Arizona Off-Road Trails

Rattlesnake Canyon offers a rewarding drive through the diverse landscapes of Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument. The route begins in Hidden Canyon, passing through an area some maps label the Hidden Hills, before climbing onto the Shiwits Plateau. Along the way, the scenery transitions through layers of rock, pinyon pine, and sagebrush.

The road is generally non-technical, though a few sections will cycle your suspension and may require four-wheel drive and higher clearance. Camping opportunities are limited to a handful of pre-disturbed sites, but several flat areas could work in a pinch. One especially interesting stretch passes an old coral and Rattlesnake Spring, though the water here is not suitable for drinking.

This route is suitable for any high clearance vehicle equipped with 4 low.

Cohenour Loop is a 17.5-mile loop trail that travels up Petroglyph Wash, then splits to form a loop. The rock art at the split in the trail is what gives Petroglyph Wash its name. Take time to make a quick stop here and explore the many etchings made in the volcanic rock to the left of the trail, before continuing on the trail. Turning right at the split will lead to the Cohenour mine, an old copper mine with spoil piles and diggings still visible. After the mine, you will crest a hill and descend before reaching the intersection of Gilbert Canyon Road. Turn left to continue on Cohenour Loop. Continue through the rocky landscape to the next intersection with Pope Mine Road, then turn straight onto Cohenour Loop. This section will pass through an open desert meadow prior to entering Petroglyph Wash to complete the loop. Cohenour Loop is a minimally maintained road and has minor erosion damage, but is easily passable by any high clearance 4WD vehicle.

2051 is a short connector trail linking Warner Valley Road and BLM #1036. It serves as a convenient shortcut when traveling north–south on 1036 and needing to access Warner Valley.

The road is almost entirely hard-packed dirt, with a few ups and downs. It is suitable for any high-clearance vehicle. The route is scenic, and a small section passes through private land. There are no pre-disturbed campsites along its short distance.

Boulder Creek Trail is a rugged, rewarding adventure through Arizona’s high desert. It quickly becomes very rocky, with bowling ball-sized rocks, and larger, dominating the path. The trail crosses the creek several times, winds through Saguaro cacti and Mesquite trees, and features tight brush that may leave pinstripes on your vehicle. Most of the year the creek is dry, but can fill up after a good monsoon rain. Make sure the water depth isn’t too high for your vehicle. At the end of the creek section, there’s one gate that needs to stay closed after passing through, and then you begin to climb the mountain. Soon, the trail becomes a shelf road, with exposure and great views.

Navigation is straightforward but demanding, with one washout toward the end that needs careful attention.

Overall, this trail suits experienced drivers with high-clearance vehicles. It’s slow-going due to the rocks and crossings, but the seclusion and desert scenery make it worthwhile.

Camping is available at the beginning and the end of the trail.

Sunset Crater Pit, FS 545B, is a straight-through forest road that parallels Highway 89 just outside Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. Popular with campers and overlanders, the route follows a hard-packed dirt surface scattered with small volcanic rock and offers numerous dispersed campsites with outstanding views of O'Leary Peak, Robinson Mountain, and Humphreys Peak. The southern half of the trail is generally smoother and more shaded, with several larger campsites suitable for travel trailers, RVs, and extended camp setups. Conditions become rougher on the northern half, where a 2022 wildfire removed much of the vegetation and left the area more susceptible to erosion. Here, drivers can expect sections of exposed volcanic rock up to 8–10 inches in size and washout ruts reaching 10–16 inches deep. While the route remains manageable for most high-clearance vehicles in dry conditions, the roughest campsites and obstacles may challenge lower-clearance SUVs. Campsites in the burn area are large and open but offer little protection from wind, dust, or sun. Whether you're looking for a quick overnight stop or a basecamp for exploring the Sunset Crater region, this trail provides easy access to scenic high-desert camping with mountain views in every direction.

This trail is a challenging Arizona desert 4x4 route featuring softball to bowling ball-sized rocks that test tire grip and suspension, along with rocky ledges, steep hills, and descents requiring good ground clearance, low-range gearing, and solid driving skills. The rugged path winds through scenic Sonoran Desert terrain dotted with iconic Saguaro cacti, mesquite, and palo verde trees.

The trail concludes with a crossing of the Agua Fria River, so always check water levels beforehand—flows can rise quickly and become hazardous or impassable after rain.

No campsites were located.

