Sunflower Mine Loop

This trail has really ‘evolved’ in the 20+ years I’ve ran it. Hard to believe in its current state that I took my ‘88 Grand Wagoneer on 33’s through it back in the day. This trail has become much more of a rock crawling trail over the years and it doesn’t disappoint in that regard. After spending a lot of time wheeling my JT on milder trails, I was itching to get the YJ out since doing the CJ grill and hood conversion and stretch its legs. My trail companion was my buddy Eric in his highly modified TJ on coil overs and we had a great day! Higher elevations kept us out of the triple digits and there is always an abundance of shade. Being the middle of summer, the creek was dry, but the flora and fauna remained healthy and green. Climbing out of the canyon you’ll notice how the manzanita has flourished since the last wild fire and is threatening to take over the trail. Although the trail wasn’t difficult for our level of experience and vehicle modifications, a well set up rig and some technical trail driving experience is recommended. This trail is truly one of the gems in AZ, a state with many great trails!

Trail is very overgrown, so expect pinstriping. Lots of medium sized rocks are loose and unavoidable, which makes the trail always changing and challenging. Expect some rock rash on wheels. Great day on the loop. Solid 7 difficulty with every obstacle in the wash, probably a 6 with bypasses. The exit road has a washed out section that's unavoidable and a 25 degree tilt. Didn't see another vehicle.

If you do as much of the creek you can, I’d say it’s a bit harder than a 7.

Favorite Arizona trail!

Navigated this trail yesterday with a group of Jeepers in 4 doors on 40’s. It may have been a 5 rating for them but for someone on 35’s and a 2 door it was harder than a 5. Bead locks are a definite plus for a couple of obstacles, wish I had them. Do this trail with a group and you will enjoy it but be prepared for a long day of bouncing and crawling.

4 TJ's, one JK, and one Taco tackled this trail again with zero issues. Still one of our favorite trails! Very nice in the shade on a surprise 90+ degree day in March with cold water running in the creek.

5 Jeeps did this trail Sunday, 10/17. Trail is open but more challenging in the creek sections due to several downed trees blocking the optimal line and many boulders have moved. Just the right amount of water in the creek and many large clear pools to stop and enjoy. With an 830 start on the trail we were done at 3 with two long recoveries and a long lunch at the ice cream truck.

If the creek is running its more like an 8 rating. We were in a group of 11, we had the smallest tires (35) and got hung up many times as did many others. When it’s wet it’s a lot of fun.

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.

7 Rockers ran this challenging trail today and successfully made it through with only one winching required. This trail is extra challenging for anything long wheelbase such as a Gladiator or Taco. I would not attempt this solo without a full complement of recovery gear. Thanks to some very capable spotters we were able to get a non-lockered JKU through, also thanks to a calm driver with great throttle control. Slow and steady should be your mantra and the most obvious line is not necessarily the best one. More often than not I found that driving up the mountain face put you in the best position for the right angle to the next boulder. Bridge is open and Ice cream truck is still there. With three long breaks and one recovery this trail took us 7 hours. Depending on the size of your group I would add to the expected time. The area was VERY dry so I would be extra careful with campfires or parking positions with hot catalytic convertors. Luckily this area is still open after this Summer's devastating fired. East of Hwy 87 including Mt. Ord is still closed as are areas South such as Sycamore Creek and Log Corral. There was no water in the creek at this time.

Great trail and beautiful scenery. I saw many side by sides make it to the mine easily by bypassing some of the obstacles. No really big obstacles on the loop but you cross the creek several times (only a few inches deep) so wet tires make it more of a challenge. My Jeep did hit armor a few times, mostly on the gas tank skid & rear diff. The bridge was open and we didn't have any issues crossing. Stock, wide and low clearance vehicles will struggle. The trail that goes down to the mine is narrow and washed out in parts; parking is also limited at the bottom. I'd recommend parking up top and walking down. Overall a must do trail.

Very fun trail. If yo stay to the south and only go up to the mine I would call it a moderate trail. On that portion there is one small portion you must drive in the creek with a few large boulders. Now if you go North from the mine, this end of the trail become all creek bed and is difficult. You are going to and some scrapes for sure on that north end. Still very do able as I did it in my bone stock Rubicon, I needed the lockers and driving skills. I would not attempt this in any vehicle larger than a 4 wheel jeep, and you must be running 33s.

Went around the loop today and it was a great drive that took a little over three hours. Nice variety of Mountain View’s and a fair amount of time spent driving along and through a small stream. A few off camber sections and rocky river bottoms. No lockers needed and rigs with decent clearance and 33” tires and up should be able to run the trail without much issue. There are a few areas that tire placement is crucial to avoid dragging axles and low hanging parts. Bridge was in good shape and areas where land slide and washed out trail do exist have good bypass trail available.

With the rain and snow this is no longer an "easy" trail and definitely don't want to do this by yourself without good recovery gear and winch. I was in. Stock Jeep Wrangler and needed assistance at a couple points. Would say it is definitely a moderate and maybe even a difficult trail at this point.

Always a great time on this trail and plenty of challenges. There were a couple of freshly downed trees blocking our path but we were able to get through. The shelf trail exiting out of the canyon has another narrow washout on the drivers' side. I will be reporting it to the TRAL volunteers to hopefully get a team out to repair it before it becomes too narrow to pass. Our full-width axle rigs didn't have an issue and had room to spare.

This was a great trail that we ran on a Trails Offroad Meetup event. It has a great mix of rock crawling down low in the wash area and epic scenery along the shelf roads at the higher altitudes. Be sure you are built, there are a lot of rocks that can catch your diffs pretty easily.