a wash. A 4-wheel drive vehicle is recommended.

For 57 miles, US 95 cuts through the desert of Southwest Arizona - quite flat, perfectly straight and aligned exactly north-south, and interrupted only by the small town of Quartzsite. In the mild seasons of winter and early spring, much traffic uses the road, bringing sun seekers from all over the US to Yuma and on into Mexico, but few travel to this region in summer, when temperatures of over 120oF are not uncommon. Rain falls on only a few occasions each year - the summer thunderstorms that affect the higher areas of Arizona rarely extend this far. South of Interstate 10, US 95 is bordered by the Yuma Proving Ground to the west and the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge to the east - a protected area 25 x 40 miles in extent with no paved roads or facilities of any kind. The refuge is an excellent place for viewing desert plants and wildlife, rock climbing, exploring old mines, or just camping in remote wilderness.