Traveling 39 miles from the desert to the pines, Rock House is the longest and most remote stretch along the Tonto Discovery Trail. Open year-round and ideal for stock-type 4x4s, the trail makes for a wonderful day run or a memorable part of your overland adventure around the Tonto National Forest. The southern portion, beginning along Cherry Creek, is in the prickly desert and is a semi-graded road with long, loose hills winding into the pinyon pines above 6000'. The northern portion is within the pines, beginning along Young Highway, with cooler temperatures.

The moderate rating is because the trail is remote, has miles of exposed ledges, and loose hill climbs with small rock steps requiring off-road tires, high clearance, and low range. The entire route can be completed in 4-5 hours, but the camping along the route begs you to stick around a little longer. There are 6-8 wonderful campsites at various elevations along the trail. A couple of the campsites have room for a small overland group of 3-4 vehicles with tents. 

Tonto Discovery Trail is a 500-plus-mile OHV route that spans all regions of the Tonto National Forest.

Note: Cherry Creek is partially closed. The closure does not affect access to FR 202, Rock House.

4352C is a short spur trail that leaves one wondering why it was cut in the first place. Unlike the surrounding trails that lead to mines, prospects, and wells, 4352C offers a more subdued off-road experience. It's a trail that is probably best left for nature to reclaim but still provides a scenic drive above a small wash. The most interesting part of this trail is an X formed with bull quartz that a previous explorer left behind at the end of the trail. 4352C may not be the most thrilling off-road trail in the area, but it still offers a chance to escape into nature and enjoy a pretty drive.

Hualapai Wash Road is a 16-mile out-and-back trail that follows the Hualapai Wash down to the Hualapai Bay on Lake Mead. This scenic trail travels along the sandy wash, passing through desert flora such as creosote bushes and white bursage. The trail is shallow, loose sand with a few small rocks to negotiate. The bay at the end of this trail is a beautiful area to relax or stop for lunch. Primitive camping is allowed in Hualapai Bay.

FR 546 is a scenic ten-mile cinder two-track loop around O'Leary Peak starting at the Sunset Crater National Monument and ending back at US-89. This is a great trail to take if you're already planning to visit Sunset Crater (and you should!) or if you're going to hike in the Strawberry Crater Wilderness to the east. There is a lot of open space and high-quality dispersed camping along spurs off FR546. Views range from decent to excellent as the mountainous heights of the San Francisco Peaks to the west drop quickly down into the Painted Desert canyons of the Hopi and Navajo Nations to the east, with O'Leary Peak and Sunset Crater thrown in for good measure. You'll find several roadside campsites along the road as well, and they'll usually be vacant because this part of Flagstaff gets little traffic. The closed roads on the north slopes of O'Leary Peak are excellent for mountain biking, hiking, and backpacking, with no cars, great views, and your choice of elevation gain.

Sunshine Trail Road runs north-south through a good chunk of the famed Arizona Strip. It is marked as BLM 1035, which starts near St. George, but this guide only includes the portion that begins at the Sunshine Loop trail guide and runs south all the way to Navajo Trail (County Road 30). The surface is dirt with protruding rocks. There are no technical obstacles, but it may become impassable when wet due to the presence of mud. Free-range cattle will be prevalent depending on the time of year.

Once over Joe Blake Hill, the road will continue south, splitting what is known as the West Mesa and East Mesa before giving way to impressive views of the Hurricane Cliffs off the east.

While there are plenty of flat playas to camp on, pre-disturbed sites are scarce.

I-17 Access Trail winds through the scenic Sonoran Desert on a mostly dirt surface with occasional softball-sized rocks that add a bit of technical driving without being overly difficult. A stock 4x4 can comfortably complete the route under normal conditions. The trail provides access to Interstate 17 and ends at a ranch gate that must be left as you found it, so please close the gate behind you to help protect grazing areas and maintain access for future travelers.

An Arizona State Trust Land Recreation Permit is required.

Towers Mountain, located in the Bradshaw Mountains just northwest of Crown King, gets its name from the historic fire lookout tower built at its summit. The 7,590-foot peak features a rich history of the 1860s gold rush and a century of active wildfire monitoring.

Unfortunately, as of April 2025, the tower is no longer accessible. If you connect Old Towers Mountain Road to Gladiator Mine Road, you will get a nice tour of the mountain and see great views to the north and south. This route travels through residential areas, so please be courteous and keep dust to a minimum.

The road has a few mild washouts, scattered baseball-sized to softball-sized rocks, many twists and turns, a few steep hills, and tight switchbacks.

