overland

I'm EXCITED about our newest Arizona Route!!

OTG Ben

OTG Ben

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As some of you may know, I was down leading a couple of events in southern Arizona last month (March 2025). One of the guys who joined queued me in on a route called the Heart of Arizona. He kept going on and on about how great the route was, all the places it visited, and so on. Honestly, I think he was trying to sell me on getting an event on the calendar for later in the year ;)

After getting back home and doing a bit of googling, I couldn't find anything, which is odd. I'm a pretty damned good internet sleuth, especially when it comes to sniffing out obscure trails, route, or locations. But this one-- not a shred of anything! Well, apparently that's because only a small group of folks knew/know about the Heart of Arizona. A GPX filed was shared with me, and immediately I understand why this was such a beloved route. Unlike many routes and trails in Arizona, this one didn't spend a whole lot of time in the desert lowlands. Rather it heads straight in to the mountains from the greater Phoenix Area all the way up and past Flagstaff before making it's way south again.

I studied the route, and all the places it passed through. Just a few of the places the route passes through: historic Jerome mining town, Sycamore Canyon, the San Francisco volcanic field (near Flagstaff), Mogollon Rim, Four Peaks Wilderness, and so much more

I had to admit to myself, it was rather impressive, and really did show another side to Arizona that many folks are unaware of. With a few minor tweaks, we've taken the 550+ mile track and renamed it with what we feel is fitting for what is destinted to become an Arizona classic: The Arizona Overland Adventure Trail.

acf3a1_b2052cb544154e2dbc8c86623.jpg
 
OTG Ben said:
As some of you may know, I was down leading a couple of events in southern Arizona last month (March 2025). One of the guys who joined queued me in on a route called the Heart of Arizona. He kept going on and on about how great the route was, all the places it visited, and so on. Honestly, I think he was trying to sell me on getting an event on the calendar for later in the year ;)

After getting back home and doing a bit of googling, I couldn't find anything, which is odd. I'm a pretty damned good internet sleuth, especially when it comes to sniffing out obscure trails, route, or locations. But this one-- not a shred of anything! Well, apparently that's because only a small group of folks knew/know about the Heart of Arizona. A GPX filed was shared with me, and immediately I understand why this was such a beloved route. Unlike many routes and trails in Arizona, this one didn't spend a whole lot of time in the desert lowlands. Rather it heads straight in to the mountains from the greater Phoenix Area all the way up and past Flagstaff before making it's way south again.

I studied the route, and all the places it passed through. Just a few of the places the route passes through: historic Jerome mining town, Sycamore Canyon, the San Francisco volcanic field (near Flagstaff), Mogollon Rim, Four Peaks Wilderness, and so much more

I had to admit to myself, it was rather impressive, and really did show another side to Arizona that many folks are unaware of. With a few minor tweaks, we've taken the 550+ mile track and renamed it with what we feel is fitting for what is destinted to become an Arizona classic: The Arizona Overland Adventure Trail.

View attachment 3272
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Great looking late spring route. I’m in.
 
I would love to attend this even. looks and sounds incredible. My only recommendation would be if you hold the event in fall it should possibly be early fall because the area around Flagstaff can be very unpredictable weather wise.
 
A route that departs 30-40 minutes from my house? Count me in!

A couple weeks ago, I stayed in the Cinder Hills OHV area (in the San Francisco volcanic field) on my way up to Monument Valley, Valley of the Gods, and eventually a week in Moab/Arches with my brother and his family. I definitely want to go back and check out Sunset Crater. It was a really cool area with the forest growing up through the cinders. I wanted to camp on a cinder cone but the wind said otherwise - lol
 
We (me and my 2 smedium geriatric dogs) would love to take part in this route! I’m waiting listed for February Arizona trip, but this route sounds great.
 
I just completed part of this trail beginning my trip in Bend, Oregon on the way to Tuscon. I joined the Arizona Adventure Trail just north of Timberline -Fernwood and traveled counterclockwise. The trail was as reported with interesting sites until a really nasty section south of the turn off to Sycamore Point, a stop not to be missed. Beginning about 13 miles west of the Sycamore Point junction, NSF road 354 really, really, really deteriorates. I've driven my share of rock garden roads and this five mile-plus section was undoubtedly the worst I've every been on. I was aired down, drove in four-low, moving barely more than a mile an hour, The road was not only rock strewn, but had sharp slabs reminiscent of a previously paved road that had fallen into disrepair. While there was only one sharp curve section and little off-camber, I know that had my wife been with me she would have walked, made much better time than I did, and would have been much more comfortable. After covering that portion of the trail I chose to leave the trail at the junction with Yavapai County Road 71 (70). Unfortunately driving this section took the fun out of this trip and I would never recommend this road to any of my overland colleagues unless they were fully aware of the current road conditions.

