4x4tographer 2,009 Posted June 1 (edited) Join us for a fun day trip on the famous Casner Mountain Trail! To help preserve the trail's condition, the USFS only allots 22 permits per year, limited to 10 vehicles/25 people per permit - that means Casner is one of the most exclusive trails around! This trail will take you high above the city of Sedona along a series of serious switchbacks where you will gain 2,000 ft of elevation in just under 2 miles. At the top, we will ride the ridgeback of the mountains with beautiful views of the Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness to the right and Sycamore Canyon to the left. As we climb, the landscape will transform from scrub brush and junipers to the tall and shady ponderosa pines. We'll cruise through the Coconino National Forest and end up just outside of the city of Flagstaff near the i17. When & Where: Sunday: August 14, 2022 @ 8:30 am Air down and depart NLT 9:00 am Location: Dirt lot near the intersection of 89A and Loy Butte Road (FR 525) 34.815120577231774, -111.9052835271499 Trail Rating: Moderate There isn't much that is technical on this trail - largely it is well maintained. However, there are very steep inclines with tight turns (in the switchbacks and along the saddle), moderate off-camber, narrow shelf roads. We will be running the trail from South to North, dropping us off near Flagstaff. Great trail resources: TrailsOffroad: https://www.trailsoffroad.com/trails/1460-casner-mountain-trail A great write up and photos by @theksmith Photos from our last run up the mountain Vehicle Requirements: High clearance, 4x4 with low range, aggressive A/T or M/T tires are required. GMRS or ham radio in good working order. Most stock 4x4 vehicles with low range will do great. Rear lockers/limited slip recommended. Full-sized trucks are not recommended due to very tight switchbacks that are steep and off-camber. Communications: GMRS Channel 20 (462.675mhz) Additional Considerations: Dress for the weather Bring a chair! Bring a lunch and plenty of water Recovery gear/traction aid Emergency supplies / Med kit Sunscreen! Don't forget that camera - you're going to want it Bring a positive attitude! Camping: While this is being run as a day trip, there's nothing saying you can't camp out in the cool pines! Camping is not permitted on the Casner Mountain Trail itself, however, there is a wide area where dispersed camping is allowed. Please consult the Coconino MVUM to find camping corridors that align with your plans. Coconino allows camping up to 300 ft from the roads edge in designated corridors. A Note to ORP Premium Club Members: There will be a second, Club Members-Only run in mid-September. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP! Not a member? Interested in joining the ORP Club for exclusive planned adventures and perks? View membership options → Sign-Up/RSVP: Per the permit: 10 vehicles MAX and 25 people MAX. When you sign up, please tell me how many are in your party. Anyone above the 10 vehicle max will be added to the standby list. Don't worry if you end up on stand-by; people drop out as plans change and you may end up getting a spot! Additionally, please be courteous of others and only sign up for this trip, or the one in September - not both. Club Members - please consider the trip in September as well (details coming soon!) This will allow as many people as possible to experience this amazing drive into an area very few get to see. Attending: 1 - 4x4tographer & @Yodamom (lead) +2 2 - @Ladybug + @ob1jeeper 3 - @MzPriss +1 4 - @Sputternutz 5 - @snoopy61 6 - @English Al +1 7 - @Eugene + 1 8 - @Kristinalove79 9 - @Ken Ford 10 - @Mike and Kristen Inkrott +1 Standby Squad: 1 - @JL Goat 2 - 3 - Edited Sunday at 08:42 PM by 4x4tographer Updated attendees. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sputternutz 9 Posted June 1 Please add me to the list, I love this trail. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
snoopy61 2 Posted June 1 Sign me up please…..thx, lisa right now will just be me. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mbuckner 90 Posted June 1 Please add me .... just 1 person 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eugene 30 Posted June 2 Please add me and Kelly. Mike 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kristinalove79 7 Posted June 2 23 hours ago, 4x4tographer said: Join us for a fun day trip on the famous Casner Mountain Trail! To help preserve the trail's condition, the USFS only allots 22 permits per year, limited to 10 vehicles/25 people per permit - that means Casner is one of the most exclusive trails around! This trail will take you high above the city of Sedona along a series of serious switchbacks where you will gain 2,000 ft of elevation in just under 2 miles. At the top, we will ride the ridgeback of the mountains with beautiful views of the Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness to the right and Sycamore Canyon to the left. As we climb, the landscape will transform from scrub brush and junipers to the tall and shady ponderosa pines. We'll cruise through the Coconino National Forest and end up just outside of the city of Flagstaff near the i17. When & Where: Sunday: August 14, 2022 @ 8:30 am Air down and depart NLT 9:00 am Location: