Arizona Off-Road Trails

Fernow and Tram Tanks are found along FR 231A on the western side of Coconino National Forest, just north of the Mogollon Rim. This is a nice scenic drive along a very easy dirt trail.

Connecting Orville's Loop to East Martinez Canyon, High Country is a straight-through trail that is easily one of the most scenic routes in the Florence OHV area. The trail traverses a high ridgeline for 1.5 miles providing unobstructed Sonoran Desert views for hundreds of miles. Picacho Peak, along I-10, is easily seen to the southwest on a clear day.

Most of this road is rough and rugged trekking along hard-packed dirt with softball-sized rocks. The trail gets its difficult rating from one spot on the southern end, where a severe washout on the edge of the road constricts vehicles to a 28-degree off-camber bypass around the washout. This trail is best suited for slightly modified vehicles and experienced drivers comfortable with extreme vehicle leans. There are several areas along the trail where the tight brush will likely scratch your paint. Full-width trucks are not recommended for this trail.

It is worth noting that although this is a BLM road, it travels almost entirely through private property. Please respect the private land and pass through with care and consideration. As history has shown us from other trails in this area, landowners are not afraid to close off access if users cannot be respectful.

There is no camping along this trail.

Rugged Power Line Road begins at Highway 83 and runs eastward parallel to I-10 towards the Whetstone Mountains. Popular with ATVs, dirt bikes, side-by-sides, and other off-road vehicles, the trail features several wash crossings that may have water after any recent rainfall. The trail also has several steep and rocky hill climbs, where having at least a rear locker is beneficial. Large to medium ruts are common on the trail.

This trail is a great starting point for exploring the area, using other trails that branch off. While there are no obvious camp spots on the trail, State Trust Permits are required to camp in this area.

Twister is a 1-mile long, straight-through rock-crawling trail located only minutes from Kingman, Arizona. The trail is entirely on State Trust Land, so you must acquire a recreational permit. The trail snakes its way through a rocky wash with several optional obstacles made up of car-sized boulders. Moderate off-camber situations easily lead to body damage along this trail. Most of the early obstacles offer an easier bypass, but obstacles later in the trail present consistent beachball-sized and larger rocks that must be traversed no matter which lines you take. These rocks can often move with each passing vehicle and have no hesitation in reaching out to grab low-hanging undercarriage parts. The terrain has several short stretches of smooth rock faces with left and right alternating deep ruts, flexing or twisting your suspension. Hence the trail name.

This trail is best suited for modified vehicles with larger tires, traction aid devices, and skid plates.

The wind singing through the tops of tall pines is one of the most relaxing sounds known to mankind. FR 144 serves as a gateway to some of the plentiful camping and offroading opportunities found among the tall Ponderosa pines of the Coconino National Forest. The higher elevation and cooler temperatures make the area a popular summer getaway. Campsites along FR 144 vary from spacious open sites suitable for larger rigs and trailers to cozy, secluded sites along the various spur trails. Pushing beyond the gateway of FR 144 leads deeper and deeper into the vast Arizona high country where remote campsites and even more adventure can be found. Go listen to that relaxing wind in the tall treetops. The experience does a body good.

The Black Pearl was a group of prospects and adits worked in the mid-1900s producing manganese. Today little remains but the foundation and ruins of a small cabin guarded by two concrete gateposts.

The trail to the Black Pearl is relatively easy, crossing Coyote Wash and several more minor drainages. A cattle corral and windmill sit at Tiger Well. The trail can be run as a lollipop. The southern leg of the lollipop is seldom used, rougher than the rest of the trail, but scenic.

A few small campsites are scattered along the trail. Excellent campsites for any size group are scattered along the northern portion of Vulture Mine Road near the trailhead for Black Pearl.

When Arizona Highways magazine designates a road as a scenic drive, there might be something worth seeing. Spring Valley Loop provides a basket full of worth. The road begins in the west off Highway 64, which eventually ends at the Grand Canyon. You might have heard of it. On the east end of Spring Valley Loop lies Parks, a stop on Old Highway 66. You might have heard of it. Between lies a vast pine forest, meadows, cute ranchettes, junk yards, open meadows, one campsite, and views of Hardy Hill and Sitgreaves Mountain. Sadly there's pavement on both ends. Perfection is unattainable, even by the beloved Arizona Highways magazine.