No camping is available.

Nestled deep in the desert landscape, the Anderson Mill trail begins as an easygoing, smooth dirt road before transitioning into a scenic and smooth desert wash. As you navigate the route, the trail is richly framed by classic Sonoran Desert flora, featuring towering saguaro cactus, resilient palo verde trees, prickly cholla, sturdy creosote bushes, and vibrant ocotillo. Along the way, keen-eyed drivers will likely spot plenty of local wildlife, including an abundance of quail darting through the brush.

Past the historic remnants of the mill, the trail adds a touch of excitement with a single small-step obstacle to test your vehicle's clearance. This manageable challenge adds just the right amount of off-road engagement without sacrificing the overall cruiser-friendly nature of the drive. Combining fascinating local history, diverse desert scenery, and lively wildlife encounters, Anderson Mill offers a thoroughly rewarding getaway for off-roaders looking to soak up the desert's natural beauty.

Please use extreme caution if you decide to explore the site, as the structure is very old and rusty. On the north side of the mill, you will find a parking area with a fire ring for camping. Any stock, high clearance vehicle can enjoy this trail, but keep in mind it’s a sandy wash, and there's always the possibility of getting stuck. 4x4 is recommended. If you don't want to do any trails that are more difficult, turn around and follow the map back to the beginning. All other trails beyond this route are rated moderate or difficult.

St. George Canyon is one of the main roads used to drive deep into the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument. Starting from the north, it passes abandoned ranch operations before dropping into the canyon. Recent repair work has been done to fix apparent flash flood damage. Inside the canyon, the views are minimal with no camping.

Anticipate the road changing drastically after rain events; it is best to avoid this road altogether during a hard rain. Suitable for any high-clearance SUV or truck with 4-low gearing.

Gregg's Hideout Road is a 37-mile out-and-back trail that travels from Pierce Ferry Road to the Gregg's Hideout on Lake Mead. Before Lake Mead was created, this was the location of Mike Scanlon's ferry from 1881 to the early 1900s. This ferry service aided prospectors and early settlers of the area. In 1891, Tom Gregg took over the ferry service and renamed it Gregg's Ferry until the creation of Lake Mead. There is a rumor that Tom was hiding from the law, which is why the place is called Gregg's Hideout. The trail is a combination of dirt and sand. The first section is a well-maintained county road. After entering the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the road begins to deteriorate, with erosion damage along the edges of the trail. The last portion of the trail is loose sand. Gregg's Hideout Road provides great views of the high desert, with scattered creosote bush, joshua trees, and buckhorn cholla.

Windmill Trail winds through the rugged beauty of the Sonoran Desert on a mostly dirt surface with occasional softball-sized rocks and a few shallow ruts that may require careful tire placement. A stock 4x4 vehicle can complete the trail easily under normal conditions. Along the route sits an old windmill that once pumped water for cattle, a reminder of the area’s ranching history and the importance of scarce desert water sources. Please note that camping is prohibited within one-quarter mile of any water source, to help protect wildlife and to preserve access for livestock in this fragile desert environment.

Gladiator Mine Road in Crown King, Arizona, traces its roots back to the late 19th-century mining boom in the Bradshaw Mountains. Named after the area's prominent copper, gold, and silver operation, the road follows the historic, rugged paths carved out by early prospectors. Today, it's mostly used by owners of private property, homes, and cabins.

Tight and twisty at the summit, the trail widens into a gravel road as you head down. Watch out for the many switchbacks along the way. Please be courteous and keep dust to a minimum as you will be driving through residential areas. Connecting this trail to Towers Mountain Road makes a nice loop around the mountain above Crown King.

No camping is available, and seasonal snow can close the road temporarily.

Connecting Rockhouse Cabin and McCracken Mine Road, this old mining trail connects both destinations without the need to backtrack the entirety of either of those trails. This is a 1.25-mile-long, straight-through trail on hard-pack and solid rock surfaces. The entire trail winds along the mountain's profile and is a single lane with occasional turnoffs crossing many drainage planes/ dips. There is decent rutting and several loose washes to navigate through, but no major obstacles. Mild vegetation overgrowth may cause pinstriping on longer or wider vehicles. This trail is suitable for drivers with medium experience and a four-wheel drive with higher than stock ground clearance due to the rutted off-camber bench portion of the road.

If you’re looking to camp near the Burnt Corral area but want to avoid the crowds, this is the spot. A slightly more challenging approach keeps most RVs away, offering a quieter experience.

