Arizona Off-Road Trails

Trail 8029 runs from the BLM entrance gate off Interstate 8 to the abandoned Big Horn reservoir. This trail is one of a few in this area called a “cherry stem,” meaning the trail itself is on BLM land, while anything off the edge of the trail is designated as the South Maricopa Mountains Wilderness Area. There are wilderness markers all along the route. Trail 8029 is an easy mixture of dirt, gravel, and sand. The only place to camp on 8029 is at the end by the abandoned reservoir, which offers plenty of room for several vehicles on BLM land while not encroaching on the South Maricopa Mountains Wilderness.

Located just west of Buckeye, Saddle Mountain offers an 11.8-mile loop of scenic desert driving with dispersed camping opportunities along the way. The first 3.5 miles are accessible to most vehicles with decent ground clearance and contain the majority of camp spots. At mile 3.5, a cowboy gate marks the start of rougher terrain requiring high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicles.

The trail features several notable obstacles, including rocky wash crossings at miles 5.35 and 6.25, both requiring careful navigation due to breakover angles and off-camber sections. Larger vehicles can make it through with caution.

At mile 9.06, drivers face the loop’s most technical challenge—a steep, rocky descent into a tight wash followed by a sharp turn and a 21-degree climb out. Full-size trucks can pass with careful maneuvering, especially with a spotter.

The final section smooths out after mile 10, offering easier driving, more campsites, and several spur trails to explore. The last gate at mile 9.99 appears tight but is passable for larger vehicles with mirrors folded.

Designated route 0088, the Sunkist Trail runs between Plamosa Road and the northeastern side of Quartzsite. The ends of the trail are graded and offer large campsites with mountain views. The trail narrows in the middle, is rock-strewn, and crosses several deep sandy washes. It is popular with the ATV crowd.

On the north, Pinal Mountain Raod (Forest Road 651) begins on Kellner Canyon Road (Forest Road 55) in a residential area just beyond Besh-Ba-Gowah Archeological Park outside the town of Globe. At around 4 miles, you'll see a sign on your left for the Kellner Group Site, and a minute later, you'll turn left to begin your ascent toward both Signal Peak and Pinal Peak. This is where the dirt road begins and where civilization fades away. Scrubby bushes of manzanita and juniper comprise the landscape, but as the road climbs, pine trees emerge. The well-maintained road passes by Sulphide Del Rey campground, once the site of an old mining company. The campsite is first come, first serve, and there is no fee. The site has restrooms, fire rings, and tables but no water. Once you reach the saddle, there are multiple roads, but stay left against the mountainside. You'll catch your first views here while you continue to the top, careful with the steep dropoffs. Once you reach the summit, the forest thickens, and there will be two additional campgrounds, the Pinal and Upper Pinal Campgrounds, plus cabins. The campsites are located on a site formerly occupied by the US Army that used it as a heliographic signaling (using mirrors to reflect sunlight) station during the late 1800s. The campsites are first come, first serve, and there is no fee. The sites have restrooms, fire rings, and tables but no water. There are several trails to stretch your legs before heading back down the mountain.

Combining this trail with the Bunker Hill trail creates a small loop around the base of Bunker Hill. The trail is primarily composed of loose rocks with packed dirt. It is narrower than the connecting Bunker Hill trail, and you might get pinstripes on your vehicle along the way. There are a few fallen trees around which the trail wraps, so be cautious. The most challenging section is a loose rock uphill climb. Most high-clearance stock vehicles should be able to navigate this section without too much trouble. There are no established campsites along this trail.

Forest Road 140 and its spur 132 are a camper’s heaven.  Together, they form Dogtown Road.  With literally hundreds of dispersed campsites, mainly along the western end, and an established campground and day-use picnic area, this is a busy road on summer weekends.  Dogtown Lake draws anglers, kayakers, and picnickers.  The name for the lake came from a nearby prairie dog village.  

The road is easy, with one area of hard-bottomed mudholes in the late summer rainy season.  Lined with Ponderosa pines, the trail crosses a few open prairies with nice views.

