Phoenix Valley to Sedona with OHV trail info

Wrapped up a 6 day camping/4-wheeling trip through Sedona and thought I'd go ahead and share my trail summations from what one's I visited.



PHOENIX VALLEY TO SEDONA
Date Visited: February 2021
Vehicle: 3rd Gen AT, DCSB + Hard shell, 3" lift, 32" AT tires (aired down to 20psi)
Gearing: Stock. Used mostly H4/2, but went into L4 on a few steep inclines/declines


Scenic Drive to Sedona + Camping (FR 618)
Directions: From the Phoenix Valley, take 87 to Payson, 260 to Clear Creek and turn onto FR 618. Follow that all the way up to Big Beaver Day Use area and from there, it will shoot you out under I-17 and onto the 179 scenic byway that steers you into Oak Creek Village / Sedona.

Details: Moderately maintained forest road with minimal pull-off camping spots. Most the spots were near the paved portion beyond 17, but I camped out along the Deadwood Draw offshoot for three nights and hardly a car was spotted. Was only a quick 20 minutes back into town from here too!


Broken Arrow // FR 179F
Directions: From 179 take Morgan road East through the residentials to Broken Arrow trailhead

Details: Sedona's quintessential 4X4 trail, this is the stuff off-roaders dream of! It is very technical and lots of line picking. High clearance is needed. Aggressive tires would be helpful, but the slick spots are optional. However, at the gate just near the parking lot, you'll have a rock pile to climb. From there, you'll wind your way through tight tree turns with plenty of chances to get pinstriped.

Things start to get technical immediately, and there's a spot you could turn around if you opt-out. It begins with a high slope to crawl up and over landing you on the slick rocks with plenty of creases that grow in technical challenges. The deep creases that are challenging are optioned off to the side. The main trail, which can be tricky to follow in some spots, did require a few crossing of these and I drug the hitch a couple times, but I bet with a better angle you could get over it without doing so.

The slopes are steep, so approach slowly as you could easily stuff the box if you don’t allow the angles to reset before climbing. And the one you'll be surely thinking of the entire time, Devil's Staircase, is just a slow, brake-walk down some bumpy rocks. Not terrible and quite riveting. Definitely earn your off-roader stripes once you've completed it.

The entire trail is less than three miles long, but it is all fun and the views are breathtaking. If you want truck pics, you can easily get off to the side on something cool to take some shots and not be in the way of others. The pink jeep tours are running pretty heavily in here, so as most have suggested, go early and on a weekday if possible.

Attractions: The merry-go-round, as some call it, is a small, mini-butte you can drive around. Lots of sloping, slick rocks with varying degrees of creases to challenge yourself on. Rock climbs up to Chicken Point, which is an amazing viewpoint and of course the Devil's Staircase descent at the end.

Hazards: Be aware of the directional arrows. You don't want to end up at the bottom of Devils staircase while someone is coming down. Pinstriping, hitch strikes, bumper stuffing and overheating could all be possible. Hikers are also in the area, however they have dedicated trails that only cross paths with the truck trail in certain spots.

Ultimately, I wouldn't want to steer anyone away from this trail. There's lots of write-ups and videos posted online that give you a clear picture of what you're in for. It's the pinnacle of Sedona's OHV trails, so if you're curious, you must check it out and its honestly not that bad.


Schnebly Hill // FR 153
Directions: Headed in to Sedona along 179, take the first right off the roundabout at Garland's Navajo Rugs. You'll see signs for Schnebly Hill Road and will become unpaved in 1 mile.

Details: I was here in February and only the first 5 miles were open. The gated access at the top was closed due to seasonal hazards. Lots of pink jeep tours going on here, but the road is wide enough for two vehicles to pass with ease.

Camping: There are a couple pull-offs to enjoy a meal or just take in the views, but I don't think any of the pull-offs for camping happen inside that first 4 miles. When the gate is open, this trail goes on for a very long time. 15 miles at least before reaching I-17 and then breaking up into multiple forest roads. Camping out here would follow the usual dispersed camping regulations.