Several larger campsites can accommodate 3–4 rigs each, all perched above Apache Lake with outstanding views. While there’s no direct water access from this trail, the scenery more than makes up for it.

The trail and campsites are mostly hard-packed dirt with some rocks, but overall remain relatively flat and easy to navigate.

This is a scenic drive to the Reavis Ranch Hiking Trailhead, making it an easy access point for one of the more iconic hikes in the region. The route is predominantly hard-packed dirt and relatively smooth.

As the trail gradually climbs, it winds through gentle curves along a moderate shelf road. While the surface remains manageable for most vehicles, drivers should stay alert for blind corners and limited visibility in sections along the hillside. Oncoming traffic is possible, so caution and controlled speeds are recommended for safety.

At the top, you’ll find a parking area with space for approximately 8–10 vehicles. The end of the trail itself is a highlight—offering sweeping, elevated views of Apache Lake that rank among the best vantage points in the area.

There are no suitable or designated camping areas along this trail.

The trail travels through the heart of the beautiful Sonoran Desert, surrounded by towering Saguaro Cactus and classic desert scenery. It features numerous tight twists and turns that wind through washes and hillsides, keeping drivers engaged as they navigate the rugged terrain. Expect a series of steep climbs and descents that add both challenge and excitement while providing excellent views of the surrounding desert landscape.

Serving as a scenic backway to Rock Springs, the route includes a detour designed to avoid private property, so it is important to stay on the established trail. Drivers should remain alert for oncoming traffic, especially around blind corners and narrow sections. Fortunately, there are plenty of pull-offs along the route, making it easy to yield and allow other vehicles to pass safely. The combination of desert beauty, rolling terrain, and remote backcountry travel makes this trail a rewarding adventure for off-road enthusiasts.

You can drive this route in either direction and will be treated to a variety of geological wonders. Jump Canyon lies within a zone where the Muddy Creek Formation is prominently exposed. This formation is made of soft, poorly cemented volcanic sediments that erode into alcoves, caves, and distinctive honeycomb patterns known as tafoni. Along the way, several springs appear, historically used by ranchers for watering cattle. These springs also support noticeably greener vegetation compared to the surrounding landscape.

The road crosses several washes, and while these crossings require high clearance and Four Wheel Drive, the route is generally non-technical. Clearance is the primary concern, and it's the wash crossings that make the trail a mild to moderate. Camping is available in a few locations, typically near corrals or water tanks.

Historic Sidebar: The Abandoned Water Truck

Along this route sits an old yellow water truck, slowly returning to the landscape after decades of exposure. The vehicle is a mid-1950s GMC medium-duty tanker, likely used by ranchers or road crews who worked the Arizona Strip during the height of its cattle-grazing era. These trucks hauled water to remote corrals, filled stock tanks, and occasionally served as ad-hoc fire suppression rigs in an area where natural springs were scarce.

The tires and body tell the story of how long it has been here. The bias-ply tires predate modern DOT markings, placing their manufacture in the 1950s or 1960s, and the heavy weathering suggests the truck was abandoned sometime between the late 1960s and early 1980s. Since then, sun, frost, and sand have slowly stripped away the paint, leaving bullet-pocked steel and rusted fittings behind.

Although no written record survives of who last operated it, this water tender stands as a reminder of the practical challenges of ranching in the Strip’s remote canyon country. In a region where every drop mattered, trucks like this kept cattle and cowboys supplied long before modern wells and pipelines reached the area.

As an extension of El Paso Gas Pipeline Road, Chalk Hill Trail offers a noticeably more demanding adventure, featuring larger obstacles, off-camber sections, and terrain that requires careful tire placement and driver focus.

The trail's most notable challenge is Chalk Hill, a technical obstacle that tests both vehicle capability and driver skill. A bypass route is available, and anyone wanting to attempt the obstacle should avoid doing so alone. The risk of a rollover is real.

The trail rewards those willing to take on its challenges with expansive desert views and a true sense of backcountry exploration. However, the terrain demands constant attention. Steep climbs, moderate ledges, and rocks ranging from baseball-sized to bowling-ball-sized create a relentless and engaging drive from start to finish.

A scenic campsite, overlooking a rock quarry, provides a place to stop and take in the surroundings before continuing on. The trail concludes with a steep, rocky descent, and then a steep ascent that connects to Table Mesa Road. Drivers should remain alert for cross traffic as they re-enter the more traveled route.