Located in the northern portion of the vast 1042 square mile Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, High Tank Six Road serves as a connector between the easily traveled MST&T and the more rugged Kofa Cabin - Jasper Springs. But don't let the short length of this trail nor its lowly status as a connector fool you. High Tank Six Road winds through a lower Sonoran Desert landscape of stately saguaro cacti, evil cholla cacti, and dry washes lined with ironwood trees. The ironwoods are a protected species, and if you value your ax, saw, or knife, you won't try to cut into one. They are called ironwoods for a reason. The Kofa Mountains form a jagged horizon to the south, home to desert bighorn sheep. To the north lies the lower Livingston Hills. These make great backdrops for camping along High Tank Six Road. Toss in a beautiful Arizona sunset, and you'll be in for a memorable experience in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.

FR 300G runs north off scenic Rim Road. Just getting to this trailhead is a visually splendid adventure. The trail rides along the ridgeline between picturesque East and West Bear Canyons. Just beyond the end of the trail, those two smaller canyons merge to form the rugged Bear Canyon. If you camp along FR300G, take a walk down into one of the side canyons. In late Summer and Fall, there are tasty wild blackberries and raspberries to pick. In Fall, the Aspens turn golden, and Big Tooth Maples transform into a bright red, bringing rare seasonal color to the area. Elk and other animals are plentiful. In Spring, you may find a set of antlers where a bull worked his old ones free in order to grow new antlers for a new year

Walker Road is the southern unpaved extension of the paved portion of the same road. Running from the quiet hamlet of Walker, the trail connects with Senator Highway. Most of the lightly graveled, well-maintained road borders two streams. On the north, the stream running northward is the headwaters of Lynx Creek, which feeds Lynx Lake. On the southern end, the south-flowing stream is the headwaters of the Hassyamapa River, which empties into the Gila River. Small parcels of private property often border the trail. On the south end of the road, two homes have dammed the Hassyampa, creating a lovely private lake. This portion of the track becomes a narrow shelf road.

There's no camping on this trail. The nearest dispersed camping is along Senator Highway or Walker Big Bug. Lynx Lake has a paid campground with amenities.

With more twists, turns, ups, and downs than the plot of an Agatha Cristie who-done-it mystery novel, the Whoopsie makes you keep your eyes on the trail. The wash crossings are simply too numerous to count. The trail never goes straight for more than a few hundred feet, often less than a few feet. The track is seldom level. The Whoopsie crosses the extreme southern edge of the vast Harquahala Plain in the shadow of the rocky Gila Bend Mountains to the south. Runoff from infrequent rain on the low mountains creates the intricate network of washes that cut the Whoopsie with such regularity. Further north, the Harquahala Plain is as flat as a pancake. Here it's more like an order of curly fries. You will be tempted to glance off at the jaggedly beautiful Eagletail Mountains to the northwest, but don't. When you look back, you will be off the serpentine two-track. Instead, stop. Stretch your legs. Enjoy the sound of the wind crossing the lower Sonoran Desert. Take in the stately saguaros and spindly ocotillos. Then check out the rugged multi-hued mountains jutting up on the far horizon. The Whoopsie Trail isn't long. It isn't difficult. But you will never stop grinning as you drive the roller coaster that is the Whoopsie.

Millions of years ago, pressure from deep in the earth ripped a fissure in the crust. The north side of the fissure rose a few thousand feet, creating a long ridge towering over the lower southern side. That uplift, named the Mogollon Rim, runs from New Mexico through Arizona, separating the Sonoran Desert from the Colorado Plateau. Late summer winds laden with moisture from the Gulf of California and the Pacific Ocean are forced upward by the massive uplift. The moisture condenses and falls as rain creating one of the western United State's largest forests. The rain also creates deep canyons running north to south. Most of the roads up on the Mogollon Rim run north to south along the ridges between the steep and rugged canyons. But one trail cuts through that network, snaking west to east. FR 96 is literally the pretty path to adventure in the easternmost region of the vast Coconino National Forest. Forking east off East Clear Creek, FR 96 transports visitors deep into the beauty of one of Arizona's most amazing landscapes. The scenic drive gets adventurers closer to hiking, backpacking, camping, hunting, and even fishing and kayaking over on Knoll Lake. Come enjoy the area. It's truly uplifting.

