If you didn’t know it already, our State land is divided up into different land management areas. While there are different National Forests throughout, there are also Bureau of Land Management maintained areas, and State Trust Land.

If you’re heading onto National Forest land that requires a fee, you’ll almost assuredly know it as fee stations are set up upon entrance.

BLM doesn’t actually require a permit unless you’re venturing into 3 select wilderness areas and a permit for those have to be purcahsed in advance. The number of allowable visitors to these areas is limited to protect the landscape and the wildlife.

Most likely though you’ll end up journeying through State Trust Land which does require for even driving through. These areas are scattered throughout the state and it’s not hard to find yourself on a tract without even knowing.  But even though they don’t have to post signs, you ARE responsable for knowing where you are and fines can begin at $500.

“ACCESS ACROSS STATE LAND FOR RECREATIONAL PURPOSES by off-highway vehicles is outlined under State Land Department A.A.C. Rule R12-5-533(D). Under this rule a recreationist would need a permit to gain access to State Trust land or to other lands beyond Trust land unless traveling on a public road or highway. “

RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES NOT ALLOWED ON STATE LANDS UNDER ANY PERMIT:

• Target shooting, paint ball games, fireworks

• Non-recreational or extended camping

• Recreational flying

• Visiting prehistoric and historic cultural or archaeological sites

• Metal detecting

• Collecting or removing natural products (rocks, stone, soil, fossils, mineral specimens, cacti, saguaro or cholla skeletons, plants (live or dead), or firewood for home use

• Rock crawling or rock hopping

Closure of State lands to specific recreational activities, on a temporary or permanent basis, may include the following reasons:

• Sensitive or protected archaeological or ecological areas

• Environmental issues, i.e. trespass or mitigation activities, environmental contamination/hazards, dust abatement, etc.

• Map depicting closed areas (State Trust Land – Dust Abatement Closures)

• In coordination with Arizona Game and Fish Department

• Commercial development, mining, agricultural or timber harvesting activities

• Lands leased to State Parks (separate permit system through State Parks)

• Health, safety and welfare of the public

• State Forester declaration of extreme fire danger or fire restrictions

During periods of high fire danger, the State Forester may prohibit fire causing activities, such as open burning, camp and cooking fires, and/or smoking to prevent wildfires. Under severe fire danger the State lands may be closed to all recreational activities.

State Land Permit Restrictions

You may print out an application online: http://www.land.state.az.us/programs/natural/rec_permit.pdf

Or visit one of the three Arizona offices:

Phoenix Office
1616 West Adams
Phoenix, AZ 85007
(602) 364-2753

Flagstaff Office
3650 Lake Mary Road
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
(928) 774-1425

Tucson Office
177 N Church Suite 1100
Tucson, AZ 85701
(520) 209-4250

Here is a great map for viewing aprised state land: http://sco.az.gov/website/parcels/viewer.htm

Check it out. Click the layer/legend button and see who’s land you’ve perhaps unknowingly been on

It’s summer in AZ, so some outdoor activities have to be packed away until the temps play nice again. There are ways around it though, such as heading north or just sneaking out at night. We hadn’t done Lower Sycamore Creek in a while so figured what the sun doesn’t know won’t hurt it and scheduled it for the PM.

We listed it as a moderate run to try to get a few of web wheelers gripping their wheels instead of just their keyboards. That part worked and a few new people came out- the moderate part not so much.

While the trail had grown a little, it’s still not technical as long as you can keep your feet on the rocks and not have to fight clearance as much.

We lost a CJ at the start due to carb troubles on the rock garden. No worries, there were extra seats so we left it to come back to later. Next we had to ditch a clearance fighting TJ that was still on the low side of its awkward growth spurt. No worries, there were still an extra couple seats.

During all of the back end negotiations, the big boys tried some side obstacles. Real up and overs with the rocks throwing the tilt in for good measure. It was on one of these dark piles that Bob’s front driveshaft twizzlered a tear. No worries, there were… oh wait, what’s that, there are no more free seats? Before we followed the bread droppings of lame Jeeps back to the trail start, Geoff wanted to give the gauntlet a shot. He made it up on top but in order to keep the Jeep topside, he had to make a trade and feed the rock a little rear quarter glass. He was okay with that because he had an exit strategy to think about. It was more than a little drop to get him back down to the creek but he made it with a few more negotiations which was good because his Jeep seats 4. Looking at the numbers, we decided to turn around there and collect the fallen.

