Deep in the heart of the Mazatzal wilderness is a trail full of Saguaro fields, washes, and great camp sites. If this trail sounds like fun to you, then you need to head up to Four Peaks and check out Forest Road 11. While it doesn't offer the most jaw-dropping views, it does offer seclusion and plenty of intersecting trails to entertain your inner explorer.
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The trail is great with lots of secluded stopping points. There is one spot between waypoints 4 and 5 where it’s a pretty steep dip. Plenty of obstacles for an easy trail and pretty great for how accessible it is.
I can honestly say, days like today are why we live in Arizona. It was sunny and a perfect temperature. We had an absolute blast with 8 other Broncos today on Forest Trail 11. We met at the trailhead at 10 am and quickly aired down. By 10:15, 7 Broncos were heading out on the trail. Before we turned off the main road onto trail 11, we heard on the radio of another Bronco coming up to us. We pulled over and were joined by another Bronco.
Now our herd had grown to 8 Broncos. Heading down the trail you could see where the rain had done some damage to the trail. Luckily we were able to navigate around the washouts.
After navigating around a couple rough spots on the road we reached the bottom of the hill and entered the wash and proceeded downstream. Shortly after entering the wash we spotted a water tank and windmill so we turned off the route to investigate and take the obligatory photos.
Again we headed back downstream in the creek bed. Approaching a rock obstacle you could see that there was tire tracks going around it to the left. Stopping to investigate, we quickly determined that going over the rock ledge wasn't in the best interest of rear bumper or our shorts for that matter.
Once everyone was around safely we took the opportunity to show the others how capable these rigs are. SeeMore attempted to climb the ledge in several spots. Realizing that the breakover was a little too much, SeeMore backed down and did a more prudent climb up the right side of the obstacle.
About another mile down the trail there was a giant rock outcropping just begging to be driven over by the mighty Bronco herd. This was a perfect opportunity to try your hand at climbing a steep obstacle with little fear of damage. The incline was still a impressive 25° going up and 20° going down the other side.
Once everyone got a turn at the climb and descend we had them take their Broncos on the sidehill and it was an intimidating 18° which may not sound like much, until your the one in the drivers or passengers seat. As we were just finishing up, along came another Bronco. We showed him what we were doing and had him try the obstacle as well.
Now that everyone was done practicing we continued on our way down the trail. Stopping for a few more photo ops along the way.
Back at the highway we pulled over to begin the process of airing up our tires. We bid our farewells to everyone and wished those going back on the trail safe travels.
All in all this is a very easy trail, suitable for most any vehicle. Very little traffic and only a few people camping or shooting throughout the trail.
Happy Trails!
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.
Tonto National Forest officials will close the state’s largest national forest due to ongoing extreme fire danger beginning at 8 a.m. on Friday, June 25. The forest is implementing this forest closure as a precaution to protect the health and safety of the public, employees and firefighters by reducing the risk of human-caused fires.
No one is allowed in the closure area, including Forest Service personnel, unless they are responding to a wildfire or other emergency or patrolling to ensure enforcement of the closure. The order shall remain in effect until July 31, 2021 or until rescinded, whichever occurs first. Residents or businesses using roads in the restricted area to the extent necessary to access their private property are exempt.
The #TontoNF will be terminating the Bush Post Fire Flooding Public Safety Closure Order effective Friday, Feb. 5, 2021, at 8 a.m.
In mid-June of last year, the Bush Fire scorched almost 200,000 acres on the Mesa and Tonto Basin Ranger Districts in the Four Peaks Area. Following the fire, a Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team conducted assessments to identify impacts and recommend actions for mitigating risk in and around the burned area.
The Bush Fire is burning around and through the Four Peaks region. The trail will remain closed for a while. I have attached a link to the Bush Fire Incident Site that has more details about the fire.
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/6773/51960/
By the looks of the video posted, that was filmed shortly after a large storm rolled through. Some friends an I went out there last weekend and it was much smoother. It's an easy drive but fun and the views are gorgeous. We, however, took the trail in reverse of this video. Sandy, some beautiful cliff side views, and a solid connection to 4 peaks to either head up the mountain or back to the Rolls.
Drove trip solo and was quicker than expected. Nice easy drive. Rating probably a little high for actual conditions, 2-4 seems more appropriate, except for the ledge of course. Vehicle 2014 Toyota 4runner trail. Stock.
Trail is open.
Vehicles - 2017 Tacoma TRD Off Road, 2016 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2005 Chevy 1500 4x4, 2006 Nissan Frontier Nismo.
All vehicles stock. No issues. Line selection/speed is key in some areas. 3 wheeling is possible in some sections.
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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.
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