Hazards: Quite rocky the entire way, with a few steep switchback climbs. There's a lot of other motorists, bikers and hikers… So, just be mindful of what's in front and behind.


Soldiers Pass // FR 9904
Directions: Head into West Sedona and turn onto Soldier Pass Road.

Permit: Permit for this trail is $6 and is good for the posted day-use hours of the day you reserved. A series of padlocks will be on the gate as you pull into the trail head parking lot. Enter the combo and the latch will slide past all the other key locks.

Details: Most non-permit holders will be parked up around the Dog Park, as the parking at the trail head is very limited. Maybe 8 spots total and a real PIA to get turned around if you're needing to leave and/or turn around yourself.

The trail is tight as it bends around trees and has a few pull-offs if vehicles need to pass. Might get some pinstripe scratches here. Traffic is pretty minimal since its permit only. At the sinkhole, if you follow it around to the back, there's a steep double shelf that can be climbed. The obvious slick spot is slick and I spun out here first attempt, but you can get tire grab if you put passenger over the cracks.

Turn-around at the end of Soldier's is tight, but manageable for any length truck. Plenty of room to back up if you need to adjust mid-turn. There's quite a few steep rocky parts that require some line picking and ground clearance, but slow is pro on all these and quite easy to accomplish.

TIP: Typically the upward traveling vehicle has the ROW as they may need momentum to climb, but these aren't very long slopes here, so if you see a good chance to back up without any obstacles behind you, just roll back and take a pull off.

Attractions: The two pull-offs, Devils Kitchen (sinkhole) and Seven Sacred Pools are worth seeing. Vehicles can get turned around using the slick rocks at the site and some pretty epic truck shots here.

Hazards: Tight turns in some spots and on the trail heading up towards Devils Sinkhole it has a narrow cliff edge in one spot, but visibility is good here. Just ask folks to move if they're in your way. They'll be doing the usual touristy stuff. Hiker's will be crisscrossing along the various trail system and mostly at the attractions and not as much on the road portions.


Vultee Trail // FR 152
Directions: As you head out past West Sedona, you'll take 89A to Dry Creek Road.

Details: Vultee begins with a high clearance rock pile to undoubtedly turn away most motorists as this road is the access point for one of Sedona's most popular attractions, Devils Bridge. The rock pile is an easy climb both ways if you just take it slow.

Devil's Bridge Trail comes up in about 1.5 miles, which is drivable, but you'll be within the swarms of people. I continued on the remaining 5 miles to Vultee Arch trailhead instead. There's a turnaround here and parking for about 4 rigs, but you can probably find a pull-off a little ways back too. I was there with one other vehicle at 2 PM. Its very forested back here and has a thru-hike connecting to Sterling Pass.

Attractions: Vultee Arch is a comparable option to Devil's Bridge. A short 1.5 mile hike through forested trails you'll get to a tall, isolated rock butte with a placard in honor of Jerry and Sylvia Vultee whose plane crashed here. If you're looking at the placard, it's hard to see it from here, but the Arch is up the slope to your west/left. It's well worth the little rock scramble to get up to it and you can walk along it just like Devil's Bridge.

Hazards: Huge mobs of people will be clogging the road. Also, be mindful of any incoming weather while in this gulch. Snow and rain will definitely sock you in and there's also going to be a lot of mud on the trails on your way out. But really there aren't any super steep slopes to worry about.


Outlaw Trail // FR 9549
Directions: From Dry Creek Road, take a right onto Boynton Pass and follow it west until it turns into FR 152C. You'll pass by a sign for Diamond Back Gulch OHV (152A).

Go about a half mile further and turn onto FR 525 (Loy Butte Road on google maps) and then another 0.8 miles you'll see a sign for Outlaw OHV (9549B) on your left. There are many offshoots on Outlaw and all are comparable in terrain, as is Diamondback Gulch.