On the way back Bob 2 wheeled it when he could but needed a short tug on a wet rock area. Paul tried to outsmart the greasy rock (at one point by trying to fly over them) but ended up loosing his XJ’s tie-rod on the dismount. It had to be left so a new one could be brought out for the fix.

Everyone else made it back to pavement around midnight. Even though the hold-backs were many, most enjoyed the run anyway. Some figured out their Jeeps were pretty capable and others started making lists to get theirs ready for the next run. The temps were great down in the creek and the night sky was beautiful without the city glow jealously trying to compete.

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It was a large scale undertaking.

Bolt for bolt had been passed over and something new was created on old foundations. With the real journey now less than 2 weeks away, this bird was in desperate need of a wing check and to survive Higher Ground’s Moab09, she had to test true.

Testing Grounds: Table Mesa

The usual suspects are always around to rustle up for a Table Mesa run or four. Bob’s new Phoenix had the pleasure of 5 other Jeeparticipants, including the HG Yellowsub, and Joe’s Absolute Offroad JK. The plan was wheel some easier stuff to find out what needed tweaking on Bob’s rig. The first feeler was Raw Deal. Passing with flying colors, it was soon obvious that not enough flex would never be the issue. His crossed up axles looked to be puppeted by strings from above.

That being accomplished they raised the bar to Lower Terminator. Nothing to see here either. The bird walked it strutting the whole way. Even though it’s axles were scissoring, Bob was impressed by how stable she was. The long arms worked the springs hard and the wheelbase gave clean clearance.

Everyone played around a bit on optional obstacles and the trail was completed still early on. Bob and Joe decided the Phoenix was greenlight for Moab and we ended the morning there instead of looking for trouble elsewhere.

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A couple Higher Ground Guys were blessed by the Jeep gods recently in the way of new parts. Two of our star vehicles received some rather beefy upgrades underneath and a good thrashing was in order. Alan’s Cherokee had just come back from Absolute Offroad with new Rock Krawler long arms and a new front locker, and Team Yellow were the proud new parents of the FatBob’s orphaned Teralow 4:1 transfer case. So what better to do but than to gently see how their Jeeps responded to their new equipment? This leads us to the break-in.

To break in-to run (new parts/machinery) initially under reduced load and speed, until any stiffness of motion has departed and all parts are ready to operate under normal service conditions; run in; wear in.

So what mild trails did they settle on for the ease-in testing process?

The early morning began with Yellowsub, Alan’s XJ, Chip’s Zuk, and Themud’s XJ meeting up. After a short deliberation, they headed over to Anaconda. It’s a shorter trail, challenging yet not dangerous; mostly waterfalls and rock gardens. The wash wall played havoc with Alan’s roof rack almost immediately but it still held. Most of the rest was uneventful until an alloy 30 shaft gave up on Themud. His trail spare took over and he made it the rest of the way out with everyone else.

After getting back to the main road, Collateral Damage became the main objective of the day. Mud sat out, but we picked up another Cherokee and a homebuilt trailer trasher on mismatched tires.

The best part about this run on CD was that Alan had had to sit this trail out a time before, but with his new locker and arms he was ready to check it off his list. Jonathan was already loving the gearing on the 4:1 and not having to play double pedal. The one thing Alan’s Chero had on Team Yellow for the waterfalls was his wheelbase. While aiding him greatly on the straight-ups, that longer end unfortunately found itself dragging along when it came to the notch.

It was comical that earlier that day, almost everyone not behind the wheel believed themselves to be spotters and instructions overlapped in dissonance. But when Alan pulled up to the notch on CD, everyone got real busy looking at the sky or ground or anything but his prospective lines. Finally some commands materialized and Alan tried sticking it to the wall. Before he was in the clear, his rear end slipped into the notch and his back hatch became a prop for keeping him off his side. The strap was brought out and he was pulled free, but not before tearing a good chunk of fiberglass away from the hatch. Surprisingly, even though the back glass popped out and the side window had been basically resting on rock, no glass was shattered.

