Caution: This area is very dangerous now with illegal drug and human smuggling going on every day. Do not travel here until the Dept. of Homeland Security get serious and secures our borders. I've personally run into illegals attempting to stop my progress driving north on Vekol Valley Road.

The Barry M. Goldwater Range is operated by the 56th Fighter Wing Range Management Office, Airspace and Range Operations office. The Barry M. Goldwater Range (formerly the Luke Air Force Range) is located in southwest Arizona. It serves the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Marine Corps as an armament and high-hazard testing area; a training area for aerial gunnery, rocketry, electronic warfare, and tactical maneuvering and air support; and a place to develop equipment and tactics. It also serves other defense-related purposes. The Goldwater Range has generally served these and similar purposes since 1941, when it was established to train U.S. Army Air Corps pilots for World War II. Changing capabilities have been significant: military aircraft in World War II could shoot down enemy aircraft from a distance of about 600 feet, while today's aircraft can engage and shoot down an enemy from as far as 25 miles. About 95% of all fighter pilots in the Persian Gulf war trained on the BMGR. Notably, 50 percent of the F-16, most of the F-15, 100 percent of the F-15E, and 100 percent of the A/OA-10 aircrews that fought in the Gulf War were trained on the BMGR as students. Most of the F/A-18 and AV-8B aircrews from the Navy and Marine Corps were also trained on the BMGR. These photos are from four ATV trips into the area. Permits are required for access. Here is where you get them: http://www.luke.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=5062