Boulder Bypass

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3.8/5 (7 reviews)
Young, Arizona (Gila County)
Last Updated: 07/07/2021

Trail Information

Highlights

Young, Arizona is one of those isolated towns in the mountains that time has almost forgotten. The region is scattered with wonderful easy 4x4 trails that may hold hidden secrets. This particular by-pass trail from Haigler to Young, allows you to avoid the pavement through town but also catch a glimpse of some very unique and massively large boulders. They seem to have fallen out of the sky and landed in this small area. You can park or camp nearby to explore some of these large anomalies. Boulder Bypass is a locals shortcut to get into Young without having to travel on Hwy. 288. While the trail may not be challenging, it's a great location for a remote camping experience while having access to Young and the Haigler Creek area.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Navigation

Trail Reviews

3.8/5 (7)
Open
Rated 3/5
Visited: 05/31/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

The first part of the trail was outstanding. Beautiful forest scenery and the boulders were a fun sight. Past that, however, I found myself wanting to just get the rest of the trail over with. A couple good sights, but mostly just rocky and bumpy. Nothing very technical, but there were two climbs with deep ruts so be careful with tire placement on those, but otherwise it was a pretty easy (and did I say bumpy?) trail.
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Official Crew
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77300
Open
Visited: 07/07/2021

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.
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Official Crew
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77300
Temporary Closure
Visited: 06/25/2021

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.
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15100
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 04/23/2021

This was the last trail we ran after spending three days in the Payson/Heber area running some of the newer trails posted by Trails Offroad. It was our second best favorite trail for the trip. Loved the peace and quiet around the boulder area ... they are truly massive.
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Official Crew
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77300
Temporary Closure
Rated 5/5
Visited: 07/03/2020

Tonto National Forest has been temporarily closed because of extreme fire conditions. This is a link to the official closure notice https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tonto/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD759503

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