AZ Ratings

pics never do justice




I've got that video somewhere of Alex using his sliders. lol

 

I'd be in for that!

 

believe Alex gets credit for that pic. lol

that ledge my front is climbing is where this happened

 

damn.. going through all the pics of that trip.. got some good ones actually.

 

hahaha.. yeah I had to squint to see her. lol

definitely does.. and I'm definitely still down to do it again

 

I think a lot of the popular Phoenix area trails are mentioned. I could have added a bunch of 2.5-4.5 White Tanks trails (appetizer, upper and lower scorpion, firebird, etc) but those are all gone now I'll save some of the Tucson area trails for someone down there. Here is a small listing of mixed trails that are interesting/fun for the off roader. The ratings are for the most difficult part, so a trail is a 3.0 even if it's 90% 1.5 and 10% 3.0. Of course, conditions fluctuate and rain/water will increase the rating by at least a point... so these are general estimates. Google can probably provide even more general info on the trails and points of interest.

NAME – DIFFICULTY – START POINT – ADDITIONAL INFO

Agua Caliente: 1.5 (33°15’37 – 112°47’52) Starting off Old US Highway 80, historic road travels west-southwest to Hyder and Agua Caliente hot springs. Passes ghost town of Sundad, graves, small mines, and don’t forget to check out Painted Rock Petroglyphs afterward. A 2 mile (3.0 and routefinding difficult) spur takes you to the Oatman Massacre Site.

Agua Fria National Monument: 3.5 (34°10’8 – 111°59’46) From here you’ll head southeast and drop into the Brooklyn Mining district and ghost town. Lots to explore. Some tricky off-camber areas to navigate, some unavoidable. Native ruins and markings are in the area, including a small section on the edge of the mesa just south of the start point. Be respectful and never take anything.

Butterfield/Sonoran: 2.0 (32°54’22 – 112°31’50) Going north from the start point takes you through a pass used by the old Butterfield Stage Route. Also used by older Spanish expedition and Mormon Battalion. Some remnants. An optional secret route loops northwest through sandy washes (also approached via SR85) to access another area of the Sonoran NM approx. 33°6’59 – 112°34’16. Continue north from there to exit at pipeline rd. Nice desert.

Black Canyon: 1.5 (34°18’14 – 110°44’47) Forest Rd 86 heading northeast. Lookout tower just east of start. Grave site. Black Canyon Lake, old pioneer townsite, and native pictographs. Easy, scenic “picnic with the girlfriend” road.

Cherry Loop: 2.5 (34°31’31 – 112°4’59) Head north off SR169. Various old mines and the quaint hamlet/ghost town of Cherry. Head easterly to end near Camp Verde or northwesterly to get to Mingus. South of start point on Ash Creek is a small archeological area (name withheld). A tiny old townsite exists east of the start point called Hecla.

Hackberry: 3.5 (33°18’10 – 111°3’0) Go south past the big windmill. You can loop it back north or pop out on SR177. Neat area, pretty tough trail. If you take the 1 mile hike down Hackberry Creek to Devils Canyon and then hike south another mile you get to a series of amazing pools and falls. You can make this into a 4+ trail easily.

El Camino del Diablo: 2.5 (32°21’21 – 112°49’38) A classic, historic route. 1 night camping, or 2 if you explore a lot. You need to get a permit. Still fairly remote, even though a moderate BP presence exists. Lots of little points of interest on, or just off (do some research) the road. End in Yuma.

Harquahala Peak: 3.0 (33°43’41 – 113°17’37) An in and out to the top of the mountain. A BLM scenic byway. “Highest point in southwest AZ.” Old observatory on top. Excellent evening trail (come down in the dark). Not particularly hard, just a couple steep spots where it could be a little loose.

Ironwood National Monument: 2.5 (32°34’27 – 111°19’33) Go west on Sasco Rd, generally looping south and then back easterly eventually on Avra Valley Rd to I-10. Lots of little, hidden treasures… most not advertised. Some odd sights, like a major paintball area on Sasco not too far off the 10, etc.

Point Sublime: 2.5 (36°13’28 – 112°3’34) An amazing, scenic trail… much of it over 8000 feet. In and out trail to the edge of the Grand Canyon. Absolutely worth doing if you’re in the North Rim/AZ Strip area.

Red Creek: 3.5 (34°8’14 – 111°46’48) Go north from start point then you drop into Red Creek and head east, dead ending at the Verde River. Very fun trail, but camping space is a little tight on the river (hope nobody else is there). This trail is under closure pressure and might not be around much longer.

Rim Road: 1.5 (34°27’25 – 111°24’25) Forest Road 300. Head east from start point. Easy, classic Arizona trail. A few minor points of interest along the route and great vistas. Lakes nearby.

Squaw Peak: 2.0 (34°30’51 – 111°59’28) A short trail, you’ll head east-southeast to the top of Squaw Peak for excellent views. Before you get there you can take a short hike to Arnold “Cabin” south of the road, a pioneer homestead.

Whitmore Wash: 2.5 (36°18’46 – 113°13’22) Before you get to the start point you may visit some neat places nearby, including a lava flow, a native site, and a pioneer logging site. Head south from the start point until it dead ends in the Grand Canyon. Pretty awesome, with a neat half-mile hike to the Colorado River. It feels good. On the way out north, visit the Mount Trumbull schoolhouse and do some high speed baja along the Hurricane Cliffs.

I may eventually edit in one or two pics for each listing. I'll probably list another batch of trails too when I get some more time.

 

Well, here's round two.

Apache Trail: 1.5 (33°26’16 – 111°31’12) Follow SR88 (Apache Trail) east to SR188. Another easy, classic AZ trail. Scenic, short hikes, lakes, and minor points of interest. Roosevelt Dam at the end is cool, and check out Tonto National Monument just east of the end point.

Chiricahua Loop: 2.5 (32°0’22 – 109°23’21) An interesting and remote Sky Island. The real treat is to camp nearby and check out Chiricahua National Monument with a couple short hikes before you start. Go east on Pinery Canyon Rd from the start point and jump the lesser forest roads to the neat “towns” of Paradise and Galeyville. Continue south through Portal (well-named) and loop back west, passing little Rucker Lake and exiting through Rucker Canyon Rd.

Del Shay Cabin: 3.0 (34°0’39 – 111°19’10) Head north from Jake’s Corner and drop east to Tonto Creek. You must get permission from the ranch there ahead of time to unlock the gate and cross the creek. Then go east and south on FR894. Not a hard trail, but rough country and the trail is very overgrown. Nothing special, but happen to have a link here.

Harquahala Rd: 2.5 with side spurs reaching 4+ (33°36’41 – 113°37’12) This is more of a general area than a trail. Go north on Harquahala Rd from start point until you reach SR60, exploring the area. Then hit the Granite Wash Mountains east of Salome and north of Vicksburg. These are good areas for old mines/remains and playing on some side trails that will definitely boost the pucker factor.

Harshaw Rd: 2.5 with optional side spurs 3.5 (31°31’33 – 110°42’28) Take the Harshaw Rd south out of Patagonia to the Duquesne Rd. Turn east and continue to Lochiel. Explore the side roads a bit. Tons of mines, history, remnants, ghost towns and points of interest. You may continue east to Sierra Vista, passing sites like Sunnyside townsite and Coronado National Memorial.

Tip Top (optional Humbug): 3.0 (33°59’8 – 112°8’39) Exit Table Mesa Rd west from I-17 and head northwest. Cross the Agua Fria River and continue northwest. Historic area, neat mine (Gillette townsite on private land now). Continue west to Humbug ghost town on private property. This is the most difficult stretch. You must make contact with the caretaker (who lives in PHX) to meet you there. He’ll show you around, very cool. To exit, go west to Cow Creek Rd and head south to Lake Pleasant.

KOFA Mountains: 3.0 (33°36’24 – 113°37’15) Head south from start point down Hovatter Rd. This is a big, remote area. Topo map/gps is highly recommended. Old cabins, natural arches, mines, and many other points of interest. Do your homework, lots to see. I have done two, 2-night trips there and haven’t even got to the southern region. A great area for the expo-minded explorer. Don’t forget Palm Canyon.

Oatman Loop: 3.0-4.0 (35°3’34 – 114°24’43) From the start point, head south, basically doing a semicircle around and west of Oatman. Pop out on CR153 and take CR10 north through Oatman proper and exit east. There are a throng of trails in the area and route-finding may be difficult. Very historic area, tons of mines and remnants.

Pine Mountain: 2.0 (34°24’9 – 112°4’22) Take Dugas Rd east and continue east on FR68 until it dead ends at the wilderness boundary near Pine Mtn. This is another easy, “girlfriend” trail for the fall… the leaves and colors are amazing, and there’s a nice spring/creek. Timing is everything for this one.

Rattlesnake Canyon: 3.0 (34°46’16 – 111°34’37) Very short, nothing special. Turn north off of Stoneman Lake Rd. This is only open certain times of the year, so check ahead. Parallels I-17 north about 5 miles.

Ruby Road: 1.5 (31°25’49 – 110°58’1) Start off I-19 and go west to Arivaca. Lots of side roads past Pena Blanca Lake. Historic area, lots of mines and townsites if you know here to look. The ghost town of Ruby is worth checking out if you like that kind of thing (I do). South of Ruby is some neat country (2.5+), I’ve camped less than a mile from the border.

