Arizona Off-Road Trails

FR 527 runs from Garland Prairie through the Kaibab National Forest to intersect Secret Mountain (FR 538). The trail's western end is paved for a short stretch through private land. The trail jogs to the east at the Boy Scout Camp entrance, intermittently crossing private land and portions of the Coconino National Forest. The trail's only major obstacle emerges near Railroad Spring, a marshy area that is perpetually wet and muddy. Bogging here is highly likely. Mud terrain tires, 4WD, and momentum might get you through.

The trail's highlight is Volunteer Canyon, a side tributary of Sycamore Canyon. Just a short walk from the road is an ordinarily dry waterfall topped by volcanic basalt. The drop is several hundred feet. The multihued walls of Volunteer Canyon dramatically drop away. Only the Ponderosa pines on the canyon wall give scale to this dramatic geological display.

The trail east of Volunteer Canyon is well-maintained and suitable for 2WD.

There is minimal camping on this trail. One site near the eastern end was a well-laid-out hunter's camp.

While hoping to find oil under improbable sand dunes in southeastern Arizona, geologists instead struck hot water with their exploratory drilling. Today, Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area has 2,000 acres of free-play sand dunes and two hot tubs replenished from the unlikely water discovery. Sitting far away from any sizable city, you may be the only one enjoying the sand and water on a weekday. The remoteness also means a very dark sky for star gazing at the end of a day playing in the sand.

The San Mateo Castro Trail is a great connecting option from the Apache Land Trail. It runs north and ends at East Gold Rush Road near the Peralta hiking trailhead. The terrain is a mix of dirt and rock that crosses a sandy wash several times. Approaching the northern end of the trail, the views of the Superstition Mountains are just amazing. There are multiple spots where you could set up camp for the night all along the trail, with larger, well-established sites towards the northern end.

This trail is on Arizona State Trust Land. A recreation permit is required.

Ranchers in the deep Southwest summer their cattle in the cool high-elevation pine country, driving them to lower elevations for winter. The grazing lands are a mix of private property and leased public lands from the Forest Service, BLM, and the State. Working cattle in the rugged mountains of the Prescott National Forest is demanding on both cowboys and their horses. A good cowboy will use three horses in a day pushing through the scrub brush on loose rock hillsides looking for scattered cows and calves in deep in shaded canyons. The 7UP Ranch is one of those rough-and-tumble cattle operations that evokes the storied history of a harsh land and the sturdy people that struggled to tame it just enough to exist here. And a road runs to it and beyond. Starting on Camp Wood Road, Seven Up runs north through deep Ponderosa Pine forests beside buff and gray granite outcroppings that look as if a leviathan stacked stones in a monumental cairn. A bit over 3 miles into the drive, you arrive at the picturesque ranch headquarters, its pastures dotted with cow ponies, and a myriad of cottages, barns, and outbuildings. Seven Up continues past the ranch, offering shaded flat campsites and possible glimpses of deer, turkey, and javelina if you keep your eyes peeled into the shadows of the pines. Just past the high point of the trail is a hairpin turn to a steep switchback. Just make sure you turn to avoid a Thelma and Louise moment. The view from the top of the switchback is definitely worth a quick stop. Soon enough, Seven Up deposits you into a lush valley where the North and South Forks of Walnut Creek converge. Seven Up's a good ride. Mount up and give it a try.

Off the beaten path and surrounded by nature's beauty best describes this backcountry road. Located near Lake Havasu City, Scott's Well is a beautiful narrow wash trail that runs into the foothills northeast of the Mohave Mountains. If you've ever looked up at the mountains to the east of Lake Havasu and wondered what lay on the other side, this is the trail to take. There are numerous mine shafts, Scott's Well stone cabin ruins, other cabin sites, and many relics of days gone by throughout the area to explore. From the dusty, nearly desolate lowlands to the green grass and blooming vegetation, complete with Joshua trees and Saguaro cacti high up on the hillside, this trail is a must-see for anyone in the area.

This route runs from Tule Well on the famous El Camino Del Diablo up and over Christmas Pass Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge and enters the Barry Goldwater Gunnery Range. Tule Well is an amazing collection of sights, smells, historical artifacts, and nice camping. This iconic camping spot is a famous stop along the El Camino Del Diablo and offers extraordinary solitude and scenery. The Christmas Pass camping area is set against a stunning backdrop of rock formations. Along Christmas Pass, rock piles mark possible old graves just off the road. At Christmas Pass sits an old border patrol station site and an opportunity for a little easy rock scrambling. You might catch a glimpse of fighter jets practicing dogfighting over the desert floor, strange lights out in the desert at night, and the most amazing starscape you can find. Don't forget that you need a permit for this area. The Border Patrol, military, and Cabeza Wildlife Refuge take those permits, or lack thereof, very seriously.

Dick Hart Ridge, also called FR 139, is set in the Ponderosa pine forest atop the Mogollon Rim in the vast 1.856-million acres Coconino National Forest. The road crosses three of the five hiking trails that constitute the Cabin Loop, one of Arizona's preeminent backpacking destinations. Dick Hart Ridge ends at the Mogollon Rim and Rim Road, one of the most scenic and storied offroad drives in Arizona. The views from the Rim's 3000-foot escarpment are simply breathtaking. The road is set on a prominent ridge named after a stockman who operated a sheep shearing facility on the east side of the spine, thus becoming Dick Hart Ridge. A separate trail ran east/west to the shearing shed set by a spring in a small canyon. One of the men at the shearing plant was so accomplished with his scissors that locals came to him for a haircut, earning the canyon and trail the moniker Barbershop which still is used today. The southern end of Dick Hart Ridge climbs above 7000' and receives a good deal of rainfall. The forest here is still primarily pines, but stands of fir and spruce mix in as well. Elk, deer, bear, turkeys, and a few million squirrels call this primordial forest home. You will definitely see the squirrels, and likely see some elk. Keep your eyes open, and who knows what else you might see along Dick Hart Ridge.

