Today, the Camino del Diablo remains a dirt road, suitable for four-wheel drive and high-clearance vehicles carrying extra water and emergency equipment. No emergency or tow services are available, and visitors use the trail at their own risk.

South of the Mexico–United States border, the original sections of the Camino del Diablo have largely disappeared. In its place, the Mexican government has constructed a paved highway, Mexican Federal Highway 2, which roughly parallels the border for 120 miles (190 km).

The current route begins 21 miles (34 km) southwest of Ajo, Arizona, at the boundary between Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge. From there, it continues west past San Cristobal Wash, following the northern edge of the Agua Dulce Mountains to reach Papago Well. From there, the road passes Camp Grip, then runs south of the Sierra Pinta as it passes through the Pinta Sand Dunes and then the Pinacate Volcanic Field. From there, the road passes through the Tule Desert and Tule Mountains, and into Tule Tank Canyon to reach Tule Well, where the road intersects with Christmas Pass Road. The road then passes through the Lechuguilla Desert, just south of Tordillo Mountain, before finally reaching the Tinajas Altas Mountains. At Tinajas Altas, the road forks, and the traveler can take a shorter route which heads north through the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range, passing east of Raven Butte and Cipriano Pass and following the eastern border of the Gila Mountains, before finally reaching Interstate 8 and the Gila River at Wellton, Arizona. Alternatively, the traveler may choose a longer route that more closely follows the original route. This route crosses the Tinajas Altas Mountains and continues in a northwest direction, passing west of Raven Butte and Cipriano Pass. It then follows the western border of the Gila Mountains, passing by the abandoned Fortuna Mine, before finally reaching the small community of Fortuna Foothills, Arizona.

The trail follows the Mexico–United States border very closely for most of its length. To transit the entire trail, a permit is required from the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge office in Ajo.