Cupcake Mountain Hiking Trail

About Cupcake Mountain Hiking Trail

Cupcake Mountain provides a towering presence from its vantage point southwest of Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The mountain was named by the Army Corps of Engineers in the early 1940's while they were building an airport and runway in the desert prior to the town being incorporated. The trailhead is located just off of a powerline access road along the border of the Whipple Mountains Wilderness area. The mountain itself is within the wilderness area. The hike is rather strenuous and is close to 5 miles long round trip.

How to Get There

From Needles, CA, take U.S. Highway 95 south approx. 45 miles to CA State Highway 62. Turn left on Hwy 62 and drive east approx. 16 miles to Earp, CA. At the stop sign in Earp, drive straight onto Parker Dam Road. Follow this road approx. 13 miles to MWD Road (just south of the Parker Dam). Turn left onto MWD road and follow it approx. 5 miles to a fork in the road. Turn left onto BLM Route NS056 - Powerline Road. Stay on the powerline road for approx. 6 miles. Turn right onto a pullout for a powerline tower and park. The trailhead will be on the west side of BLM Route NS056.

Plan Your Visit to Cupcake Mountain Hiking Trail

Heading to Cupcake Mountain Hiking Trail? A few things to know before you go:

• Reservations: popular sites fill up fast — check Recreation.gov 6 months in advance
• Fees: day-use and camping fees vary; check current rates on the official park page
• Trash & pack-out: follow Leave No Trace principles
• Wildlife: store food in bear boxes where provided; never feed wildlife
• Weather: the 5-day forecast above is updated every 6 hours; verify just before you go

References & Official Resources

• Official Recreation.gov page
• View on OpenStreetMap
• Driving directions (Google Maps)