Just to put my report into perspective I've logged several thousand off road miles on BDRs in Oregon and Idaho, trips to Alaska, Death Valley and Baja, among others. I've taken my truck on roads, not thinking much of it, that others report they would never go on. Below is the portion of the route guide that I believe speaks to the portion of the road that I describe above and does not speak to the conditions I found. And to be clear I am fully aware that I took this trail at my own risk and do not hold the OTG responsible for the road conditions I experienced.

Note: I was traveling counter clockwise
"From Jerome, the route climbs into the highlands that cap the mesas and canyons north of Sedona. One highlight is Sycamore Canyon, one of Arizona’s largest and least developed canyons. Most visitors to Sedona never make it to Sycamore Point (discovery point), an impressive overlook well worth the detour."

I will try to attach some pictures that DO NOT do the road the justice in deserves. IMG_0047.jpg IMG_0048.jpg
 
mwestley-3178 said:
I just completed part of this trail beginning my trip in Bend, Oregon on the way to Tuscon. I joined the Arizona Adventure Trail just north of Timberline -Fernwood and traveled counterclockwise. The trail was as reported with interesting sites until a really nasty section south of the turn off to Sycamore Point, a stop not to be missed. Beginning about 13 miles west of the Sycamore Point junction, NSF road 354 really, really, really deteriorates. I've driven my share of rock garden roads and this five mile-plus section was undoubtedly the worst I've every been on. I was aired down, drove in four-low, moving barely more than a mile an hour, The road was not only rock strewn, but had sharp slabs reminiscent of a previously paved road that had fallen into disrepair. While there was only one sharp curve section and little off-camber, I know that had my wife been with me she would have walked, made much better time than I did, and would have been much more comfortable. After covering that portion of the trail I chose to leave the trail at the junction with Yavapai County Road 71 (70). Unfortunately driving this section took the fun out of this trip and I would never recommend this road to any of my overland colleagues unless they were fully aware of the current road conditions.

Just to put my report into perspective I've logged several thousand off road miles on BDRs in Oregon and Idaho, trips to Alaska, Death Valley and Baja, among others. I've taken my truck on roads, not thinking much of it, that others report they would never go on. Below is the portion of the route guide that I believe speaks to the portion of the road that I describe above and does not speak to the conditions I found. And to be clear I am fully aware that I took this trail at my own risk and do not hold the OTG responsible for the road conditions I experienced.

Note: I was traveling counter clockwise
"From Jerome, the route climbs into the highlands that cap the mesas and canyons north of Sedona. One highlight is Sycamore Canyon, one of Arizona’s largest and least developed canyons. Most visitors to Sedona never make it to Sycamore Point (discovery point), an impressive overlook well worth the detour."

I will try to attach some pictures that DO NOT do the road the justice in deserves.View attachment 4165View attachment 4166
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What type of vehicle were you driving?
 
@mwestley-3178 Funny you mention this stretch, which I'm familiar with. When we did the Sedona Backcountry Trail a few years back, 354 was actually closed for repairs (I think due to a few washouts). However, I have a buddy who lives in the Prescott area that'd warned me about this particular trail. He managed it fine in his Rubicon, but specifically mentioned it would be a nasty stretch for something like a Sprinter Van. I imagine it'd be a very rough ride in an oversized vehicle with front solid axle like a Fuso.

The BDRs definitely tend to prioritize more mild trails, what'd I'd qualify as softroading. While OTG definitely has it's fair share of softroading routes, we do have a significant amount of tracks which do contain more rugged and moderate terrain. The upper section of High Rock Canyon comes to mind when looking at your photos. And if you explore more areas in AZ (like Williams), especially those with heavy volcan influences, the terrain is much rockier with razor sharp.

I'm going to go back and check the route guide to see if this stretch was called out for the AZ ADV Trail, as I know we called it out, and eve provided an alt bypass for the Sedona track.

I would avoid the Joshua Tree route if you're not a fan of ultra-rocky trails. A few sections out by the Old Dale Mining District definitely had me cursing from the endless side-to-side rocking in my Ram!

 
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Ben, I will be interested to hear reports from others who travel this stretch of the route.

By the way my oversized EarthCruiser is fully off road capable with full four wheel drive via a Hero transfer case, warn locking hubs and ARB front and rear lockers. It’s 134 inch wheel base is actually shorter than most full size pickups and is 85 inches wide, 6 inches wider than my previous Land Cruiser at 79 inches. It is indeed tall, just over 9 feet and fully loaded it is heavy exceeding 6 tons. And I of course air down depending on the road conditions and air up with two on board compressors.

