teddyearp

Do you have a route for this trip? Sounds interesting. How do you cross Chevlon and Clear Creeks? They have some pretty gnarly canyons up that way.

What/where are you guys interested in? If you're into technical/rock crawling hardcore stuff, you won't find much up here. But if your goal is to just stay on dirt all day and try not to see many others while doing it, there's quite a bit up here. Both on the forest and on the res.

Way late to this party, but welcome to the mountain.

I haven't been active here for a while. I've been up to that lookout, but it's been years. I drove my '97 stock XJ up to it. I used to do a lot of exploring around there, especially right after the Rodeo fire. I would go and cut a little tiny bit of wood now and then from the downed charred alligator junipers. And yes, there's a ton of little roads to explore in there. FR300 is cool. I think I've taken it almost all the way, both legs. If you go on the western portion that goes on the north of SR 260, I know of a really cool campsite at Promontory Butte.

Nice, thanks for sharing. Pretty sad some flatlander knows secret camp spots the locals may not, lol.

I'm late to this thread, but you said in August, right? Anyways, the fire restrictions have been lifted and I thought I'd propose another place, Scott's Reservoir. It's decent and free.

Thanks for the pictures and report. I'm sorry I missed this, it is one of the trips I want to take now I'm back on the mountain. There was a guy who posted about doing this going the other way on the VJC site last year. Just a quick tip from looking at the sign up thread. Not sure if this was obvious from the online permit purchase, but technically you need the "Special Use Permit" for that part of the WMAT res. http://www.wmatoutdoors.org/special_use_regulations Granted, if you came across any WMRE officials, they would have probably just given you a warning.

Thank you for the kind words back, yes, I would like to try to hook up with you folks, just be warned, lol. The last two trips I made to AZ have been in later April, but next year I am hoping to come down during the monsoon. I am missing the shows so bad . . . . This is me some 12-13 years ago looking for fire agates on the Black Hills:

It's been a coon's age since I have visited and posted here. Glad to see you folks are still expanding ever outward from the box of the 'usual' Wells trails that other 'clubs' are locked into because there is so much more to see in Arizona than what is in that little book. In Mt Graham, now you have found another Arizona jewel. But there is more . . . . the Black Hills Back Country byway. The Chiricuaha mtns. And more. Thanks for this picture thread, thanks much. Or not! Now I am wishing I was living in AZ all that much more you stinkers!

Thanks for the pictures and report. I made a trip through there from Green Valley(?) to Sonoita many many years ago, and thought I went through on White House Canyon road, but Google doesn't show it now. Also on that same trip went up into the Chiricahua NM as well. Entered there from the east. Love the transition from desert to pines as well and there are loads and loads of ghost towns down there.

The two days in Tucson were replete of pictures, but we did go to Tombstone; alas, since I've been there so many times before, this is the only picture I took: With all the changes of plans I decided that Thursday, May 8 was 'time to hightail it fer home day'. And I did. No camping out, just highways, freeways, and motels. I didn't start taking any pictures until I was between Flagstaff and Page, but I've got a bunch of those as well. So I'll start here at "The Gap" where US89 has the detour on US89T (Navajo 20) to bypass the big slide. Heading up US89T from the gap: It was a very welcome change of scenery since I've been up US89 between Flag and Page so many times: Yup, to verify I'm also on Navajo 20: The story is that US89 buckled and slid away up on the Vermillion cliffs south of Page, AZ around Feb 2013, so the best detour was on Navajo 20, but at the time most of it was unpaved. Well ADOT and the Navajos came to an agreement to go ahead and pave it and call it US89T in the meantime. It might be actually shorter and I hear that the semi's find it less curvy than the original US89. We'll see how it turns out. Getting closer to Page, Lake Powell, and southern Utah, it's time to play with some camera settings: The bridge at Lake Powell: On the other side, a close up of some boats on the lake: Took a quick side stop at one of the lookouts. Najavo mountain out there: Entering Utah: Past Kanab: I spent the night at a place in Panguitch, UT. It was being fixed up really neat and for $50 I got more than my money's worth. However, I did not get a good money picture of the place as I left the next morning (Friday, May 9): Got to have another old building: And the contrasting effect: And that is it for my pictures. I stopped in Salt Lake City for lunch, Mountain Home, ID for the night, and was home by Saturday, May 10. Hope you enjoyed!