This trail-extending loop introduces a few more waterfall climbs to the Sleep Princess trail. The first is an optional near-vertical wall suitable for buggies. The GPS track follows the bypass for this event. The subsequent climbs are mostly solid rock with loose sand and rock at the bottom. At one point, vehicles lean toward the solid rock wall as they articulate over smaller rocks. Full-size vehicles need to take extra caution to keep their sheet metal clean.

McClintock Ridge, named for the ridgeline on which it runs, goes north off scenic Rim Road. Just getting to this trailhead is a visually splendid adventure as you drive along the Mogollon Rim with its dramatic forever views. Two picturesque canyons run parallel to the McClintock Ridge and merge just beyond the trail's end. To the west, deep and rugged Barbershop Canyon has a perennial spring-fed stream. Dane Canyon to the east has several springs as well. The little creek in Dane Canyon can be dry in stretches interspersed with wonderful deep pools. If you camp on McClintock Ridge, take a walk down into one of the side canyons. In late Summer and Fall, there are tasty wild blackberries and raspberries to pick. Crayfish and darters scurry through the pools in Barbershop. The ruins of an old cabin supposedly used by Zane Grey, the famous western novel author, sit on the east side of Dane Canyon at Dane Spring. Elk and other animals are plentiful. Expect to see elk and possibly wild turkeys early and late in the day.

Buckhead Ridge is an easy trail made of packed dirt and rock that leads directly to the edge of Oak Creek Canyon. At the end of the trail, there are stunning views of the West Fork of Oak Creek, the rugged canyon walls, and Humphrey's Peak in the distance. This is a premiere campsite. You can pitch your tent here to wake up overlooking the canyon. The campsite can accommodate 5-6 vehicles, provides ample shade from the trees above, and also has a rock fire ring as an added bonus.

An old miner's shack called Deer Trail Lodge is located north of Alamo Lake. Surrounded by Palo Verde trees and Saguaro Cacti, this hidden spot is a popular destination for campers and adventurers. The cozy one-room dry cabin has a wood stove, picnic table, and an outdoor campfire ring. The area is rich with small mines such as Bonanza, Cactus Queen, Deer Trail, and numerous other prospects and mines to explore throughout the region. Visitors can enjoy a lake view while enjoying the quiet and dark night skies that come with being 50 miles from the nearest town.

If exploring old cabins is something you enjoy, check out McGuffie and Rockhouse cabins too!

Hidden Canyon, also known as Nutter Twists Road, connects County Road 130 to a network of remote canyons, including Rattlesnake, Last Chance, St. George, and Jump Canyons. It eventually meets Black Canyon (BLM 1007) near Pakoon Springs. The route can be traveled in either direction, but it requires an aggressive high clearance Four Wheel Drive vehicle with low-range gearing due to steep wash crossings and basketball-sized boulders to contend with. Any rain event can quickly change conditions due to the numerous washes, so use caution.

The description here begins in the south at County Road 103, the road starts on a rocky surface and follows the edge of a fairly deep wash. As you continue north, the route begins to cross the wash repeatedly while canyon walls rise around you and become tall and dramatic. Farther along, the canyon opens into a broad area with several historic corrals and trailheads that branch into other canyons. As the terrain widens, views of Hidden Rim come into sight and tower above the landscape.

The vegetation in this area begins to change. Cholla cactus and Joshua trees become more common as you climb higher. Signs warn that the road ahead is meant for Four Wheel Drive vehicles only and that only experienced drivers should continue. Along the northern edge of the Grand Wash Cliffs Wilderness, the surface becomes increasingly rocky and includes short sections of minor rock crawling. Some stretches are on wider, single-vehicle-width roads, high above steep drop-offs into the wash below. The views into the wilderness are exceptional, with buttes and knobs rising in all directions. The road ends where it meets BLM 1007.

Several corrals in the wider parts of the route make comfortable places to stop for lunch or to stretch your legs. An old mine is located along the way and was most likely a copper or silver prospect. A small stone structure can be seen from the road nearby. Many roads in this region bear names that originated from early ranching families who established the original travel routes. Although there is no written record connecting the Nutter family to this road, the naming pattern suggests it was taken from a ranching family, while the word twists likely refers to the winding nature of the route.

Camping is available near the southern end of the road and at several of the corral areas along the way.