Hassayampa River Preserve, Natural preserve along Hassayampa River in Wickenburg, Arizona

Hassayampa River Preserve encompasses a section of river that surfaces above ground, creating a water-rich environment surrounded by the Sonoran Desert. The area features multiple trails that wind through different habitats and connect various viewing points along the waterway.

The land served as a stagecoach stop in the 1860s, then as Frederick Brill's farm and cattle ranch supplying the Vulture mine. In 1913 it reopened as the Garden of Allah guest ranch, and the Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railway stopped at Allah, whose depot remains stand on the preserve. The Nature Conservancy bought a 660-acre parcel and created the preserve in 1987; in April 2016 an agreement with Maricopa County integrated it into the 71,000-acre Vulture Mountains Recreation Area.

The name Garden of Allah came from a 1913 guest ranch whose visitors were offered a Western ranch experience; palm trees were hauled in by wagon from nearby Castle Hot Springs. Remains of the Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railway depot at Allah still stand on the preserve.

The preserve lies just north of Wickenburg off the road toward the Vulture Mountains, and the entrance sits near the old railway stop of Allah, whose depot ruins remain on site. Trails lead from the visitor area through cottonwood-willow forest to river viewpoints; the ground is level but sandy in places. Bring water and sun protection, since the surrounding Sonoran Desert is dry even where the river flows.

The Hassayampa River runs about 113 miles, mostly underground; only the stretch inside the preserve keeps year-round flowing water. The Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railway once stopped at Allah, and remains of the depot still stand on the preserve.