Smiley Rock

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4.5/5 (25 reviews)
Jerome, Arizona (Yavapai County)
Last Updated: 07/09/2021

Trail Information

Highlights

Just outside of Jerome, one of the most famous and ghostly mining towns in all Arizona, sits a rock that never stops smiling. Smiley Rock is one of the more famous off-road trails in the State and for good reason. The drive is challenging, but not overly difficult and provides inspiring scenery as you travel along the south edge of the Woodchute Wilderness Area inside the cool and shaded Martin Canyon. The main attraction is the rock with a smile set in stone. It sits there smiling at you and this is the type of trail in which you could honestly smile back.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Navigation

Trail Reviews

4.6/5 (25)
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1400
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 09/21/2023

I haven't done this trail before so I can't say if 'spot on' or 'harder'.....it was more than challenging for me and my wife....Jk 2dr with AEV2.5/33 and Bronco Sasquatch 2"/35. Bronco actually has a little less clearance than JK but both made it through with slight trail reminders. Good for experience and plenty of scenery. No photos/video as I was focused on not getting either stuck/ damaged ; ). Total time for us was about 4 hours from airing down just north of Jerome mine to finishing the trail at the campground toilet.
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 09/03/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Having not run this trail in a few years, I found it more difficult than I remembered. It was a bit difficult getting 3 stock Gladiator Mojave’s through, but we carefully made our way with some minor undercarriage battle scars. I would recommend a small lift for JT’s.
Trail Review: Smiley Rock - Bobby Rumbaugh
Trail Review: Smiley Rock - Bobby Rumbaugh
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Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 09/03/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

We did the trail with https://valleygladiators.com Club on September 3rd, 2023 driving UP to Jerome which is actually a little easier going that direction but not by much. We had 5 Gladiators in our group, including 3 stock Mojave's and a small trailer. It rained the night before so the trail leading up to Martin Canyon was wet and muddy but easily passable with a 4x4. The obstacles in Martin Canyon are a solid five and not recommended for those without proper equipment and experience. There are also OPTIONAL obstacles running in parallel with the trail in the wash that can easily reach 7 to 8 for those that are more adventurous. This trail is all about high clearance, the two Gladiators on 37’s and 4.5-inch lift had zero issues. The remaining stock Gladiators had to be spotted over 8 or so obstacles and made it through the Canyon with only minor scratches to the rock sliders. It took us 6 hours including a 45 minute lunch stop. Overall, this is a fun, scenic, and challenging trail and is a perfect escape from Phoenix scorching summer temperatures.
Trail Review: Smiley Rock - Russ TGN
Trail Review: Smiley Rock - Russ TGN
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Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 08/26/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

###Disclaimer I am dumb! ##### I did this gnarly trail at the last second without doing the research! That being said this trail was way above my paygrade. My rig is a 2015 Tacoma long bed with a 3.5 in lift kit on adjustable coilovers with rear leaf springs. Mistake #1 Brought two 12-year-old kids who don't like off-roading. Mistake #2 started up on Mingus MTN at the end of the trail at 330 PM. While starting the initial descent at the top 19 modified Ford Broncos passed us going up, yes they are spectacular looking but I wish someone would have said going the wrong way was a bad idea and the trail is GNARLY. Then I passed a bunch of modified Land Cruisers and Tacomas and they didn't say anything either. So the pinstriping is understated and the boulder fields seemed endless. Personally, I have never done boulders and said I would never do them either but I survived and so did my taco with lots of striping and a few hitch bangs. My buddy in the jeep had put his rig in crawl mode and just needed me to spot him on some of the harder parts. Here is where it gets fun we wanted to get back to 89a to head down to Prescott to get some dinner well which took us 6 hrs. Every way back to 89a on Google Maps is almost total bs. 90% of the trail "roads" to get back off of the fire road have fencing and gates or have waist-high grass and bushes so I didn't want us to start a fire with our exhaust. The sheriff had no idea as I met up with one on the other side of one of the many fences on E Mingus Vist Dr. Eventually, we found a dude out there doing doughnuts in a field hoping he could help. He started giving us some weird directions and had us follow him. When he stopped to give us further instructions he decided to hook us up and took us to a gate 800 yards down the fence we were trying to get through and unlocked it for us, 3 minutes later we were back on 89a. Now if I had followed the proper 318a road to Perkinsville/Chino I would have been home by 8 pm, not 230 AM. All in all, I am grateful that I was totally out of my comfort zone, I remained peaceful and earned some Grit points for doing something I said I would never do and my Taco performed amazingly. Hope yall get a good chuckle from this.
Trail Review: Smiley Rock - CJ Cowie
Trail Review: Smiley Rock - CJ Cowie
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Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 08/02/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

The directions to this trail are horrible if using Google. If you are South of Jerome, AZ it is going to take you into a dirt road neighborhood with no access to the trail. You must enter the town of Jerome and drive on FR 318, then take the junction to 318a (left turn), then you'll see the trail on the left after some time. The neighborhood DOES NOT have any access. Just a bunch of sour-faced old ladies wondering why you're driving on their road...
Trail Review: Smiley Rock - David Press
Trail Review: Smiley Rock - David Press

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