Bloody Basin Road

The trail has become more difficult at the end. The rating has been adjusted to reflect these conditions; please use caution. Thank you for all the trail condition feedback.

I did the trail from cave creek and I don’t know if the rain jacked up this trail or what but it’s definitely harder than a 1 rating right now. Beautiful views and awesome bridge. Make sure you head out early. This is a slow trail towards the end.

I also ran this trail on 8/13/22, and from waypoint 25 through 28, the trail is MUCH harder than the current rating. It ran harder than Cave Creek (rated 2 which I felt was accurate). It ran more like a 3. Since the current rating is a 1 (fair rating through waypoint 25) I think “management” should consider updating it. I was ok in my rig; others might try it with a much lesser capable vehicle and get in trouble. Edit: forgot my stars rating and want to tip my hat to those that updated the difficulty rating.

We hit the trail in search of the Sheep's Bridge. We had a small group and moved pretty quickly but it was still a very long day on the trail. The area is also extremely busy with other OHV users. Overall, the trail was great. The bridge has apparently become a big party spot but there wasn't a whole lot of garbage which was refreshing.

After last Wednesday's snow, we postponed our trip here from Friday to Monday. Trail was open and very dry and dusty. Although this trail is correctly rated a "1" and "Easy", it's no picnic. The last 11 miles are extremely rocky, with 4-6" rocks everywhere, which means it's bumpy and slow going. The trip to Sheep Bridge took us a good three hours one-way and that was with minimal stops. There is no way a passenger car should attempt this road. The annoying thing about this road is the number of bottles and cans discarded along this beautiful landscape. It's hard to understand how people can be so thoughtless, inconsiderate and disrespectful. Sheep Bridge was scenic and picturesque. The weather was a perfect 81 degrees at the bridge. We also visited the hot springs, which are down a short trail to the left of the bridge. Finally, there were a few stream crossings. Nothing deep, just enough water to capture a few good photos.

Great trail, very scenic. Gets real rocky and bumpy past cave creek (fr24) that’s also where you’ll start seeing SXS traffic. Took us all day and we did not do any side trails.

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

The Backbone Fire has closed the area. Extreme fire restrictions are in effect. Coconino National Forest is closed and it's expected Tonto NF will close soon. To help fire crews, please avoid the area. Backbone Fire Inciweb

The road in National Forest managed areas is temporarily closed due to the Backbone Fire. https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd924560.pdf

The Verde River Sheep Bridge Anyone who knows me, knows that I love chasing archaeology in the surrounding areas. That would include ghost towns, mining towns, indigenous peoples ruins, rock art and much more. Yesterday while exploring we found a very cool hot springs resort way out in the middle of the desert. Upon returning, We did some Google searches and found the nightly rate at that spa was $2000 per couple per night. That’s a little too steep for a spring fed mineral bath. So the next best thing, go find our own natural Hot Springs. After a little research we decided we were going to head up the mountain to find the natural hot spring in the area of the sheep’s bridge. Because we had a definite destination we traveled right on by the many indigenous peoples ruins in the area. Can I say, the area in and around Agua Fria national Monument is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to go four wheeling. The road was in good condition but extremely rocky, which made for a very slow commute. It was about a 38 mile dirt road that took us just under three hours. But it was so worth it. What a cool place to see and with amazing history. Verde River Sheep Bridge is a historic suspension bridge spanning the Verde River about 30 miles north of Carefree, Arizona. It is found at the end of the 36 mile long Bloody Basin Road from I-17 or about 30 miles north of Carefree. The area surrounding the Verde River, which includes much of Bloody Basin, is lush and was a favorable location for grazing animals. In 1926, under permit from the U.S. Forest Service, sheep herders began using the area as they moved sheep between winter grazing areas in the south and summer grazing areas in the north. There was a problem however. The Verde River was a formidable obstacle and while swimming sheep across the river, it was not uncommon to lose a few sheep at each crossing. An early solution to this problem was a pontoon bridge built at Red Creek, about 6 miles north of the current Sheep Bridge. A suspension bridge was later built and used for about 3 years at Tangle Creek. This worked, but the bridge would have to be disassembled and reassembled each time a herder wanted to cross since flash flooding could sweep the bridge away. A more permanent solution was needed The Flagstaff Sheep Company, which owned around 11,000 head of sheep, decided to construct a permanent bridge over the Verde at the current site. A road to the site was built in 1943 and construction began immediately. Because construction took place during WWII, supplies were limited and the bridge was largely built out of surplus materials from the area. The cables on the bridge were brought from old mine tramways at the Bluebell and Golden Turkey Mine to the west. The bridge was completed in 1944 for a cost of $7,277. The supports were originally built out of wood and later reinforced with concrete.Sheep Bridge was used by sheep herders until 1978. The bridge sat for 10 years and was weakened from years of use followed by years of flooding. In 1988, the old bridge was disassembled and the current bridge was built by the Forest Service in 1989. Portions of the old bridge remain today on the west banks of the Verde. The bridge today is primarily used by curious travelers and those hiking into the Mazatzal Wilderness to the east. Combined with other historical stops in the area, it makes for an interesting day of exploring. The walkway spans over 400’ across the Verde River which flows year ‘round. Exploring each bank you can find large anchor points where the steel cables are sturdily affixed to the rock. Numerous foundations (including a hot spring) can be found on the west banks of the Verde and mark the former homestead of sheep herders when the bridge was in use. Enjoy exploring the area and the opportunity to look back into a unique part of Arizona’s ranching.