The next day, Tuesday, May 6, I headed down to Tucson to visit that old friend. No pics to speak of there. Well, this is a cool one leaving Hawley: And come to think of it, I did get a few between Show Low and Globe, mostly near the Salt River canyon (some call it the 'other grand canyon'). This is looking back north near the top of the Salt on US60/AZ77: Man my pictures suck on this trip. Here's an almost decent one down in the Salt: At the bottom, here's an old dilapidated shack. It used to say 'jail' on it or something and folks would go inside to get there pictures taken, but since the store down here closed years ago it is going far to the elements: On the other side of the river looking back at the old and the modern bridge (too bad even the state rest area is closed and you cannot get much closer): After topping out back on top of the canyon headed further south towards Globe, I stopped in Seneca. Seems like the last time I was through there, the store was open and these buildings were occupied, but not now: The old store: Upon further reflection, it has probably been at least 10 years or more since I took the highway from Show Low to Globe, hence all the changes. After getting to Globe and then heading south on AZ77 towards Tucson, this is the only half way decent picture I took, and it isn't any of that:

The next day Monday, May 5, I decided I liked it so much, I was going to stay another night. I headed over to the Hawley Lake store for more supplies and such, but it was closed. Sign said the store had moved to the boat launch/rental place across the road. That was all boarded up too. Oh well, love the aspens, this is on the way back to the campground side of the lake: The huge meadow that I love across from the campground (but it is always much better in late summer; greener and tons of wildflowers): Since the store was closed I went back to Indian Pine (Hon-Dah) to re-supply. Blah blah shot along AZ 473:

Sunrise the next morning: It was so nice and peacefull up there, I stayed the next day and night as well. Then on Sun, May 4, I left and headed towards 'the mountain', i.e. Show Low and Pinetop with plans to spend the night at Hawley Lake. As I said, been camping there for over 40 years now, so it is now almost a ritual to go there whenever in Arizona. It on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation and lives up around 8000' in elevation or so. Here is another shot of the road to Promontory Butte on the way out: I ended up pretty much just passing through Pinetop and such, only stopping for some supplies, gas and camping permit at Lone Pine (now Hon-Dah). Decided to swing down through Upper Log Camp and pass by the memorial to Tenny Gatewood, an Apache Tribal Police officer who lost his life over a twelve pack of beer. Pretty sad since my only encounter with him was pretty fair. I was camping at Hawley Lake (of course) back in 1996 and he came around to check permits. Seemed I had 'forgotten' to get mine this time. He said, "Well, head over to the store and have them backdate your permit and pay what you owe". He could have done a whole lot worse. I have heard some stories. Ok, enough of my life story. They have paved some of the road to Upper Log, but ahhh, dirt finally: Upper Log camp is along the north fork of the white river, here I am crossing the bridge: Up past Upper Log, along Slide Creek road: Tenny Gatewood's memorial: Another weak attempt at an obligitory flower pic: Hawley lake sign. To the left the cabins, to the right the campgrounds. I took the right. Seems like more pavement here than last time two years ago: Nosed into my traditional family camp site, but this part of the campground seems to have become more popular on my last two visits: But my mark is still there: I ended up a little ways south and found a campsite without any neighbors: This night was special to me so I did a bit of feasting. Baked beans, beer brats, and bacon wrapped filet mignon:

I did take a pic on I-10 east just inside AZ: I believe I'm heading up the Beeline Hwy here (SR 87): Headed straight through Payson, then west on AZ260 to the top of the Mogollon rim. Mmmm, trees. Along the Rim Road (FR300): And now off of the Rim Road and down the 6 mile or so bumpy road to my destination: Nice-ness: I didn't get a lot of pictures of this road, but suffice it to say that although it's not a "Jeep trail", it certainly is NOT a graded forest road. RV's and trailers do not attempt: At the end of the road is the reward: As shown, there was an awesome table/chair built of large rocks as well as a huge firepit at camp. And then there's the views to be had, again some playing with settings: Oh yeah, that's another rock chair on the edge: Moar: Gettin' towards dinner time: