Table Mesa Road - West
New River, Arizona (Yavapai) Technical Rating: 1-3
Last Updated: 11-17-2016
Permit Required - Click Here
New River
Black Canyon City
Upper Terminator TV3 , Lower Terminator TV2, Table Mesa Area, Old Black Canyon Highway, Black Canyon OHV Trail, Little Pan Mine Road, TMRA 9994, TMRA Pipeline Trail
BLM / Table Mesa Recreation Area
Table Mesa Road - West Highlights
The main attraction of Table Mesa Road is that it gives access to many other more exciting off-road trails throughout the BLM's Table Mesa Recreation Area. Table Mesa Road is split between State Trust Land and a BLM recreation area managed by the Hassayampa BLM Field Office. This dirt road leads to a wide variety of trails designed to be enjoyed by a variety of outdoor enthusiasts from overland trails to rock crawling. It includes areas for motorcycles, ATV's, and full size modified four-wheel drive vehicles.
Technical rating: (1-3) Easy
Dirt road. Rutted, washes, or gulches. Water crossings up to 6" depth. Passable mud. Grades up to 10 degrees. Small rocks or holes. 4WD recommended but 2WD possible under good conditions and with adequate ground clearance and skill. No width problems for any normal vehicle. Vehicle passing spots frequently available if less than two vehicles wide.
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Directions to Trailhead
The easiest way to access the Table Mesa Road is from I-17 exit 236. However, this requires a State Trust Land Permit (see the "Access issues" section below) as you will be crossing State Trust Land on the section closest to the freeway.
Heading north on I-17, the sign at the end of the exit ramp points towards the eastern end of Table Mesa Road. Instead, turn left (west) then take the first right to get onto the Frontage Road. If heading south on the Interstate, the Table Mesa Road exit will loop around to the Frontage Road where you'll turn left onto it. The Frontage Road will take you north to an intersection with Table Mesa Road and the southern end of AZCO Mine Road; just shy of the BLM land area.
To avoid State Trust Land, you can enter the Table Mesa Recreation Area from Old Black Canyon Highway, Black Canyon OHV Trail. Once in the Table Mesa Recreation Area, you can take AZCO Mine Road south to Table Mesa Road, but you'll still end up on State Trust Land at that point. You'll have to wind your way around on some other more technical off-road trails to completely avoid any State Trust Land (such as taking 9999 to 9998 to 9994 to 9997).
The Table Mesa Area includes State Trust Land, private land, and land managed by the Hassayampa BLM Field Office. It has trails that can be enjoyed by a variety of outdoor enthusiasts and 4wd vehicles. It includes areas for motorcycles, ATV's, and full size modified off-road vehicles. While the main dirt roads (Table Mesa / 9997, and Little Pan Mine / 9998) are well maintained throughout much of the area - allowing any vehicle access - some of the most challenging off-road trails in Arizona can also be found here.
The BLM's Table Mesa Recreation Area also includes primitive dispersed camping and a staging spot with an ATV training area and vault toilets. There are also a lot of connecting roads and hiking / biking trails throughout the area that will take you to scenic views, including Little Grand Canyon. A lot of people also come here for target practice, which can only be done in certain areas.
There's certainly no shortage of outdoor fun throughout the Table Mesa area, and with the mild winters it can be enjoyed year around with summers being hot.
Trailhead GPS Coordinates:
33° 58' 5.48"N
112° 7' 43.58"W
Topo Maps:
GPS Exchange File:
Route Description
Table Mesa Road, designated as 9997 by the BLM is well-maintained provides access to this popular off-road area in Arizona. This dirt road is a hard packed and relatively smooth surface. Any vehicle can easily drive along this road.
There is also a southern spur of Table Mesa Road that is a bit harder to spot, and a bit harder to travel on. it is also on State Trust Land and behind a gate. See waypoint 12 for more details.
1: Frontage Road Intersection (0.0mi)
Head north once you reach this frontage road just west of I-17 exit 236. It is the easiest way to access Table Mesa Recreation Area and the portion of Table Mesa Road on the west side of I-17.