We always LOVE this trail. Not especially for the 4-wheeling but for the exploration of history in the area. This trail leads to amazing location. The Perry Mesa is home to over 400 archeological sites.

This is a great trail. Having family in town I was looking for something close to explore. Very scenic for the sparse desert area it’s in. Was closed where it meets the Tonto National Forest due to fire danger. Great “tame” road to soak up the views of the rolling hills and grasslands.

This was a very fun and relatively easy trail, mostly dirt roads with a few shallow water crossings. Be advised if you are going all the way to Sheeps Bridge the last 10 miles are extremely bumpy. After you pass FR24/Cave Creek Rd. it begins to slow down, Its nothing too difficult just really slow. We ended up loosing a sway bar bolt on the way out and had to use some cattle fence wire to hold it in place and get us home. Apparently its a common Subaru issue with that particular bolt, so dont let that scare you away from this trail. All in all it was a fun trail and I have recommended it to multiple friends. It was warm and busy on the day we went. The warm weather would normally not be an issue because when you get to the bridge you can cool off in the Verde River, however this was a busy Saturday and very few spots around the shore line were available. We also did not make it to the hot springs due to the crowds and it already being 110 degrees outside. This was a good fun trail, and I will definitely do it again in the future. 2018 Subaru Crosstrek 1.5" ADF Lift 235/75R15 Toyo AT2

Very simple but very fun trail! I went in spring and there were very few obstacles. The several water crossings were not deep in the least (but still fun). The views are beautiful, and the destination makes it all worth it. The river underneath the sheep bridge is wonderful. We spent a few hours on the rope swing and then camped under the stars. I would definitely recommend this trail even to seasoned off roaders because of the scenery. You can always check out my instagram (@tvincent92) for my pictures or to ask me trail questions!

Had a lot of fun, this one really takes you out in the middle of nowhere. There are some really pretty petroglyphs right after the sheep's bridge, they have been vandalized but are still visable. thre is a little cove turn off with some rocks on the left side and you will see them one rock has a big stray painted V on it. The route was beautiful there was a rare super bloom before the bridge with thousands of flowers. The Bloody Basin part was well maintained some rough patches and some slick areas becareful taking some of the mountain turns.

Managed to catch it on a snow day. Amazing trip! Beautiful views, especially the high point when heading east. The stretch between Seven Springs Rd and the Sheep Bridge is pretty rough, so you won't want to tackle that in a car, but much of the rest of the road is usually in pretty good shape and doesn't really require 4x4 if the weather is nice.

I have done this trail at least a dozen times. Very easy trail; saw 2wd passenger cars make it to the bridge several times but they had some minor damage. The last 10 miles are bumpy and should be taken slow. It takes about 4 hours one way. There is a natural hot spring below the bridge. I'd say the water is about 80 degrees. One of my favorite places to camp is under the bridge area along the Verde. If it's too hot, go in the rvier. A little cool, jump in the hot spring. It tends to get a little crowded on weekends during the fall & spring. Watch out for rattle snakes.

We actually used bloody basin to get out to the I17 after visiting the sheep's bridge from cave creek. I was surprised to see so little trash on the trail. This is definitely an area to come back and visit again, so much to see if you know where to look. Great scenery and smooth road.

I drove on Bloody Basin back in June. Conditions remain the same. Good. A 2 wheel drive vehicle can drive this. Even an car with enough patience. This road is a gateway to other trails but also joins the road down to Carefree which is also passenger vehicle friendly.