National Old Trails Road

4/5 (8 reviews)
Yucca, Arizona (Mohave County)
Last Updated: 04/09/2023

Trail Information

Highlights

Step back in time following the footsteps of pioneers and adventurers along this short section of the National Old Trails Road in Arizona, part of a 3096-mile road that once connected the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Established in 1912 as part of the Ocean to Ocean Highway, this iconic road passes through the starkly beautiful desert landscape south of Yucca. Along the route, you'll encounter a fascinating chapter in American history. This area played an important role in World War II. During the war, the Army used a radar gap filler station along the National Old Trails Road, while nearby Bell P-39 and P-63 fighters routinely flew overhead, practicing in the Yucca Air to Air Gunnery Range. Today, visitors can still see evidence of this activity, with bullets and casings from the fighter planes scattered across the rugged desert landscape.


Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Navigation

Trail Reviews

4/5 (9)
This trail guide's difficulty was changed on 04/08/2023
Official Crew
33350
Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 04/04/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

The rains last fall and this spring made for several abrupt wash crossings, not nothing the frequent off-road groups won't take care of for us in the coming dry months. However, the flowers and greenery on this trip were fantastic. We went on the one cold and windy day this week, and most of the poppies were closed. A couple of days, either way, would have shown a lot more color.
15100
Open
Rated 3/5
Visited: 03/31/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

We ran parts of this trail a number of times over the last two days while running the full length of all the trails that Cory has published. We developed a love/hate relationship with it. Some spots are conducive to high speed to get to the next trail, and then, a really rough spot would sneak up and everything in the Jeep would be bounced around. Today with finished the final piece by running the trail west from Franconia Road out to the interchange with I-40. That was the best section of the road. Thanks Cory for a fun and interesting two days running the trails in your area of the state.
Official Crew
33350
Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 01/02/2022

This stretch of dirt road was pretty busy for New Years, with more people camping along Franconia Road than I recall seeing before. This area has grown considerably, and the condition of some of these roads shows the wear.
Official Crew
33350
Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 03/28/2021

It was a beautiful day, with great temps. There are a couple of short stretches with rough washboard, but still a nice drive.

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