Trail Overview
FS 258A is an out-and-back route heading north from the Great Western Trail. The trail is a rutted dirt road — bumpy throughout but non-technical with no significant obstacles. Natural grasses are actively filling in the trail, and pine trees are encroaching from the sides, creating a progressively narrower corridor. Taller overlanding rigs should be mindful of potential clearance issues as vegetation continues to close in. Wildlife is present along the route. While no established fire rings exist, camping is permitted within 30 feet of the trail on either side. One navigational note: at the left junction, the trail has fully reclaimed back to nature and is no longer passable in that direction. Signage at that point indicates NFD720 straight ahead — follow straight as the left turn option no longer exists. A great campsite awaits at the end of the trail, making the bumpy ride well worth it for those looking for a secluded overnight spot. Best suited for high-clearance vehicles. Vertical clearance awareness is advised, given encroaching vegetation.
History
Great Western Trail — Buffalo Ranch: The trail's origins date to 1776, when Spanish priests Dominguez and Escalante traveled with Paiute Native Americans along the base of the Kaibab Plateau. The routes they used — including the Jacob Hamblin/Mormon Honeymoon Trail, Beale's Wagon Road, and the Moqui Stage Station — still exist today as part of the GWT corridor, preserving a legacy of Native American, Spanish colonial, pioneer, and cattle ranching history. The modern Great Western Trail was formally developed in 1985 through an inter-agency effort led by Lyle Gomm, the recognized "father" of the GWT. It was first thru-hiked from Canada to Mexico in 1988, the Great Western Trail Association was incorporated in 1990, and the trail received its National Millennium Trail designation in 1999. Buffalo Ranch sits at a key gateway point on the Arizona segment, where the GWT arrives after skirting the Vermilion Cliffs and crossing the Navajo Bridge over Marble Canyon, before ascending dramatically into the mountains along the Kaibab Plateau — making it one of the most historically and scenically significant access points on the entire trail.
