Trail climbs through remote high Sonoran Desert into Tonto National Forest. A State Trust Land permit is required west of forest boundary. non-street-legal ATVs, UTVs and dirt bikes are allowed on this trail, provided they have the above permit. At the end of the trail, licensed vehicles can head south on F.S. 24 to Carefree or north to Bloody Basin Road, trail #32. People camp at the start (with State Trust Land permit).
(480) 595-3300.Tonto National Forest, Cave Creek Ranger District
Check the Weather05/13/2022
Submitted by Mason
Wish I came across this forum prior to giving this thing a whirl yesterday evening in a ’21 Ram TRX. I last ran the trail a couple of years ago without any issues whatsoever (granted, in an RZR XP4 Turbo) and an easy/moderate rating of 3 to 5 out of 10 was applicable. Things have changed. The ruts, lose rock/gravel, and washout spots didn’t pose much of a problem but as others have stated, the rock gardens (more aptly boulder forests) have altered the landscape significantly in areas of the middle portion of the trail. Don’t do it in anything but a decently outfitted Jeep or a UTV in my opinion, anything less and you might get more than you bargained for like I did. Best for shorter wheelbases and narrower track widths, full skid plates and rockers, modest lift with larger tires, just air down before you start, and bring a buddy willing to billy goat around and spot for you. One thing has not changed, however. It remains some of the most beautiful unspoiled high Sonoran river canyons and surrounding mountain terrain in the area. So for the patient and well enough equipped, I’d absolutely still recommend it.
02/21/2022
Submitted by Mike
I concur with the two recent updates. This trail probably does rate at the higher end of the moderate scale, and given how bumpy and punishing the ride is. I would probably chose a different trail to have a more enjoyable day. One of the river crossings was strewn with large boulders, and one of the boulder gardens required very careful tire placement. A spotter is probably a good idea for this one. There is another boulder garden that we did not attempt since there was an alternate go-around. There were also a couple of small washouts that could cause peril for wider vehicles.
Both the eastern and western thirds of the trail are pretty easy. It is the middle third that is much more difficult. Long wheel base or wide track are probably not good choices on this trail. I did this on a Kawasaki Teryx (62″ wide) today without any drama, and I estimate I could have made it without issue in my JL Rubicon. However, I have no desire to try it in the Jeep.
01/29/22
Submitted by Logan
This trail has been heavily used and I would hazard AGAINST riding this trail considered as Moderate. There were sections of trail collapse with 10-15 ft drops, the hill climbs have been heavily rutted out filled with loose football-size rocks and larger. Multiple Boulder Gardens to cross on the trail. I ran it with a 2020 Tundra with an Offroad package. I ended up high centered in the rocks. Take caution on larger wheelbase or lower vehicles. Take recovery gear including some type of jack on your wheels. Strongly consider extensive skid plates.
11/16/2021
Submitted by Wayne
I ran this trail in a Toyota Tacoma (lifted with skid plates and rock sliders). The trail was almost impassable at 3 or 4 river crossings due to large (12-24″ diameter) boulders in crossings of 30 to 100 feet long. I had to stack rocks and move boulders to get through. I ended up high-centered once. I would upgrade this to a red (difficult) trail. It was by far the most difficult blue (moderate) trail that I have taken of your Arizona trails. The difficult crossings were all in the middle section that parallels the New River.
05/19/2020
Tonto National Forest temporary closure. Due to several fires, this area has restrictions. Read forest order here. For updates go to N.F. website for alerts and notices.
We drove the trail late afternoon going east to west. We found the trail to be more towards the easy...See More
We rode it Nov 2020. It is all opened, but there are signs beware of fire damage. Lot of the...See More
Drive west to east on January 3, 2021. 2020 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro with a ~1.5 inch lift, skids, sliders...See More
I first drove it in 2018 in my then stock 4Runner and the re-drove it in early 2021 in my...See More
We ran this trail weekend before thanksgiving 2021. Didn’t know at time but listed as not passable on a few...See More
