This is one of Arizona's best legal rock crawling trails. Highway To Hell is technically 1.1 miles long, but can take a few hours to complete. This trail is HARD and has a high potential for body damage and breakage. There are a few tall and very rocky waterfall obstacles along the route that keep things very interesting. This trail will challenge even highly modified vehicles. Please be aware there are many active mining claims in the area that are considered out of bounds and should not be entered. The entire region is also home to many herds of cattle that can often pop up around a blind corner. As with all trails, proceed with caution in these areas. The trail has many hazards along the way, including the typical desert predators so please be cautious when outside the vehicle. Strap in for this trail, it will test your limits!
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You can run Woodpecker Trail to the entrance of Highway to Hell or take Ajax Mine Trail/Road to the Woodpecker Mine exit road.
From the north: Hwy 60 to Mineral Mountain Road, south for roughly 7 miles until the large rocky wash. Trail head on left marked with WP on large rocks. From the west: Hwy. 79 to Cottonwood Canyon Road (marked with blue signs), east for roughly 9 miles to Mineral Mountain Road left for a 1/4 mile, trailhead on right marked with WP on large rocks.
Arizona National Forests and State Lands are back open for travel. There are still some very important fire restrictions in place. These restrictions can often change by specific areas.
Due to extremely high fire danger, exceptional drought conditions, resource availability, and increased fire activity, the Department of Forestry and Fire Management and the Arizona State Land Department will implement closures to State Trust Land throughout Arizona. These closures are also in conjunction with our USFS partners.
As of 8am on June 25, 2021, closures will be implemented on state-owned and managed lands in all 15 counties. All state-owned and managed lands are closed to entry for recreational purposes, including hunting, camping, and off-road vehicle use. Target shooting and fireworks are prohibited year-round.
AZ State Land Closures Notice
WOW! We ran this trail for New Years Day as a great way to say goodbye to 2020. It did not disappoint! Definitely the hardest trail we've done so far. We did not have to take any bypasses and rock stacking was minimal (and mostly useless). The waterfalls are awe-inspiring and take careful planning. Some were easier for my TJ, others were easier for Ryan's JKUR. He had to power out of some of the waterfalls while I opted to winch twice when my shorter wheelbase proved to be a detriment in some of the deeper holes. Ryan had to winch once. We did not sustain any body damage, Ryan had one tippy moment that a proper application of throttle solved, and I noticed a leaking rear axle seal after I got home. The diffs took a beating as the loose boulders between the waterfalls proved to be sneaky at moving right into the way of one or the other. I would not place this trail in the buggy only category but I do not see winching as a failure- just another tool in the toolbox. Definitely for properly set up Jeeps only with capable experienced spotters and trusting drivers.
No matter how much I build my rig, this trail just keeps getting harder and keeping me from having a clean run. The rains always change the height of the waterfalls and right now they are all really tall. In my opinion this is a buggy trail only. If you have a full bodied rig just plan on body damage or potentially rolling over. I had to winch the first waterfall and one other that I have never had too. Lot's of other hard trails to run in the area if you're not up to this one.
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While living in the Midwest, I developed a passion for searching out new trails and hidden spots. That passion continues to this day in the beautiful southwestern United States. My wife and I are full-time RVers who travel from region to region, exploring every nook and cranny we can find. While getting to know the locals, we gain insight into these areas and then pass on that knowledge to our subscribers. We truly enjoy traversing long, beautiful back-country routes with epic campsites, but we equally enjoy pushing the limits on challenging rock crawling trails. Our rig was built to do everything, and that's what we hope to share with our subscribers.
Please visit our website https://www.xploremor.net to follow us and for opportunities to join us on our adventures. You can also view our vast video library on YouTube. Xploremor YouTube
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