Wild Burros of the Grand Canyon

What most people don’t realize is that the “Grand Canyon” that most people visit is but a tiny sliver of the canyon. The majestic pictures you often see on TV or the Internet are all from that tiny sliver.

The Hualapai (pronounced “Walla-pie”) and Havasupai Tribes were deeded the rest of the Grand Canyon in the late 1800’s as their land as it was seen as useless and unlivable. What the government didn’t realize at the time was they gave the tribes the very best of their land. Yes, they took the Hualapai Mountains, stole the Big Sandy, and allowed the railroad to creep right on through their deeded lands but the Hualapai and Havasupai tribes are Canyon Protectors… the Hualapai from above and the Havasupai from below.

There is one place in the entire Grand Canyon that you can drive into the bottom. In the town of Peach Springs, Arizona, one can visit the Diamond Creek Lodge and purchase a pass from the Hualapai Tribe. You must have a truck or a vehicle with 4-wheel drive. If you don’t have the proper vehicle, you can wait for the Tribe to arrange transportation.

Diamond Creek Road – June 2015 – about 10 miles in

Diamond Creek Road is approximately 22 miles long. The first three miles goes from the Lodge through a main Hualapai neighborhood to the cattle guard. Past the cattle guard you can expect to see long horn sheep, elk, deer, rabbits, snakes, tarantulas, desert squirrels, desert mice, hawks, eagles, and wild Spanish burros.

Three Wild Burros guarding the road

The sign that tells us they are from a rare Spanish breed brought to the United States by Spanish Conquistadors is the long brown cross markings down their backs.

The markings are a black/brown no matter the color of the burro hair

Even though the federal government removed over 600 wild burros from the Grand Canyon in the early 1980’s, these burros have multiplied, thrived and once again can be seen throughout the canyon from the National Park, through tribal lands, to Lake Mead.

Some things you should know about these Wild Burros:

• They are protected in this area of Arizona - in places like Oatman, AZ, it is murder to kill one
• The Hualapai do not allow you to touch or feed them
• The Wild Burros are aggressive and will bite, kick, and head butt
• The Hualapai do not allow you to exit your vehicle from the cattle guard to the base of the canyon for your safety because of wild animals