Dirt lot near the intersection of 89A and Loy Butte Road (FR 525) 34.815120577231774, -111.9052835271499 Trail Rating: Moderate There isn't much that is technical on this trail - largely it is well maintained. However, there are very steep inclines with tight turns (in the switchbacks and along the saddle), moderate off-camber, narrow shelf roads. We will be running the trail from South to North, dropping us off near Flagstaff. Great trail resources: TrailsOffroad: https://www.trailsoffroad.com/trails/1460-casner-mountain-trail A great write up and photos by @theksmith Photos from our last run up the mountain Vehicle Requirements: High clearance, 4x4 with low range, aggressive A/T or M/T tires are required. GMRS or ham radio in good working order. Most stock 4x4 vehicles with low range will do great. Rear lockers/limited slip recommended. Full-sized trucks are not recommended due to very tight switchbacks that are steep and off-camber. Communications: GMRS Channel 20 (462.675mhz) Camping: While this is being run as a day trip, there's nothing saying you can't camp out in the cool pines! Camping is not permitted on the Casner Mountain Trail itself, however, there is a wide area where dispersed camping is allowed. Please consult the Coconino MVUM to find camping corridors that align with your plans. Coconino allows camping up to 300 ft from the roads edge in designated corridors. A Note to ORP Premium Club Members: There will be a second, Club Members-Only run in mid-September. Details coming soon! Not a member? Interested in joining the ORP Club for exclusive planned adventures and perks? View membership options → Sign-Up/RSVP: Per the permit: 10 vehicles MAX and 25 people MAX. When you sign up, please tell me how many are in your party. Anyone above the 10 vehicle max will be added to the standby list. Don't worry if you end up on stand-by; people drop out as plans change and you may end up getting a spot! Additionally, please be courteous of others and only sign up for this trip, or the one in September - not both. Club Members - please consider the trip in September as well (details coming soon!) This will allow as many people as possible to experience this amazing drive into an area very few get to see. Attending: 4x4tographer & @Yodamom (lead) +2 @Ladybug +1 @ob1jeeper @MzPriss @Sputternutz @snoopy61 @mbuckner @Eugene +1 . . Standby Squad: . . . This sounds like a trail I would be capable of doing with some spotting. Would there be anyone in the group able to spot me on the trickier areas? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4x4tographer 2,009 Posted June 2 17 minutes ago, Kristinalove79 said: This sounds like a trail I would be capable of doing with some spotting. Would there be anyone in the group able to spot me on the trickier areas? Hey @Kristinalove79! Glad to see you made it over to the forums. We'll absolutely spot if you feel uncomfortable at any time. There's also nothing wrong with hopping out and walking it through first to make sure you're good. We also generally have someone as a "tailgunner" at the end of the caravan to make sure everyone gets through the trail and doesn't take any wrong turns. That said, I think you'll do fine on this trail. The primary reason for the rating is the initial climb up the mountain. It is steep and narrow in a few places. You will definitely want to be in 4-low for the climb to make it easier on your rig. Once we get up the mountain, it's smooth sailing from there on. Much of the trail was graded smooth for the fire crews to fight the Rafael Fire that consumed Sycamore Canyon last summer. I'll add you to the list if you're still interested! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZRNintheJeep242 348 Posted June 2 Sign me up for this please. Had a great time the last run. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kristinalove79 7 Posted June 2 17 hours ago, 4x4tographer said: Hey @Kristinalove79! Glad to see you made it over to the forums. We'll absolutely spot if you feel uncomfortable at any time. There's also nothing wrong with hopping out and walking it through first to make sure you're good. We also generally have someone as a "tailgunner" at the end of the caravan to make sure everyone gets through the trail and doesn't take any wrong turns. That said, I think you'll do fine on this trail. The primary reason for the rating is the initial climb up the mountain. It is steep and narrow in a few places. You will definitely want to be in 4-low for the climb to make it easier on your rig. Once we get up the mountain, it's smooth sailing from there on. Much of the trail was graded smooth for the fire crews to fight the Rafael Fire that consumed Sycamore Canyon last summer. I'll add you to the list if you're still interested! Thank you for signing me up. The page mentioned a possible September run for members with club membership. I wanted to explore the group a bit then possibly sign up for club member. I have a black Xterra can get pretty hot in the summer. I haven't had a chance to take a good look where this trail is at. Do you expect it to be pretty hot in August on this trail? If so I may switch over to the Sept run.. I am most def interested in this run looks amazing!! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
