Beginner Off-Road Trails
Near Indian Wells, Arizona

This trail follows a 3-mile road through the land north of Snowflake and Taylor, Arizona, traveling from east to west with a variety of open desert views. Along the route are broad mesas, expansive blue skies, and several windmills that define the landscape. Early on, the road passes a clearly marke...
Learn more about Mill Road

This trail is aptly named and serves as an alternate route out of the area after exploring Mill Road, avoiding the need to backtrack. The northern section runs north to south and remains a true off-road route with single-vehicle width, washouts, ruts, and wide-open high desert views, along with feat...
Learn more about Way Out

This trail makes a great side trek for those passing through the area with about an hour to spare, though it can easily take longer depending on how much time is spent exploring. The route is only 2.2 miles, but the canyon offers plenty to see on foot, and the short loop can take around 45 minutes t...
Learn more about Five Mile Draw

Very quiet backroad into some flat open land. This area is travel very little so make sure your vehicle is in good condition and cell service is off and on. This trail includes some very tall grass and if dry and dead please respect the fire danger. When tall and green can travel on if you keep movi...
Learn more about 9423H Trail

This lengthy trail starts right off I-40 and stretches just over 16 miles. This is an off-and-on maintained gravel road that is very dusty and washboarded. The majority of this trail travels across a flat landscape with open plains to the north and more forested areas to the south. There are several...
Learn more about FS 126 to FS 125

This easy trail showcases the beautiful, open views of the desert southwest. The green trees are contrasted with the black, tangled roots of dead trees, serving as sentinel to their past. Watch the large rocks carefully in this area for the brilliant green Eastern Collared Lizard sunning itself. The...
Learn more about Lazy Lizard - FR 9600S

This peaceful, scenic, open route connects the Lazy Lizard FR 9600S to Cactus Flats. There is one very rutted section midway through the route that increases the difficulty. There are numerous overland camping spots on the western side of the trail. Antelope are frequently racing across the open ter...
Learn more about Red Dirt Road

This trail travels through Thistle Hollow, an area transitioning from high desert into the lower elevations of the White Mountains. Starting on the north end near Pinedale Road and traveling south toward Lone Pine Dam Road, the landscape gradually shifts from scrub brush and cactus to juniper and sc...
Learn more about Thistle Hollow - FS 229

The Power Access trail is a one-lane trail that cuts through varying terrain. The trail has multiple rock sections that feature loose rocks and shelf obstacles, but nothing too gnarly. There are no major obstacles on this trail. There are hills with loose rock, erosion, and water damage as well as w...
Learn more about Power Access

This is an awesome trail for views. Almost every part of this trail has views one way or another. This trail offers views of canyons, mountains, rock out cropping's, and Trees. Unfortunately, this trail ends up on a closed road so it is an out-and-back trip. There are some hills to climb and descen...
Learn more about Bull Ranch Draw

This shortcut trail connects the northern and southern routes of Cactus Flats at the western end. It avoids the western trailhead, which can get busy on weekends. It is an easy trail with a few ruts. As a shortcut, it will take 4.5 miles off the trip. Most of the area is open with beautiful wildflow...
Learn more about Hunt Tank Shortcut

This section of Forest Service Road 125 leads you from the intersection with FS 126 and ends at another intersection with the Kinnickinnick Lake Road. The eastern part of this trail is fairly rocky as you climb onto the Anderson Mesa. This rocky section is a shelf road with some very sneaky and rock...
Learn more about FS 125 to Kinnickinnick Lake Road

This shortcut connects West Pinedale Road with the Cactus Flats trail. West Pinedale Road is paved and has easy access to AZ Highway 260. The route is rocky with some ruts. Antelope, coyotes, and hawks can be seen from this route. If you stop along this route, watch out for the giant ant hills.
Learn more about Antelope Shortcut

This is another great out-and-back trail from the Thistle Hollow Road to Thistle Well Tank. It meets up with a closed road on the west side by Thistle Well Tank. The drive back heading East is well worth the trip out and back with spectacular views to the North overlooking the Snowflake-Taylor area....
Learn more about Thistle Well Tank

