Benson Canyon - FS 5005

Total Miles
4.5

Technical Rating

4

Moderate

Best Time

Summer, Spring, Fall

Trail Type

50" Trail

Accessible By

Trail Overview

Benson Canyon Trail starts on the north end of Benson Ridge Road, at a trail sign. It immediately starts descending through the forest, on a dirt two-track with shallow ruts, loose stick debris, loose rocks, and roots across the trail. As of early springtime, it looked like several downed trees had been cleared from a recent wind storm; however, there was lots of debris from the branches still in the trail. Watch out for any sharp logs sticking directly out into the trail that can catch a limb. There are some significant ruts that are a few feet deep during the descent that will be trickier for ATVs to have to navigate and straddle the rut. The trail keeps descending through the pine forest and open grassy meadows. It passes the 5005A spur during the descent in a grassy meadow, then continues descending along the hillside with a big hairpin turn, then along a deep ravine, until it pops out on Upper Rio Penasco Road near some private property.

Photos of Benson Canyon - FS 5005

Benson Canyon - FS 5005
Benson Canyon - FS 5005

Difficulty

This is an intermediate ATV route due to significant ruts, a consistent layer of loose rocks, a few steep spots, and roots. It is a typical forest environment with potential for log hazards.

Technical Rating

4

Status Reports

There are no status reports yet for this trail.

Benson Canyon - FS 5005 can be accessed by the following ride types:

  • ATV (50")
  • Dirt Bike

Access Description

OHV users have many options for staging for this trail, including at the Bluff Springs, Schofield Canyon, and Willie White Trailheads on the south end, or along Benson Ridge Road on the north end at various dispersed campsites.

Benson Canyon - FS 5005 Map

Popular Trails

The onX Offroad Difference

onX Offroad combines trail photos, descriptions, difficulty ratings, width restrictions, seasonality, and more in a user-friendly interface. Available on all devices, with offline access and full compatibility with CarPlay and Android Auto. Discover what you’re missing today!