I travel with all my friends in their rigs as long as they aren’t into rock crawling, playing in the snow or there are significant height restrictions. I do regularly carry a tree trimmer and sometimes a chainsaw, particularly early in the season. And when we do reach camp we’re pretty comfortable in all weather.
 
Your EarthCruiser setup sounds absolutely fantastic! A 134-inch wheelbase and a full-float four-wheel-drive system with those lockers is a truly capable machine, and I appreciate you sharing your specs and travel style—it sounds like you’re ready for anything the route throws at you.

We at Overland Trail Guides have run similar, oversized expedition vehicles on some of our adventures (including the occasional Earthcruiser EXP and larger LMTV-style rigs), so I completely understand the capability you gain with that kind of platform.

My main thought is exactly what you hinted at with the size:

  1. Width and Tight Trails: The biggest practical drawback we've noticed is the 85-inch width (and 9+ foot height!) on the tighter, more technical routes. It's often the limiting factor on trails that require navigating through narrow rock gardens, trees, or brush. That’s something even I deal with occasionally in my Ram 3500, but it becomes much more pronounced in these expedition vehicles, especially with their extra height.
  2. Solid Axle Comfort: While the heavy-duty solid front axle is bulletproof for payload and articulation, you'll certainly feel the difference in comfort on washboard roads and rockstrewn trails compared to a lighter truck with an Independent Front Suspension (IFS). It’s a classic trade-off: comfort vs. capability for heavy loads.
Either way, it's an incredible rig for comfortably covering serious distance.

Have you had a chance to tackle any of the trails in the Red Rock district around Sedona, like Schnebly Hill or Dry Creek, both of which have a lot of rocks? This might be a good comparison with road 354. I'd be curious to hear your experience on these two trails if you've ever driven them in your EC.

Safe travels!
 
@mwestley-3178 I was able to find road 354 on Trails Off Road. It's given a moderate rating of 3-4. I also found some videos on Youtube, and from what I gather, the terrain is similar to some of the stuff we traveled near Joshua Tree in the Old Date Mining District area. Yep, that stuff is Rocky AF and not fun when you're in oversized rigs like ours! It's a different experience in mid-sized rigs like a Rubicon or 4Runner though. If you have a Trails Off Road subscription, you can read the reviews on Old Perkinsville Road (link below). Seems like some folks didn't bat an eye, while others were not too fond of the 5+ miles of non-stop rocks and exposure.

It might be worth creating a thread in the Trip Report section, you can even call out Sedona as the AZ Overland Route you did traces a small portion of the Sedona Backcountry Trail out by Jerome and Sycamore Canyon.


TOR Link: Old Perkinsville Road
 
Ben, I've not been on any of the Red Rock district trails. They sound interesting. And I was able to fine the report on TOR regarding road 354, interesting.

Regarding your comment about tight sections, on 354 there is a tight turn with quite a drop at 35.04025, -112.16843. The drop was steep enough that my PakMule cargo carried hung up at departure, enough that I lost rear tire purchase. Clearly I should have picked a different line, piled some rocks or removed the cargo carrier, After being hung up I chose to use my winch to pull myself off and then had to do both brush clearing and back and fill to get around the corner. I wonder if that is the location that could really wash out badly with heavy
rain? It was totally dry for me. IMG_0065.jpeg
 
@mwestley-3178 That is sketchy, especially in a less nimble oversized rig like yours! I also wanted to let you know that we added some additional words in the route guides for both the Sedona and Arizona Overland ADV tracks about the precarious condition of road 354, especially as it relates to vans, full sized, and oversized rigs. I've also added country road 73 as as bypass alternative route for each of the route guides as well.
 
mwestley-3178 said:
Ben, I've not been on any of the Red Rock district trails. They sound interesting. And I was able to fine the report on TOR regarding road 354, interesting.

Regarding your comment about tight sections, on 354 there is a tight turn with quite a drop at 35.04025, -112.16843. The drop was steep enough that my PakMule cargo carried hung up at departure, enough that I lost rear tire purchase. Clearly I should have picked a different line, piled some rocks or removed the cargo carrier, After being hung up I chose to use my winch to pull myself off and then had to do both brush clearing and back and fill to get around the corner. I wonder if that is the location that could really wash out badly with heavy
rain? It was totally dry for me.View attachment 4198
Click to expand...
I’m glad that you were able to be self reliant and get your self out of a bad situation. I know that pictures don’t always do the situation justice. But what little I know, I can tell that yes during a good thunderstorm with flash flooding that that area would really wash out. Good job for getting your self out of a bad situation 👍
 
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