Details: For the most part, a flat rocky dirt trail that higher speeds (15-20 mph) can be reached, but be mindful of other motorists & rental side by sides. No real clearance issues with exception of an upturned boulder that could easily be by-passed.

Towards the end if you're going towards the ruins, there's a couple steep sections with high rock shelves that passing along the sides is possible if you don't want to attempt.

Camping: In order to disperse camp in the Coconino Forest, you would need to hold either an inter-agency pass (nat. park pass) or a Red Rock Pass which is specific to Sedona.

There's not a ton of pull-offs for camping, but as others have mentioned in the AZ threads, please don't drive off-trail and make your own site! I camped off 9549F where the road dead ends and didn't have a single motorist come by. Had to stack some rocks for getting level.

Attractions: If you follow Outlaw to the right/north, the road will guide you up towards the Honanki ruins. Parking at ruins is aplenty, but there will be many rental vehicles here. Also plenty of room for rigs with trailers to park and turn around.

Hazards: Lots of dummy OHV rental motorists ripping around. A couple moderately steep rock shelves and, of course, if weather hits, things will be extremely wet. But there are plenty of rocks for gaining traction and I don't see getting stuck here happening unless you are really trying to.


Powerline // FR 9524
Directions: Continue from 525C west towards Bill Grey Road (FR 761). Turn onto 9524

Details: Runs mostly north to south along the high tensions. Same as Outlaw and Diamondback for terrain: Rocky forest road with a few passable large boulders. Lots of miles to travel and traffic was quiet during winter months.

Camping: Similar to Outlaw, just picked a spot that looked good. Maybe a pull off every quarter to half mile, but saw most the RV/camper rigs down closer to 89A.


Finishing the Loop + Visit to Jerome
Directions: From Sedona take 89A towards Jerome. Plenty of cool shops to check out and tight switchbacks going through town. The town is small but features a lot of local wineries (Puscifer/MJK's Winery!!) and ghost tours. Stay on 89A towards Prescott and then enjoy the long, winding switchbacks down into the Peeples Valley. Take hwy 60 to hwy 74 to finish the loop and exit when needed.

Hope someone finds this information useful, but otherwise just a little entertainment. I will be coming back to add in the video, but have quite a few others that are in production. Special thanks to @Beancooker for his driving tips on Broken Arrow. I wouldn't want to have missed this!! Cheers all

 

PHOTOS

Deadwood Draw Campsite



BROKEN ARROW





Devils Staircase



SCHNEBLY HILL






SOLDIERS PASS



Seven Sacred Pools



VULTEE



Vultee Arch



OUTLAW



Honanki Ruins



POWERLINE






JEROME

 

Thank you for the incredible write up. Definitely looking forward to enjoying a lot of this. Cheers.

 

@Mode Offroad Thank you! I thought about piggy-backing it into another topic, but those always get diluted quickly and hard for people to find valuable information. Anyone may feel free to comment or include information of their own about trails in the area, as Sedona is quite seasonal and probably varies in user experience.

 

Nice write up and pics. Looks like a solid trip, and useful info to the community. Thanks!

 

thaaaaanks @Dudeman86

I guess I forgot a few mentions.. beancooker's link to the google OHV map for the area..
https://goo.gl/maps/2Aar5sLdcFfbn9fN9

and

@jandrews excellent post in the AZ ratings thread..
"I wrote an extensive guide to wheeling trails up there that you can find here"
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/az-ratings.420477/page-3#post-12254414

Also, here's a few GAIA MVUM maps with waypoints and tracks from my time there...

Full loop including where I first camped (bottom right: Deadwood Draw)


Sedona trails closeup

 

Yo, thanks for the writeup! Reviving this old thread as I'm in Sedona right now and was planning on driving Solider's Pass and Schnebly Hill. Think I'd have any trouble on Solider's Pass? I already picked up a permit for Friday.