Flagstaff/Northern AZ Thread

Like the other guys have said, there isn't really any good offroading in or around Flagstaff. There are dirt roads, which are mostly mud because we've had tons of rain the last 3 weeks, and are also mostly closed due to wildfires and currently daily flash floods. If you want views Schnebly will have them but its a miserable road to drive. Id suggest airing down to 12 psi and it will most likely be insanely muddy/slick and also possibly closed because it's dangerous when wet. 89A between Flagstaff and Sedona has construction but its really not that bad on weekdays, typically a 5-10 minute wait. Its currently closed nights FYI. Weekends in Sedona are a mess, period, bring your patience on the trail and in town.

My vote would be Broken Arrow in Sedona. Get there super early in the morning and youll love it. Stock truck is 100% fine, views are amazing and Sedona will give you much better views in general than Flagstaff.

 

Heading that way early September on our first long RV Trip. Camp Verde to Sedona, Flagstaff, Parker Dam and then home. Looking forward to cheaper gas than California. Especially when my
Minnie Winnie only gets about 8mpg!

 

Swinging thru South Tucson on an RV trip early September to show my wife where my Grandparents lived on South 8th Street. I just checked it out on Google Maps....damn if the area doesn't look the same as it did 60 years ago! That's the part of Tucson that time forgot. Too bad the old Chinese owned corner markets aren't there anymore....I was looking forward to sticking my head in and buying saladitos
for the drive.

 

Skip Camp Verde. Nothing there worth seeing and its as hot as the valley in the summer.

Tucson is a long way from Northern Arizona.

 

The first thing that popped into my head was Mt Elden (2834m). A cruiser drive with good views of Flag and the surrounding area from the top.

Near the Mt Elden Road is Schultz Pass Rd. -- nothing more than a dirt road, but winds thru the pines. Many other dirt roads take off Schultz Pass. Schultz eventually runs into 89A north of town.

Sycamore Point overlooking red-rock Sycamore Canyon southeast of Williams. An easy drive thru the trees to a visual reward. Many intersecting roads, so use your map/navigation.

That said, I have no idea what parts of the forest are closed, so none of these may work right now.

 

Good advice, however both are closed by the Pipeline Fire Area Closure order.
It is set to expire on Aug 20th, but with the flooding in the area expect at least part of the closure to be extended.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1039273.pdf

 

La Casita, Gasoline and Bathroom breaks are the only reasons worth getting out of your car in Camp Verde, especially during the summer

 

There is a gas station in camp verde that has 3.99 gas. 76 station on east 260.I just returned from 10 days in my RV dry camping near Mormon lake. Rained every day except last Sat but yesterday more than made up for it! I am amazed at how much rain the forest can take, I was worried that I might not get out today. The temps were great 59 this morning. Back in a couple of weeks.

 

I actually lied, Verde Brewing has decent beer and a good elote dog if you ever find yourself stuck in an I-17 closure. Also there is Verde River and Clear Creek access from town so I guess there are a couple reasons to stop.

 

Wife and I would meet at verde brewing for dates when she was still living in the valley. Good beer and food. Haven’t been in a while though

 

A few of us camped just east of Camp Verde this past weekend. It has a little to offer, but I feel like I have thoroughly explored the area.

Clear Creek - 8-13 Weekend by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

Clear Creek - 8-13 Weekend by Michael Rickerd, on Flickr

 

Cinder hills is now more of dirt hills with Cinder lake

 

Was out there for a bit yesterday. And yeah it’s changed a bit with all the ruts and wash outs from all the rain

 

I was there a bit on 2 wheels.
I actually liked it more than normal. Less lunatics on SxSs and mud made it less loose.

Was the quad still stuck out in the mud pond when you were there?

 

I didn’t see him out there. And wasn’t trying to get anywhere near the lake until things dry out some. Been hearing people getting stuck all over the place

 

Anyone know of a good shop in N.AZ to do diff service and lift/alignments? I'm looking at shocks, ecgs bushing, fluids in diffs/transfer cases, alignment etc and it needs to be done correctly.

 

So thats why the mosquitos been bad lately? Ha!
Wow, I've seen some pics of the wash outs. But not the standing water like that. Pretty wild.
With the long weekend this weekend, I suspect I'll be hearing the sirens and helo's a lot unfortunately.

 

There has been standing water in the dry lakes up off Schultz and Elden. Mosquitos have been TERRIBLE but in the last week or so they have started tapering. Schultz creek has had a continual trickle for a few weeks now which is nice.

 

Every long weekend there is the reoccurring competition to see who can win a helo ride from the cinders...

 

I've had good luck with American Spring. They might have been busy so not sure if this is their normal but be prepared to drop off your truck and they'll get around to it in a day or so... aka, they're not prompt. However, they do loads of lifts and have seen quite a lot. Not a bad place to start.