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| 4x4 Trip | 48.60 Miles |
6,030 AEG |
| | 4x4 Trip | 48.60 Miles | | | |
| 6,030 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | I did this in my stripped down stock Wrangler with 33x12.5 mud tires. While the road (650) wasn't quite as bad as I envisioned it might be, I wouldn't want to do it in anything with a longer wheel base or less rugged tires. It beat us up, for sure, but it was entirely doable without causing any damage to my Jeep (that I know of  ). I just barely made some of the tight hairpin turns and there was no room for backing around even a little if you couldn't cut it tight enough. Backing up the way you came is not an option. If Bruce drove this in his F-150 then he is  cuz I can't imagine trying to snake my truck down that mountain! 
If you've got the appropriate ride, this drive is really spectacular. I've been wanting to do this for years and I'm so glad I finally got around to it. We followed Grasshopper's route (T.Hank.s!), which I had downloaded on my GPS, but I never had to look at it, as the correct way always seemed fairly obvious (most traveled). At the highest elevations, pine trees and wildflowers lined the road and the views were just outstanding. We took the side trip to the stone cabin (which was, by far, the worst section of road traveled that day), but it was totally worth it. Quite a marvel of engineering for the time. The windmill there looks brand new?  A few miles further on, we pulled off the road and hiked a section of the Arizona Trail that goes through Whitford Canyon, a beautiful red rock area shaded with Sycamores and Cottonwoods just south of the 509 trailhead. I took most of my photos there. This scenic section is only a couple miles and it makes a great side trip.
What I didn't expect to see was other people on that road, but we encountered 5 ATVs and one other Jeep, although the Jeep was turning around and going back before it even got close to the hard driving. Hank suggests going clockwise and I totally agree. I think it would be a lot harder going up those switchbacks than it was going down and you would miss out on the best views.
It was a great day and a lot of fun to see some new territory. We were positively crusty with dirt by the time we got done and I even had to hose down the inside of the Jeep! Worth it.  |
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Wildflowers Observation Moderate
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I'm at home in the wilderness... it's civilization I have problems with! ](https://hikearizona.com/dex2/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall") |
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