Hey Arizona Folks!

[Mike]

I have a question for the Arizona MJR folks:

I am going to be camping in the Florence AZ area this week (Tuesday thru Sunday, 2/12 - 2/17). I will not have a Jeep on this trip, but I found out that there are several Jeep trails nearby the campsite.

So I was wondering if it would be worthwhile to rent a Jeep for a day and check out some of the trails. The toughest ones in the area (according to Charles Wells) are Martinez Canyon, Jack Handle, Woodpecker Mine, Ajax Mine, and Hackberry Creek.

Will a rental Jeep make it thru any of these without me having to pay for ugly damages to the rental? If not, I'll just wait until next year when I can tow Mr. Green out there.

[Russ Chung]

Mike,

I've never run any of the Florence Junction trails, but here's a link to the Arizona Virtual Jeep Club site's trail descriptions and run posts. I see that there is a post for a run in the area on the 17th.

[miguelitojeep97]

those trails look pretty mean! but looks like a lot of fun technical stuff!

[Mike]

Thanks Russ. Cool site. I'll see if I can rent a Jeep somewhere and do a little exploring.

[Mike]

Trail Report - Florence, AZ

The trip to Arizona was good and we had fun (I hate that I missed the Calico Clean-Up though).

We didn't take the Jeep on this trip, but after learning about the trails in the area, we decided to rent a 4x4 for a day and do some easy exploring. Unfortunately, renting a Jeep for less than $400 a day was pretty much impossible. So for $48.67 we got a stock Chevy Trailbrazer late one afternoon and headed out to the Box Canyon Trail.

BTW, 'Trailblazer' is definitely NOT the proper name for this vehicle! It was embarrassing to be seen in such a Soccer Mom SUV, so we changed the look with the first mud hole that we found:


The trail into the canyon has some great views and more mud puddles from the recent rains:



When we finally reached the Box Canyon, we found a creek flowing through it:


We were losing the sun quickly when we got to an obstacle that the Trailblazer had a problem with:


I asked Sharon to drive while I spotted and took pics:


But the open diffs, low clearance, and wet street tires made it tough to get traction. I thought about stacking rocks, but since it was getting dark, we decided to back off and just hike up the canyon a bit.

There were some more mild obstacles that the Trailblazer would probably struggle with:


On the way out, there were some fantastic sunset vistas:




The next morning was overcast. We headed up to Cottonwood Cyn Road which passes through free-range cattle country:


Once into the hills, the trail mostly followed a wash:


This trail leads to MANY hardcore and buggy trails in the area. The first one that we came to was the Woodpecker Mine Trail.
Trail Head:


There is a driver's choice set of paths to get past soon after the entrance. This one looked like the most fun, but there was a fair amount of paint on the rock wall just out of view to the Left:


While we were there, a Hummingbird stopped to bathe in the creek:


After hiking around the entrance, we drove on down Cottonwood Canyon to the 'easy' trail to Ajax Mine. The difficult trail weaves in and around this trail through the wash.

The easy path would have been a walk in the park for Mr. Green, but this Bunny Trail (as Britain says) had some spots that gave the Trailblazer some issues. For example, this hill isn't tough unless you are in a heavy stock truck with street tires and no articulation:


We stopped often and walked the Difficult trail since it was easy to access. It is not easy to see the technical aspects of the trail from this pic, but just as a frame of reference, the first ledge in the foreground is about 3 feet high:


This short rock garden has a by-pass:


With all the rain, the Ocotillos were sprouting leaves. We passed a couple that had red leaves:


We eventually made it to the remains of the Ajax Mine. Sharon took this B&W:


As I turned the truck around to head back, I found out that the break-over angle on the truck is pretty much non-existent. Yes... the driver's rear tire is in the air:


The passenger's front tire was in the air too. The frame was sitting on a small rock. This was our friend, Suzi's first time off-roading in any form, but she was willing to play Bumper Cowgirl while we eased the truck off the rock:


Suzi was very excited and started talking about that they have a 4X4 that they could go out in (Explorer). She also decided that Bumper Cowgirl wasn't tough-sounding enough and said that she wants to be called a Bumper B*tch! :gun::wink::bonk:
I think that she's got the 'fever' now....

Heading back on Cottonwood Cyn Road, the sunshine started trying to peep through the clouds and gave us some light color to the desert:


We also found some petrogylphs in a wash:


Before we got back to the pavement, we caught a great view of Superstition Mtn and Weaver's Needle:


I definitely want to go back with my Jeep! Later in the week we ran into some Jeepers coming off the trails. The guy that we talked to said that the difficulty of the trails vary but most can be made with an appropriate lift.

I think that I will towing Mr. Green with me next year! More pics can be seen at this link:
http://s139.photobucket.com/albums/q...02-08/?start=0

[Roger]

Wow! what a beautiful place. You didn't say why you didn't take your Jeep. We were out this weekk end with a group of friends and my wife drove our truck & trailer I was behind her in the Jeep. I have cb's in booth rigs so we could talk. It worked out great. I too was sorry I missed Calico but, there's next year.

[sarah]

WOW! Thanks for the pics and writeup. I love the landscape of Arizona. My favorite pic was the hummingbird, what a sight to see!

[Mike]

Wow! what a beautiful place. You didn't say why you didn't take your Jeep. We were out this weekk end with a group of friends and my wife drove our truck & trailer I was behind her in the Jeep. I have cb's in booth rigs so we could talk. It worked out great. I too was sorry I missed Calico but, there's next year.

It really is a beautiful area. The reason that I was there has nothing to do with off-roading, so I didn't take the Jeep. One of my other hobbies is that I do Middle Ages Living History. Every President's Day weekend there is a big event in the Florence area. Lot's of fun!

But next year, it will be Jeeping AND re-creating medieval warfare!

[dirtman13]

Great pics Mike. Looks like a good time.

[RAT]

Mike,
That's a good looking 4x4 rig you got there...
I actually hate you right now; everytime I see pics from that area it makes me miss it all over again. We definitely have to go back with the Jeeps. And the cameras. You really nailed some great moments there, and there are millions more to be caught. So, was Sharon just playing that she could'nt get that soccer mom mobile over those rocks to avoid sending you into a depression??

Kurt

[Mitch]

Hey Mike,

I'm sure that some people will buy that line, "The reason that I was there had nothing to do with off-roading". Yea right! Anyone that knows you has fiqured out that you have off-roading as a motive 24/7. Now you would really impress me by coming up with a new concept, "Medieval Jeep Warfare".

As always, great story writting and great pictures.

Thanks

[Mtbikbob]

wow, great pictures. Lose the jeep, or whatever you called that thing.

[Mike]

wow, great pictures. Lose the jeep, or whatever you called that thing.

Ha! It's called a Trailblazer. I think that they call it that because the best thing to do with it on a trail is set it on fire for warmth!

[Troy591]

So you mean your not gonna sell you jeep and buy a trailblazer?

Thats what i'm planning on doing after reading this report and seeing the performance of that thing.............


NOT!!!

[Mitch]

Each time I check out these pictures it reminds me of Rattlesnake Canyon, only 10 times better. More rocks, bigger rocks, more water, more colors, more fun. I would do a weekend like that in Arizona anytime.