The rest of the trail was uneventful until the last fall where only the stretched Zuk made it up unassisted. Also, the last umhp-out proved one last trick up the canyon’s sleeve. The white ground had grown so slick no tires could gain purchase. In fact on that little bump, the Cherokee pick-up busted his rear driveshaft while torquing his rig to death.

The great news was that the main objective would seem to have been reached. All the new parts didn’t just hold up but each driver was noticeably aware of the progressive difference they had made in taming some of the largest obstacles they’ve run to date. Nothing mechanical in the Higher Ground bunch was lost. Just a little collateral hatch.

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We may not get much of it, but we sure know what to do with it. When we heard it was on the ground, we set the date to explore Rattlesnake Canyon. The timing had to be right since the Canyon is a protected area for animal sexy times August through January 1st. When we arrived up there with 10 Higher Grounders and guests on the 3rd, we found our tracks to be first for the new year.

Shooting for Northern Arizona forest roads in the winter can be a crap shoot since many can be closed and gated during snow/mud buildup. We originally opted to run it north to south but to our disappointment, we found that entrance off the highway gated. Everyone was pretty quiet on our trip over to the other end, not knowing what to expect, but to our snowy delight we found it open and ready for us.

The trail itself wasn’t tough. There was a little rocky section on a hill climb after the second half, and near the north gate side we had to interpretive bulldozing because of deeper snow. The main thing we had to keep our eye on because of the white blanketing was staying on the trail. Most of it showed up, but being that it wasn’t listed on the GPS, we checked ourselves along the way using an old topo map. At one point we stopped on the trail to let 25-30 elk cross. We saw a couple deer too later on.

When we got to the radio towers, we ate lunch and played around in the snow. Funny how snow balls always seem to find people’s face. After the frolicking had subsided, we turned the heaters back on and the Jeeps around to backtrack. I gotta say, even if the gate hadn’t been locked, most of us would have run it backwards anyway. The trail is only 4.4mi and the snow was just so inviting making even scrub brush look pretty.

The way back down the hill led to a nice view below and obviously the trail was more easily found. We stopped plenty of times in predictable Higher Ground fashion to ensure a quality picture pack to take home and display. It was the most fun I’ve had on a trail in a long time.

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Some of our more strapping young Jeepsters thought it be time for a trail that spoke with bigger stones- one of those anti-bypass straight shoot jobs. This trip, three Higher Ground Jeeps and four Rock Rats stepped forward to grill up some Anaconda on a beautiful Saturday morning.

Given that the trip was right after Christmas, some out of town family and friends were passengered out to show them the fine line between Arizona rock and sky. Like many Table Mesa wash trails, you don’t need reclining seats to get an eyeful of either.

The trail went as expected if you’ve been out there before. It’s not a particularly hard trail if you’re locked and alloyed. Armor’s going to come into play too if you’re not wanting to shed paint pounds by the top of the hill.

Altogether it went well though. The stretched Wranglers didn’t spill their hand held beverages and the Cherokees somehow held onto their windows. Even Team Yellow, short wheelbase center shovel and all made it look easy. Only one time did the strap come out to save a brother’s white hide. Most importantly though, no passengers were hurt in the filming and everyone was able to drive it out to the pavement before noon.

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We’ve figured out a pretty good system up there: Day 1 do a secluded camp in the forest on the Rim, Day 2 drop in for some scenic trails in Sedona, Day 3 relax and s’plore the woods. While last year we did Broken Arrow, this year’s trails of choice were Soldier Pass and Greasy Spoon. None of these trails require much if any skill, just a little clearance for the rocky steps along the way.

Soldier Pass is less than a mile long but has a couple attractions along the way. Devil’s Kitchen is a large sink hole in the rock and Seven Apache Pools are well, in drier times, just some descending puddles on a rocky slope. They still get plenty of face time with the Pink Jeep Tours, but not as much as Broken Arrow. Another difference is that at least with BA, you have some nice elevated lookouts, even at the end. Not so much with SP. The backdrops were still appealing though and that being said, it is a very good trail to get the family out on.

