Arizona Off-Road Trails

Located in the expansive and beautiful Coconino National Forest, Bargaman Park is a small jewel. The trail packs a lot into its five miles and connects with FR 109 and Mahan Ranch. Traversing a forest of stately Ponderosa pines, the easy trail passes the edge of its namesake, the beautiful Bargaman Park meadow. This open grassy plain is prime grazing for the free-range cattle that spend their summers here. But don't be surprised to see elk and pronghorn along the edges of the meadow, either. They will mostly be out in the early mornings or late afternoons. Wildflowers dot the park as well. Emerging in Spring, they last almost all Summer. Whether camping at any of the numerous dispersed sites along the trail or just taking a sightseeing drive, Bargaman Park is a gem of a trail.

Back in the day, Red Raven connected all the major north-south roads in the area, including the Manganese, Hovatter, Norton, and Palomas Harquahala roads. The Red Raven was very useful for the few hardy ranchers and miners in the area back then. The creation of the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge caused the eventual closure of a section of the Red Raven. The Yuma Proving Grounds to the south further complicated travel in the area. For modern adventurers traversing the ruggedly beautiful Kofa, the remaining Red Raven section provides an important and scenic connection between the Hovatter Road and the Kofa Manganese Road. Paralleling Red Raven Wash, the trail crosses a plain dotted with stately saguaros, thorny cholla, and the omnipresent creosote bushes. To the north, the Little Horn Mountains create a colorful jagged horizon. In the west, the Kofa Mountains thrust skyward in wildly varying shapes. Wash crossings keep the driving experience interesting. Flat desert playas offer plenty of opportunities to make camp and enjoy the beauty and solitude of an area few will ever see. Dark skies reveal more stars than seem possible. Stargazing is even more magical when accompanied by serenading coyotes. Sometimes a simple road is more than just a road.

This trail has two very distinct halves. The first stretch is packed with technical rocky climbs and a few tight squeezes when running from the south end. Body damage IS possible! The second half becomes more of a backcountry drive that may have washouts and takes time to cover. The split point is identifiable by a windmill and a nearby water tank. The windmill is in a shaded area and makes a nice place to stop for lunch. If you make it to the windmill, retracing your steps back the way you came in is more fun and faster than continuing to the north exit.

Remember to be mindful of local residents, human and bovine, when entering and exiting the trail. Kicking up a lot of dust and unplanned meetings with cows are both frowned upon.

Trail 401 is one of the easiest trails in the Rolls OHV area. It is mostly a graded dirt road that runs from the Cottonwood starting area down to Stewart’s Camp, an old abandoned ranching area. The views of Four Peaks and Weaver’s Needle are impressive as you drop further in elevation. There are several dispersed camping spots off the side of the trail. In addition, there is a large, designated camping area 2.0 miles from the beginning of the trail. This area is marked with a trail marker labeled “Camping.” While this doesn’t have designated sites, there are many areas here to set up camp that can accommodate multiple vehicles. The graded section of the trail ends at the bottom of a large hill at the abandoned ranch named Stewart’s Camp. This is another large camping area that can accommodate many vehicles. The trail continues past Stewart’s Camp for about a half mile. This section is no longer a graded road. It becomes much narrower and rockier as you cross several washes. Trail 401 ends where trail 401A begins, as indicated by the fiberglass trail marker.

Please note that an OHV permit is now required on this trail.

Grand Wash Bay Road is an astonishing out-and-back trip into extremely remote terrain, beginning in the Gold Butte National Monument, passing through the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, and ending in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. This washboard dirt road is 25 miles one-way, with non-stop scenic views for the entire trip. Users should be aware that reaching the end of this road requires nearly 100 miles of fuel range round trip, as the closest fuel services reside in Mesquite.

Also known as Grand Gulch Road or Tassi Ranch Road, Grand Wash Bay Road starts in Nevada, with limited cellular service. The road travels through a thin joshua tree forest following Horse Spring Wash to the Arizona state line. Five miles in the trail enters the Arizona Strip, and cellular service becomes non-existent. Passing through BLM land, the road is marked as County Road 113. While generally very well maintained and graded, expect washboard sections and loose gravel. Campsites within the BLM area are few and far between, but just before entering the Lake Mead Recreational Area, there's a large campsite with fantastic views of Grand Wash and the Grand Wash Cliffs. The ground is very rocky with a lot of thorny vegetation, thus vehicle camping or rooftop tents are best.

After passing into the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument boundary, the road changes numbers to 1213. It drops down the ridge following Grand Wash. Traveling in the wash is consistently rough and bumpy and is the most challenging section of the trail as you make your way through a mix of soft sand, golfball-sized gravel, and sporadic river rock up to 12 inches in diameter. Typically, the road is well-packed, and larger rocks are easy to avoid. Still, users should be aware that conditions can drastically change after each rain event, creating deep washouts and pushing large rocks to the middle of the road, even when the storm is more than 30 miles away. Flash floods are a genuine concern in several sections of this trail. The trail exits the wash and travels through a few wide canyons before coming to the historic Tassi Ranch, a well-preserved homestead on the edge of Tassi Wash. A quarter mile south of the ranch, on the other side of the wash, there's a clean restroom at the old Tassi Airstrip. The road continues another 4 miles across Pigeon Point, ending at the banks of Grand Wash Bay. This now-empty valley once housed millions of gallons of water for Lake Mead, as evident from the white bathtub ring on the canyon walls. Several shady campsites at the end of the road provide a quiet night of sleep for dreary travelers before turning around and returning the way you came.

This road is suitable for any high clearance vehicle with rugged offroad tires, such as all-terrain tires. Although the road can be traveled in 2WD, a 4WD or AWD vehicle is highly recommended due to the rigorous strain the rough terrain puts on your suspension components and the drastic conditions that can happen with any weather event. Low-profile tires are not recommended, and all users should carry at least one full-size spare.

Ox Bow and Levee Roads run from Ehrenberg on Interstate 10 to Cibola Lakes along the Colorado River. The well-maintained road sometimes morphs into parallel upper and lower roads since there are higher and lower levees along portions of the river. Short connectors between the upper and lower roads are plentiful. The upper levee provides 360-degree views, while the lower road provides a more intimate look at the Colorado River. Both are graded roads, with the upper being slightly wider. The road ends near Cibola Lakes, with room to turn around.

Plenty of riverside campsites of varying sizes sit along the north and central parts of the track. South of Baseline Road, the trail enters the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, and camping is prohibited, though there are day-use areas.

Garland Prairie is a massive alpine meadow. The road by the same name is the spine of the area's trail network. The road begins and ends off Interstate 40. Short stretches of the ends are paved since they serve homes and small businesses. The vast center is a wide, well-maintained gravel road that winds in and out of private land and the Kaibab National Forest. Both entities graciously number the road 141.

Expect to see cattle grazing on the prairie and deer peaking from the forests. Old homesteads sit abandoned on the prairie.

Being a busy travel artery, there are no campsites along the trail. But the many offshoots have every sort of forest recreation you can imagine.

Maps are interesting. They are not reality but instead a cartographer's representation of reality. What is shown on one map may not be on another. While studying the vast uninhabited expanses of southwestern Arizona, I noticed there was an unnamed trail on maps, totally missing on others and only partially depicted on even others. Looking at satellite imagery showed that there definitely was a trail near Turtleback Mountain and hints of a track near the Clanton Hills. Whether these fragments connected into a north/south traverse of the eastern edge of the broad sandy Palomas Plain was unclear. So off we went to find out. Turtleback Mountain in the late afternoon sun bloomed into rich earth tones making our camp even more appealing. Add in coyote serenades and good conversation, and the exploration of the mystery trail was off to a good start. We'd traveled less than a mile the next morning before confusion set in. The trail forked in three directions, all equally appealing and none bearing a recent tire track. Any of them could be the one that would lead us north or not. This would become the theme of the day, traversing a beautiful desert while sleuthing out which unmarked track furthered our cause. We hovered over maps spread on the hood of an idling vehicle, triangulating off the jagged Eagletail Mountains and mounded Clanton Hills to get our bearings. The trail appeared boldly at times but became shy at others. Wash crossings were overgrown with palo verde and brush from lack of use. We pulled out saws to clear the way. Any frustration was pushed away by a sense of true adventure and the beauty of this remote landscape. Late in the afternoon, our rigs merged onto the well-mapped Palomas Harquahala Road near Clanton Well. We saw tire tracks that weren't ours for the first time. Seldom do we get to truly explore anymore, to experience actual adventure. But this day, we did. Maps are interesting. Adventure is even better. Turtleback Mountain is now mapped and ready for you to enjoy all the adventure it offers.

Embark on a desert adventure as you exit Highway 95 and enter a captivating desert playground. 4362 connects to a wealth of historical roads and mines, picturesque washes, and diverse trails suitable for every difficulty level. Whether you're seeking thrilling off-road challenges or serene scenic drives, there's something for everyone to discover beyond this main artery into the desert. Prepare to be enthralled by the rich history and breathtaking landscapes that await you off the beaten path.

Polaris Mountain is a pyramid-shaped promontory in the northern portion of the Kofa Mountains. From the Kofa mining district, this mountain pointed straight up to the star Polaris, thus the name. A short and scenic side road off King Road takes you to the base of Polaris Mountain and into Big Dick Canyon. The end of the trail has wonderful mountain views and a great vista back across the broad King Valley. It's also a great jumping-off spot for some off-trail hiking into the rugged Kofa Mountains.

Crossing between The Flats and Sandman Road, Flo Jo passes through a prototypical Lower Sonoran Desert landscape dotted with saguaro and cholla cacti. This moderate 4x4 trail is ideal for the beginner off-road driver. The trail has hard-pack dirt and rocky terrain, perfect for stock 4x4s with high clearance and durable off-road tires. Deep washouts and mild hills may require 4WD. On hills and blind corners, watch for high-speed UTV traffic. Camping is limited along the route, with only a few open rocky areas.

Discover the beauty and adventure of 4359, a backcountry 4WD road offering fantastic views of the valley floor from the northeast foothills of the Mohave Mountain Range. Follow the road as it climbs from 4345 to the foothills of the Mohave Mountains before winding down towards the Stagecoach Trails subdivision, offering several overlooks with panoramic vistas of the surrounding mountains. The northern side of the range is surprisingly cooler in the summer shoulder months, giving a slight reprieve from the heat. During late winter and early spring, it seems as though everything has a flower in bloom, with short green grass growing anywhere without a rock, all adding to the scenic beauty. 

Keep an eye out for prospectors on quads and UTVs searching for the next big gold strike in the active mining claims that run along the trail. Join a prospecting association or do your homework to get permission to hunt on their claims. The Havasu Gold Seekers is an active club with many claims in the area. Don't miss out on the opportunity to explore this beautiful desert landscape with knowledgeable people who share a passion for prospecting and adventure. .