Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Carefree, Arizona

This is a very easy trail that takes you from the Tonto National Forest Border in Cave Creek to the Cave Creek Trailhead in the Seven Springs Recreation Area. This is one of the most…
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FS 483 begins off Gateway to Seven Springs Road (FS 24). A small parking area is located at the start of the trail. This gravel road winds through a wash before transitioning into a popular…
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FS 285 begins off Gateway to Seven Springs and is an out-and-back gravel shelf road offering beautiful views of the valley to the south. About a quarter mile in, the gravel becomes rougher with larger…
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Camp Creek Road is in the Tonto National Forest and requires a pass, which can be purchased at the ranger station. The road is a mixed surface road combination of sand, rocks, and gravel, most…
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This is a very scenic loop between Bartlett Lake Road and Horseshoe Dam Road. The trail takes you through deep sand washes, rolling dirt trails, and passes a few rock formations. This trail is part…
Learn more about St Clair OHV from Camp Creek to Kentuck Staging

This is the new entrance trail to the Tonto National Forest Desert Vista OHV Area as of October 2024. The entrance used to be farther north, but after the closure due to fires, the USFS…
Learn more about Entrance Trail to the Tonto National Forest Desert Vista OHV

This very short, easy, loop trail around Cramm Mountain offers sweeping 360 views of the desert landscape. It does seem that this trail is minimally used and therefore has vegetation overgrowth in places - higher…
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This is a short ATV trail in the Tonto National Forest that accesses hundreds of miles of trails near Camp Creek, Arizona. Although accessible by ATV, it's more like a single track and is mostly…
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You can take this short single track from the staging area off of North 14th Street to access the Powerline Trail, which will take you to the many other off-roading trails in this zone of…
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This out-and-back trail begins right off Seven Spring Road, and immediately there is a sandy river wash to cross. Be aware that it could be hazardous in flash flooding conditions. Shortly after, there is a…
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The entrance to Deer Flat (FS 1099) is located off Seven Springs Road (FS 24), near the Gateway to Seven Springs area. This is an out-and-back trail featuring a long rock garden climb that zigzags…
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This out-and-back offshoot leads to a fun area with a handful of both easy and advanced trails. This particular trail is not very technical itself, although water erosion on or next to the trail is…
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This easy dirt road section is the start/end of a 60-mile trail. It leads to the top of the mesa with beautiful desert views and scattered primitive camping. Connects to the (OnX) New River trail.…
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3200 is a shortcut between two halves of the Quail Springs Loop. This trail is more ridden and beat in. It's a hardpack dirt surface with some loose rocks, some steeper grades, and ruts on…
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398 is a longer powerline trail in the Tonto National Forest near Camp Creek, Arizona. It's a main route from the west entrance to this OHV area off of North 14th Street and runs east,…
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New River Mesa Approach (FR 17) is a 2.44-mile one-way out and back trail. This trail is called the New River Mesa "Approach" as it leads to the base of New River Mesa. It is…
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This is a short high-clearance primitive road that starts off of North New River Road and connects to Shoemaker Spring. It's uneven and bumpy, with deep ruts that are filled in with round softball-sized rocks.…
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2123 is a fun and scenic trail in the Tonto National Forest near Camp Creek, Arizona. It's a wide rim trail that runs east to west above a little canyon. This area is pretty popular…
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1109 is a short and wide dirt Jeep road in a wide-open desert full of massive saguaro cacti. It has uneven ground, ruts, bumps, and rutted corners;it crosses sandy washes and goes past a massive…
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This is a very nice loop between Horseshoe Dam Road and Bartlett Lake Road that takes you through varied terrain and some very interesting rock formations. This trail is part of the St. Clair OHV…
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In this area, Cave Creek Road is often called Seven Springs Road or Forest Service Road 24. This is a graded road suitable for almost any vehicle. This stretch of Cave Creek Road begins at…
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This is a short and easy Jeep trail in the Tonto National Forest near Camp Creek, Arizona. It's wide, hardpack dirt for most of it, with ruts running straight through the trail, and is mostly…
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The Oasis Trail (FR37) is a 2.5-mile side trail from New River Trail (FR41). It ends at a beautiful oasis of waterfalls and pools, some of which are big enough to swim in. The trail…
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This is a 3.4-mile-long loop off of the powerline trail in the Tonto National Forest that is a mix of washes and fast dirt trail through the desert. It is mostly pretty easy except for…
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Benchmark Mountain Trail is a 2.6-mile out-and-back, 5.2-mile total. It is a very slow trail, so give yourself an hour each way to enjoy the views. This trail starts at the north end of The…
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This short offshoot from Cave Creek Road (FS 24) offers a quick but rewarding adventure with expansive high desert views and a stop at a cattle water hole. After passing through the first gate, the…
Learn more about Black Jack Tank - FS 597

The Narrows is a short ATV trail through the Tonto National Forest near Camp Creek that is a unique little oasis in the desert. It goes through a canyon with tall dirt walls and embedded…
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West Rockaway Hills Road serves as a connector trail leading toward the Opportunity Trail. It runs east-west as a point-to-point route and provides a fun drive through the desert. The trail features large ruts formed…
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West Desert Hills Trail is a bumpy dirt route with many scattered rocks that eventually leads out to a popular shooting area. While the trail is rough in places, there are no technical sections or…
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This is a side trail off the New River Trail that ends atop a beautiful hill with unlimited photographic possibilities. It is a great place for a stop to stretch legs, take pictures, have a…
Learn more about Photographic Hill