Outlaw Trail

5/5 (11 reviews)
Sedona, Arizona (Coconino County)
Last Updated: 10/23/2017

Trail Information

Highlights

Ancient Indian ruins, seclusion, and wide open panoramic views are what you get with this off-road trail just outside of Sedona, Arizona. Starting off at the Honanki Indian Heritage site, this route travels 6.5 miles through the Coconino National Forest on an old, and much less traveled ranching road. Leave the people behind and enjoy the breathtaking views of the Sedona red rocks, Mingus Mountain, and many other surrounding mountain ranges. This is a nice and easy wheeling trail with lots of great scenery, and a few small challenging rock crawls to hone your off-roading skills.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Navigation

Trail Reviews

5/5 (11)
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 01/07/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

This was the first trail I've run west of the Mississippi. I'd say most of the trail fits the 2 category, but the beginning (assuming you start at the ruins on the north side) has some tricky spots as well as waypoint 12. There is no bypass on waypoint 12 anymore. I drove with a 2 door jk with 35" tires. No lockers were needed. Beautiful views, and a challenging enough trail for a newbie.
300
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 12/26/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

We took loy butte road to the ruins then hit the outlaw trail. You can take 2wd too the ruins but will need 4wd for the trail. Going counter clockwise. We started at the difficult end. just watch your tires on the rocks and take your time on some if the few first climbs. Nothing like diamond back gultch. There are usually utv rentals so be careful of those running around. At the end there is a rocky downhill, and a right climb with really one line. However nothing we could not do. I would rate the trail a two with some spots being a four. Took us total 2.5 hours from pavement to pavement, however we stopped a lot to take photos
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 11/15/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Confession: I drive a mostly-stock 2013 (WK2) Jeep Grand Cherokee with Quadra-Drive (locking rear diff), Quadra-Lift (pneumatic 4" lift) and slightly oversized tires (265/65-18's, or barely 31"). I've only been on a half dozen or so serious trail-runs, some much harder than this, but always with experienced spotters. This was one of my first solos, which I specifically picked because it was "easy". That said, it seemed harder than a 2. Emphasis on the word "seemed", however, because even with my lack of experience, I got through here without scraping anything (other than some pinstriping) even once, and by the end of it, I was actually having fun. But where more experienced drivers would have simply driven over some obstacles, I had to get out and look. Plus I was the only other full-sized vehicle I saw that day: everything else was side-by-sides or dirt-bikes. One couple even stopped to ask if I was okay! (I was most of the way through by then, so laughed and said yes, and they laughed too and then took off, so that was a nice encounter...) So I guess I would call this a great "gateway" trail (credit to another reviewer for that term on his Broken Arrow review), where I learned a lot about my vehicle and my own capabilities. In short, what I've concluded is that rocks always look like bigger obstacles than they actually are, because decades of Interstate driving have taught our brains that a hole or ledge of these sizes would spell disaster at speed. But at 1 MPH, in 4-low and 1st gear, this stuff is relatively easy to either drive around or drive over. So why do I still vote this trail harder than a 2? Because to me, a 2 should be only one notch above a wash-boarded dirt road; basically a rocky road someone could still do in a Prius if they were careful. But I doubt anyone other than an expert (and a film-crew) could get a stock Prius through here. That said, if this relative newbie got through here unscathed in a mostly-stock Jeep Grand Cherokee, then given some relatively equivalent experience and rig (or better), you almost certainly can too, and it is a fun trail!
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 04/02/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Vehicle: 2 Door JL Wrangler Sport S; 2.5" lift. This is a really fun, well travelled, easy trail. The whole loop took just under two hours to run and the views of the Mogollon Rim in the distance are amazing. The trail guide is mostly still spot on, but for one exception near the end. There is no longer a bypass around the ledges @ waypoint 12, and the tight left hander over them probably pushes the mandatory rating from a '2' to a '3' (2:24 in the guide video / 9:54 in mine shows the difference). A longer wheelbase than my 2 door will have to put their left rear into a fairly deep hole at the base of the ledge - say about 20" deep. Just something to be aware of, as it's the most "difficult" part of the trail. The other 99% is no harder than a '2' and I never needed more than 4H for any of it. Ran it on a Saturday and had plenty of company in running in both directions - mostly side-by-side's, but also a few Jeeps and Toyota's as well. If you're looking for a fun, easy day, with great scenery, you really can't go wrong with this trail.
Open
Visited: 07/16/2021

Great trail for a family drive, rock ledges half way through are as technical as it gets, going slow, taking it easy, didn't use 4x once.

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