Swansea Townsite Ghost Town

**hardins1** · Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 8:22 pm Post subject: Swansea Townsite Ghost Town

Swansea Townsite, once a booming copper mining town is now a ghost town. It has designated trails for 4-wheel-drive vehicles, sand rails, ATVs and dirt bikes . Sandy wash bottoms, gravel roads Lots of trails and a 3-mile stretch through the Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge. This section has short sandy climbs and several water crossings. Water crossings are not a concern except after an extended period of heavy rain. Brush is dense but not abrasive. Slot Canyon is narrow, but easily passable. The trail is suitable for stock SUVs with moderate ground clearance. Route-finding is fairly easy. Flash flooding is possible in the wash bottoms and especially through Slot Canyon. Don’t enter if heavy rains are forecast. This trip is not recommended during the heat of summer. Always carry plenty of water. About 125 miles northeast of phoenix. Take I-10 west to Vicksburg Jct. exit #45 go north to Hwy 72 head west, just south of Parker
Take Shea Road about after about 5 miles you will start to see lots of trails and a large wash you can camp just about anywhere along this drive or after you turn off this road. The turn off for Swansea is about 10 miles more miles. Between milepost 9 and 10 you will see the sign for Swansea. Turn right onto Swansea Road and it is 17 miles to Swansea Townsite. The last 3 miles to Swansea Townsite is a narrow, winding road with steep grades, and to top it off, the road is littered with sharp rocks. Not recommended for RVs