Off roading in Arizona help

Hi

my wife and I are heading out west to Arizona January 5 for a month to Cottonwood AZ Would really appreciate some places to take the 4Runner off-roading. Thank you

 

Hi OP,
Have you looked into any of the off road apps like All Trails, Gaia GPS, and OnX? They might have some reviews on local trails there.

 

I haven’t. We are really new to this. I will look into those apps. Thank you

 

No problem! Let me know if I can help with anything else

 

You’ll be fairly close to Sedona AZ. They have quite a few trail of various levels. Do a search of Sedona 4wd trails. Hopefully the weather cooperates. Good luck.

 

Thank you so much. Yes we are going to Sedona. We plan on camping on some BLM land. We just bought a 2022 4Runner. We want to have fun with it not just have it for looks. It can always be washed but I’m looking forward to having fun and getting it dirty

 

Checkout Funtreks, they published a book on AZ. Arizona is arguably one of the best states for wheeling.

Have fun, I wish I could join you!

Cheers
Mike

https://funtreks.com/off-road-trails/

 

Be prepared there will most likely me snow and pretty cold temps that time of year.

 

@morfdq Last time I went through Cottonwood there were a few meth mouth zombies slinking around, so keep your eyes open and don't leave valuables in the truck or in plain sight.
Also, make note of any reservations (mostly SW of Phoenix) and stay out. Legally it's sovereign land and the authorities can confiscate your vehicle.

My family settled out there years ago. Absolutely amazing terrain. There are hundreds of trails to explore. Devils bridge near Sedona is pretty cool. The Mingus mountains have trails running all over that range.
Jerome is an old mining town built right in the side of a mountain that has an art community now. It's worth a drive through there if you're close by.
If there is a lot of snow, I-17 will be packed w skier traffic on the weekends.
It will most likely be cold, w single digits possible in the mornings.
Make sure your offline navigation is working good too.
Time management is important also. My Son and I ended up in Tonto NF after dark and it's no fun finding your way, even w plenty of lights.
This trail guide was the best 30 bucks I ever spent.

$29 GT Arizona Backroads & 4-Wheel (FunTreks Guidebooks)

https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Arizon...t=&hvlocphy=9011838&hvtargid=pla-956971624265

 

Schnebly Hill and Broken Arrow in Sedona. Crown King, front way is just wash board, the back way in can be a challenge. You could go through Prescott and take Senator Hwy, smooth dirt road but very pretty. If you have never been I would suggest you make a trip up to the canyon, North rim is much less crowded. If you go to the North rim a stop in page to see the Antelope slot canyons it is well worth the time, also stop by Horseshoe Bend on the way, iconic views on both of these. Four peaks area east of Phoenix is also beautiful desert and a nice trip this time of year. Trailsoffroad.com is a valuable help, their ratings are spot on as far as degree of difficulty on the trail. (Don’t take back way to Crown King alone.) North rim will be closed, too much snow, sorry just saw your date. But Horseshoe and Antelope are worth the drive. Canyon lake. (Back way in through the Apache trail is very pretty, no challenge but very nice. The superstitions are a great area to see, lots of trials there also. If you have never been Mt Lemon and Sahuaro national park down near Tucson they are nice.