2: State Trust Land Staging Area (0.7mi)
There is a place to park your trailers here, but it also has signs all over the place about the need to have a State Trust Land Permit in this area. It's also not far from where the pavement ends and the Frontage Road turns to dirt.
3: Table Mesa Road (9997) and 9999 Intersection (2.8mi)
Table Mesa Road turns to the left (west) at this intersection. You can also continue straight (north) onto BLM road 9999 to exit State Trust Land more quickly.
4: BLM Staging Area (2.5mi)
This is one of the many areas within the Table Mesa Recreation Area where you can stop and park a trailer. It's also on BLM land, so no State Trust Land permit is needed. It is just west of where the State Trust Land ends.
5: 9954 / Old Mine Road Intersection (2.8mi)
Continue straight to stay on Table Mesa Road. Turning south at this point will take you to Old Mine Road (BLM road 9954), but don't blink or you could miss the turn.
6: Black Canyon Trail Parking Area (3.2mi)
Stay straight on Table Mesa Road, or turn into the parking area to find the trailhead onto 9995. The 9995 trail will take you to Little Grand Canyon, thus 9995 is also known as Little Grand Canyon Road. There is also parking here for the hiking and horseback riding trails, as well as camping just north on Little Grand Canyon Road.
7: Table Mesa Road Wash (3.5mi)
Table Mesa Road dips down into a wash that is prone to flooding during heavy rain. The wash its self is blocked off with signs noting that it's closed to motorized travel.
8: BLM 9953 Trail Intersection (3.7mi)
Stay Straight on Table Mesa Road, but you can also connect to BLM 9953 trail that heads south from here. North is fenced off and leads to an area restricted to BLM employees only as it houses the maintenance equipment for the Table Mesa Recreation Area.
9: BLM 9952 Trail Intersection (4.0mi)
Continue ahead to stay on Table Mesa Road, but be sure to notice that there is yet another trail accessible here as part of the BLM's Table Mesa Recreation Area.
10: Little Grand Canyon Ranch Intersection (4.0mi)
Stay to the left (south) on Table Mesa Road or you'll end up going down a trail marked as 9989 on the Table Mesa Route Map. This dirt road that "Y"'s off of Table Mesa Road takes you to Little Grand Canyon Ranch.
11: Boulder Creek Ranch & 9951 Intersection (4.4mi)
The BLM's Table Mesa Recreation Area stops here, but you do have some choices on where to go next. Table Mesa Road is also referred to as Boulder Creek Ranch Road because it heads straight to it. If you continue west from here you'll be entering into a Maricopa County park and eventually run into the Agua Fria river that feeds into Lake Pleasant.
Entering the lake Pleasant area does require a permit.
12: Table Mesa Rd & Pipeline Trail
This is a leftover from an older route for Table Mesa Road. This Southern Spur will take you from Pipeline Trail to Rock Springs Road, which will then take you to either Crabshoot, or an I-17 frontage road.
More details to come.
Access Issues
Since a portion of Table Mesa Road is in State Trust Land be sure to check out this link for more information about the required permit.
If you plan to travel further west beyond the Table Mesa Recreation Area, be sure to get a permit from Maricopa County
On the northwest side of Lake Pleasant, there is also another small detached section of Table Mesa Road that is still left over where Lake Pleasant didn't devour it, but as the saying goes: "you can't get there from here". If you want to find it, you'll have to get to the Northwestern side of Lake Plesant then take the eastern fork of Cow Creek Road. You might be able to get to it from Boulder Creek if the Lake Pleasant water levels are very low.
Camping and Lodging
Table Mesa Recreation Area includes primitive dispersed camping and a staging spots throughout. For more details see the BLM's web page.
You can also find plenty of hotel choices half-an-hour to the South in the Northern Phoenix area. There's also the Mountain Breeze Motel within Black Canyon City.
Seth Hollist
I've been writing for TrailsOffroad since August 2015. Before that I had been off-road in places like central and northern Utah, east and west Texas, and...
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