Santa Rita Mountains: 2.5 (31°55’28 – 110°55’38) Head southeast on Santa Rita Rd from Sahuarita. The usual townsites (Helvetia, Rosemont, etc) and mines, gunsight pass. Cross the mountains and drop south to Greaterville then back west through Box Canyon Rd and I-19.

Toroweap: 2.5 (36°47’28 – 112°41’31) Head southeast down CR109 about 50 miles to the sheer, surreal drop-off. Stop almost halfway there and do a small side trip east in the impressive Hack Canyon. The 2.5 rating comes near the very end. Nice little campground there, and world class scenery. You can hike Lava Falls trail nearby to the river, but it’s a mofo.

Wagoner Rd: 2.5 (34°21’57 – 112°40’2) This is the “other backway to Crown King” from the west. Head southeast from the start point and you’ll loop east and the north again into Crown King. Once again, it helps to know some of the history in the area (Indian skirmishes, etc), but there are a few minor points of interest along the way. Nothing spectacular, just something different from the tired and busy normal backway to Crown King.

I hate to say it, but I'll post a round three soon if nobody minds. I'm not trying to hog things, but the topic inspired me to gather info that I already have to create a database of sorts... which I figured I'd post a shortened version up here for anyone interested.

 

subd

 

Awesome, thanks for the write up... this brings back a few memories. I'll add my 2 cents. The off-camber section past the mine feels worse than it is, BUT... you still gotta be careful because of the looseness of the rock. If you aren't paying attention and a passenger wheel touches the edge, the tire can slip easily. Here is a pic (it's actually tilted a bit, the angle was actually a little worse), I'm in flannel helping to keep this knucklehead from rolling 300+ feet down the hill.


The only part I think is technical is the larger wash, which I believe is your picture I quoted. The last time I did it we had ice there, so it was a special kind of fun. That being said, I consider a 4.5 as being super modified over 35 inch dual locker type trail (1 step down from a buggy), and in my subjective mind, it's hard to imagine DeSoto requiring that. I'd lean more 3.5 on a good day and 4.0 worst case... but maybe I'm being too conservative.

 

Another shotgun spray of trails. Obviously these are not real in depth and are meant more as a starting point and/or idea generator for trail options. If anyone would like to add to or create other descriptions of the trails I've listed, that would be awesome. The more info the merrier. And as usual, feel free to PM me for more details on any of these.

Alamo Outback: 3.5 (34°36’33 – 113°31’28) This is an expo route I put together… if you’d like more details let me know. Start southwest from SR93 on Signal Rd. You’ll cross the Big Sandy and pass a couple neat old townsites. Continue west to McCracken Mine Rd and check out the fascinating mines/remains at McCracken Peak. Double back to CR15 and go south to Alamo Lake. After Alamo, double back to a fork at approx. 34°16’27 – 113°37’0 and head due west. This is where it gets tricky, as you’ll have to work your way west and then cut down to cross the Bill Williams River at about 34°13’52 – 113°46’58. One of the best camping cabins I’ve seen in AZ (near some native pictographs) is along the way. This is extremely remote country and help is very far away. Only experienced, self-sufficient travelers with good topo and GPS should attempt. Research and google earth ahead to time to plan well. Route-finding will be confusing and there is a lot of wash running. Once you cross Bill Williams, head southwest to the very interesting Swansea ghost town. There’s also a natural arch nearby. Continue southwest through a townsite called Midway and finally to Bouse, with minor points of interest around there. Bouse is the end point… head southeast to I-10.

Old Safford Rd: 2.0 (33°0’31 – 109°16’55) Start southwest off SR191 just south of Clifton, or this can be run in reverse. This is also a BLM scenic byway. It’s an easy, interesting route to take if you’re passing by. Slightly more difficult sideroads take you to other points of interest like the Gila Box and the hottest hot springs in AZ (supposedly). Travels southwesterly until exiting back on SR191 closer to Safford.

Copperopolis: 3.5 (33°58’48 – 112°42’9) Head northeast from start point down Constellation Rd past the old remains of Constellation. At about 13 miles you turn east and start looping through the mountains towards the old townsite of Copperopolis. This is a cool area full of history and remains, with points of interest like Bradshaw’s Grave, etc. There are a few moderate sections, maybe the worst being the short spur north to Copperopolis actual. After that, take the graded road southeast to Castle Hot Springs Rd to exit

Dripping Spring: 3.5 (33°40’39 – 114°4’59) Head south off I-10, exit 26. Lots of mines in the area. Dripping Spring is about 6 miles south of the start point, and has an old “cabin” and native markings. It’s a nice spot, and if you’re adventurous, keep working your way west towards SR95 (possible 4.0+) instead of backtracking.

Dupont Cabin: 3.0 (33°52’44 – 111°16’49) Head east on FR71. This was a giant loop, although you can do whatever you want. This is basically a “just because” trail and is not terribly exciting… just some nice AZ backcountry. Once you hit Dupont Cabin around 33°54’20 – 111°4’56, head north and loop back west to Punkin Center.