A hit television show decades ago had a character that would often scream, "serenity now." Obviously, he didn't know about Rock Creek. Located in the Tonto National Forest, at 2,873,200 acres, the largest of Arizona's National Forests and seventh largest in the nation, Rock Creek, FR 442, ends at the base of the jagged Mazatzal Mountains. The name Mazatzal is difficult to pronounce. Locals often just refer to the Mazatzal Mountains as the Mazzies. The name is attributed to an obscure native language now only spoken in central Mexico. It means "place of the deer." As difficult as the name may be, traversing the Mazzies is infinitely harder. The rugged and nearly impenetrable mountains, encased in the Mazatzal Wilderness Area, form a north/south spine in central Arizona crossed by no roads and very few foot trails. Rock Creek, which parallels and twice crosses its namesake water feature, is the essence of serenity now. It is peaceful, scenic, seldom traveled, and has three babbling brooks along the way. The end of the road is a trailhead that serves the famed Arizona Trail, a National Scenic Trail that traverses the entirety of Arizona from Mexico to Utah. The trailhead, nestled in a grove of ancient oak trees, sees little use, however, and makes an excellent well-sheltered campsite beside Center Creek, one of those aforementioned babbling brooks. Frankly, if you can't find serenity on Rock Creek, just stay home and watch old sitcoms.

Old Rye Creek connects the tiny hamlets of Rye and Jakes Corner. The northwestern half of the trail parallels the often dry Rye Creek with various private ranches set in the creek's wide canyon. After crossing Rye Creek, the southeastern half of trail winds across a hillside via shelf roads and switchbacks.

The most interesting part of this road lies in the middle. A steel pony bridge with a history straddles Rye Creek. Built in 1900, the bridge predates welding, so it's bolted and riveted together. The bridge was one of six spans of a bridge across the Gila River in Winkleman, AZ. That bridge was damaged in a 1909 flood. The Winkleman bridge was wholly replaced, and one of the six spans was repurposed to cross Rye Creek. Two other segments are still used to cross the Verde River near Perkinsville on the Jerome-Perkinsville Road.

There are a few small dispersed campsites on the southeastern end of the trail with level ground and stone fire rings.

Set in the Tonto National Forest, Hewitt Station runs along the southern edge of the Superstition Mountains. A section of private property cuts the road in half. The western portion of the trail is described here.

Hewitt Station, FR 357, is an easy, well-maintained dirt track. After rain, large puddles form on the road. The puddles have hard bottoms. The trail deadends at private property and has little room to turn around. The trail connects to Hewitt Canyon Road and Bomboy Mine. Shooting is popular along this trail, with numerous established ranges on the north side of the track.

Camping is abundant along Hewitt Station. FR 3493 spurs off the trail into a warren of tracks between Comet Peak and the Whitlow Ranch Flood Control Basin. The spur has a plethora of dispersed campsites of all sizes, many with fire rings. A large campsite sits under massive salt cedars towards the trail's east end. The site has several fire rings, shade, and room for up to five vehicles.

Sonoran Desert National Monument (SDNM) Trail 8011 provides several opportunities to jump back in time and explore the history of this area. Right at the trailhead sits the remnants of Big Horn Station and the Bender family ranch. The station was a stopping point for those traveling on Highway 84 long before Interstate 8 existed. At the very end of trail 8011, if you proceed about half a mile further west on trail 8008, is the Papago Indian Chief Mine.

SDNM 8011 is primarily gravel. One drop-off into a wash could prevent 2WD vehicles from proceeding along the trail.  Several areas on this trail can be used for camping with multiple vehicles.

Proceeding on SDNM 8011 past the Unit 40A gate requires a Barry M. Goldwater Range permit. See the permit required link above. The permit is only available online and requires viewing a mandatory safety video.  A printed copy of your permit must be carried with you while on this trail past the gate. SDNM 8011 runs through a very remote area of the Sonoran Desert. Please take all necessary precautions.

Mattie Earp, born Celia Blaylock, died in the short-lived mining boom town of Pinal after her famous husband, Wyatt Earp, left her for an actress at the end of their tumultuous time in Tombstone, Arizona. The stay in Tombstone became history with the shoot-out at the OK Corral, where Wyatt, his two brothers, and Doc Holiday tangled with members of the Cowboys, a loose band of outlaws who rustled cattle in Mexico and drove then north to sell in Arizona. Morgan Earp was killed after the OK Corral. Wyatt went on to be successful in several ventures and a favorite among the stars of early Western movies. Mattie turned to prostitution, alcohol, and drugs in Pinal and committed suicide on July 3, 1888. Pinal didn’t last long, suffering the fate of many mining towns. There’s virtually nothing left of Pinal today except for the Historic Pinal Pioneer Cemetary and Mattie’s grave.

To reach the grave, travel FR 8, which runs east/west to the north of Pickett Mountain, to a sign for the spur FR 2402. Turn south at the marked intersection with FR 2402, but bear right/west instead of following FR 2402, which goes off to a ridge overlooking Superior. The spur ends at the cemetery gate. Mattie’s grave is just inside the gate.

The trail is easy dirt with small embedded and loose rocks. There are a few ruts on the way to the grave.  

A handful of large and level campsites with rock fire rings sit alongside the spur to the cemetery. The campsites make an excellent base for visiting the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, a massive collection of desert plants from all over the globe.