The 4B trail is a mostly mellow trail, with no major obstacles on it. The trail sports erosion and water damage, as well as some wash crossings with off-camber, steep entrances and exits. Some of the water damage has left rock ledges, but nothing that a standard off-road vehicle can't handle. The tr...
Learn more about 4B

This is a shortcut across from Cactus Flats to FS655 - also known as the Maverick Trail. This is a great side trip to explore while making a day out of all the trails in the area. This trail is recommended for UTV, ATV, and dirt bikes since once you leave the Cactus Flats trail you will run into the...
Learn more about Thistle Camp

This wide, graded, and well-maintained dirt road runs from Heber down toward Rim Road, ending at Turkey Canyon. The route winds through open meadows and into a large canyon surrounded by impressive rock walls, making for a very scenic and relaxed drive. There are numerous camping options along the w...
Learn more about Black Canyon - FS 86

Most of this trail is an easy-going forest road until it heads west, when it becomes a bit of rocky terrain --nothing extreme, just a small rock. The trail is mainly in Juniper/Pinion pines and has some good views of the North, looking towards Snowflake-T lor. It's a nice afternoon drive--be prepare...
Learn more about Thistle Hollow

Marshall Lake Road is an excellent, scenic point-to-point route for beginners and intermediate offroaders looking to explore the transition from high-elevation ponderosa pine forests to the rugged high desert plains east of Flagstaff. Stretching approximately 13.8 miles, this trail climbs from an el...
Learn more about Marshall Lake Road

Listed as an access road to Two Guns, Arizona, this road does not go through. It runs along the I-40 Interstate in its entirety and has no obstacles on it. This trail is wide, with plenty of room to pass and/or turn around. It serves as an access point to the many trails that shoot off into the fore...
Learn more about Two Guns Access

This trail follows a 3-mile road through the land north of Snowflake and Taylor, Arizona, traveling from east to west with a variety of open desert views. Along the route are broad mesas, expansive blue skies, and several windmills that define the landscape. Early on, the road passes a clearly marke...
Learn more about Mill Road

This trail is aptly named and serves as an alternate route out of the area after exploring Mill Road, avoiding the need to backtrack. The northern section runs north to south and remains a true off-road route with single-vehicle width, washouts, ruts, and wide-open high desert views, along with feat...
Learn more about Way Out

This trail makes a great side trek for those passing through the area with about an hour to spare, though it can easily take longer depending on how much time is spent exploring. The route is only 2.2 miles, but the canyon offers plenty to see on foot, and the short loop can take around 45 minutes t...
Learn more about Five Mile Draw

This lengthy trail starts right off I-40 and stretches just over 16 miles. This is an off-and-on maintained gravel road that is very dusty and washboarded. The majority of this trail travels across a flat landscape with open plains to the north and more forested areas to the south. There are several...
Learn more about FS 126 to FS 125

This trail follows a 3-mile road through the land north of Snowflake and Taylor, Arizona, traveling from east to west with a variety of open desert views. Along the route are broad mesas, expansive blue skies, and several windmills that define the landscape. Early on, the road passes a clearly marke...
Learn more about Mill Road

This trail is aptly named and serves as an alternate route out of the area after exploring Mill Road, avoiding the need to backtrack. The northern section runs north to south and remains a true off-road route with single-vehicle width, washouts, ruts, and wide-open high desert views, along with feat...
Learn more about Way Out

This trail makes a great side trek for those passing through the area with about an hour to spare, though it can easily take longer depending on how much time is spent exploring. The route is only 2.2 miles, but the canyon offers plenty to see on foot, and the short loop can take around 45 minutes t...
Learn more about Five Mile Draw

This lengthy trail starts right off I-40 and stretches just over 16 miles. This is an off-and-on maintained gravel road that is very dusty and washboarded. The majority of this trail travels across a flat landscape with open plains to the north and more forested areas to the south. There are several...
Learn more about FS 126 to FS 125