After SP, we headed over to Greasy Spoon. It’s really just one of those trails you do because it’s listed in the book. Other than a semi-dramatic hill descent, then climb, it’s not real high on the shock or awe factor. But it is a Sedona trail, so again off in the distance there are some pretty good views of red rock although the aforementioned trails get you up and close with them. Once we were done and it was after noon, we drove back up the winding 89A to our nestled camp spot. We explored around a bit, spotting animals and gathering wood, and as the sun set and the Mount Humphries dimmed down, a storm passed over leaving us with a brief shower.

The next morning some packed up for home but a few of us took to the dirt roads in search for whatever lay at the end of them. We spotted some more deer and elk and a couple turkeys, then found some old dilapidated cabins, listed on the GPS as Hidden and Secret Cabin. While Hidden was pretty old and could be driven right up to, Secret Cabin required a one and a half mile hike out on Secret Mountain Trail and was built only from notched log. The roof was long lost but the walls still stood strong. Nearby were a coral and 3 dams each progressively older judging by the construction.

After we had had our fill of assorted overlooks and pics, we reluctantly headed back towards pavement and sweaty crotchety old Phoenix.

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When Paul Zelez, (Sc00by) told me he had a seat available for his Canyon de Chelly trip, I knew I couldn’t turn it down. Three days and two nights down on the beautiful undeveloped canyon floor is a wheeler and photographer’s match made in heaven. I made sure he knew I drew the line after tent sharing though.

The drive from Phoenix to the far Northeast corner of the state can be done in about five and a half hours. Once there Saturday at noon, we grouped up with 11 other Jeepers (along with HG’s Virgil) that Paul knew from his Ham airwaves. We then split of into three smaller groups, each with a ride along guide. I think it interesting that true offroaders would rather drive their own vehicles into the canyon while some people pay more to do a passenger tour.

Our guides were true Navajo’s from Antelope House Tours. They were born and raised in the canyon so they had plenty of stories and history to share. The first day we took it easy and they led us in to Canyon de Meurto to our campsite at the Antelope House Ruins. Just about every quarter to half mile there are ruins up high and indented into the canyon walls. Some are thousands of years old, their locations mostly undisturbed because of the continually eroding and more distant canyon floor.

We set up camp near the carved out cave next to the ruins. Each night after we had cooked our dinners, our guides treated us to Navajo songs and stories. Our guide Ben, ended up singing most of the songs and had an eerily beautiful voice. Adam, his son, had the gift of story telling mixing old passed tales with his own interpretations and morals.

In the morning we loaded back into the Jeeps and headed down Canyon de Chelly. We continued to pass many ruins, Ben filled us in on the histories, letting us stop whenever we wanted for photo ops. When we reached Spider Rock, we ate lunch and then our group decided to head back and check out Window Rock Arch. Some of us hiked up to it for an amazing view through the arch to the expansive view and extreme drop below.

On the way back towards camp some sinister clouds began covering the sky above. We continued anyway past camp further into Canyon de Meurto going all the way back to Mummy Cave Ruins. It was a good deal muddier because of the rains the night before and we put it to good use camoing the Jeeps up as much our fenders (or lack of them) would allow. After hitting all the photo spots in Meurto, we called it quits for the day returning again to camp and doing the campfire/story/song thing again that night.

Somehow the next morning, even after witnessing firsthand what the Canyons had to offer, some people decided to cut out early. Apparently the portable showers and room heaters they brought weren’t cutting it. Paul, Virgil, his wife and I on the other hand, got our stinky cold buts out of our sleeping bags and went right back out. We ended up taking Black Rock Canyon out as far as it would allow. The morning colors were ridiculous, making everything, especially the sky look super saturated. Black Rock offered a little more challenging trails than just the riverbed tracks with some hill climbs and tree lined washes. It was a good addition to an already amazing trip. We headed out afterwards, reaching the main roads around noon.

I admit I’ve been a bit leery about shelling out money to explore land because it was Indian owned. But after considering the time spent in the canyon, the entertainment around the campfire and all the first hand historical stories while on the trail made the $175 per vehicle well worth it. Many thanks again to Ben and Adam from Antelope House Tours for their hospitality throughout the whole trip and to Paul for letting me tag along.

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