Montana Mountain: 2.5 (33°15’30 – 110°18’6) Exit SR60 north just past Florence Junction. Follow the RR tracks and then cross Queen Creek, continuing north. It’ll climb pretty high with decent views of the Superstitions, then loop south back to SR60 just west of Superior. Not much going on, but a nice enough trail. Could be busy on weekends.

New River Canyon: 3.0 (33°58’7 – 112°7’35) Exit Table Mesa and head east, generally following New River to Seven Springs Rd, and then heading south to exit. It’s a fun little trail, but that’s about it.

Pariah Plateau: 3.0 (36°55’0 – 112°3’4) This is more of a region than a trail. A good plan is to use the start point from House Rock Rd going east into the area, and doing a very large clockwise loop around the plateau and exiting around 36°50’30 – 112°3’49. This is a very isolated, special place with remarkable geologic features, some really cool ranching cabins, and you get to stand on top of the edge of the Vermillion Cliffs overlooking Marble Canyon. This is also not for amateurs. Proper experience, planning, and gear (starting with a BLM AZ Strip map) are a must.

Pyeatt Draw: 3.0 (34°18’50 – 111°17’34) A very short but super fun and scenic trail. Try to time it so there is a little water flowing. Take Houston Mesa Rd north from Payson and get to the start point. The trail is Pyeatt Draw/creek itself, just head east until to reconnect to the road. The end has a 4.5 obstacle you can bypass.

Senator Highway: 2.0 (34°27’10 – 112°16’28) The Senator Highway runs from Prescott south to Crown King. I like to start in Poland Junction off SR69 and head west to the top. There are townsites, a tunnel, and mines nearby. Once you hit the Senator Highway, continue south to Crown King, perhaps hitting up Horsethief Basin while there. I consider this another easy “girlfriend run” to take a day and just roam around a bit.

Stanton: 3.0 (34°12’44 – 112°45’16) Start southeast from SR89 on Mina Rd, dropping into the funky “ghost town” of Stanton. A ton of mines in the area, and a lot of active claims, so keep an eye out for the crusty old prospector with a shotgun. Lean left (east) while continuing south from Stanton to find the real ghost town of Octave. Keep going south, passing through the neat little ‘Hassayampa Box’ (which usually has some water) before hitting SR89.

Young Rd Bypass: 3.0 (33°38’35 – 110°57’3) Exit Young Rd (288), heading northeast on Cherry Creek Rd. Continue up FR203 following Cherry Creek until eventually reconnecting to the Young Rd around 33°58’21 – 110°56’46). From here you can continue to Young and Rim country (Haigler Creek is a favorite). FR203 can have some moderately deep creek crossings and there are some amazing hiking trails in the area that take you to little known Indian ruins.

At this point I can't control myself and I may throw in some Sedona and Tucson trails, among others. These are just my own opinion, and should not be considered cannon. I'm positive that other input on the trails I've listed are more than welcome by everyone.

 

For sure man, I don't think it's an exact science... I figure the more perspectives there are the better off people will be. I actually think my ratings might be a tad low.

 

Awesome write up! This weekend I'm headed to Glendale, AZ from SoCal (Big Bear) for a spring training bachelor party. I was hoping to get in an early Saturday morning (03/26/16) trail run while the heavy drunkards are sleeping in. Would anybody be interested in joining me?

Greg

 

Going with a group would be nice... Looks like fun

 

Well I tried to edit in pics for post #40 and it just created this...

Guess I'll save this for later

 

This is a great thread dudes!

 

So I just completed an interesting 4x4 route today. The Date Creek Mountains just northwest of Congress (and just south of Date Creek) turned out to be a lot of fun. There are two north-south passes that run through the mountains which I used to create a loop. The more easterly pass (pretty sure it's unnamed, so I'll call it "Date Creek Mountains Pass") is a good place to start. After traveling north for about 3.5 miles you'll turn westward and connect to the O'Neal Pass round heading south. Once past the hills you go east and connect back to the starting point.



The blue area marks the section of trail that is legitimate 3.5 crawling. The light green section of the trail is particularly scenic with massive boulder fields. This is an excellent group 4x4 type run with a good amount of variety. The lowlands to the south also offer some good areas to "play" with the trucks a bit. Maybe it was due to the super nice weather but I really enjoyed the area.

Historic cemetery outside Congress
















We made a diversion to recon an old army camp from pioneer days

 

Is this roughly where you created the loop?
34°11'37.4"N 112°53'00.4"W

 

Yeah.

Topo and gps help, there are a lot of side trails and route-finding can be difficult if you want to stay on that particular path. While I was out there I found out that this loop is a popular poker run route with some groups.

 

Thanks. I was looking on Google Earth and I saw so many side trails.

 

I can't link this friggin video...