wheeling after Christmas? (1 Viewer)

which trail?

  • Tip Top Mine Trail

    Votes: 5 62.5%
  • FR41

    Votes: 3 37.5%

  • Total voters
    8
  • Poll closed .

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DSRTRDR

I can mangle anything ...
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I would be interested in some trail runs around Christmas/New Years. Anyone else have plans already?
 
/me watches thread with anticipation

-Spike
 
hmmm my rigs is staying in Wa. so that sux, maybe if its really low key ill sneak the dads lx470 out.............

mike
 
I know this is isn't after Christmas but on December 18th my friend and I are trying to get some people together to go up the backroad to Crown King... We have both never done it...If anyones interested I will keep the plans updated....
 
I'm interested in both, wheeling on the 18th and after Christmas. I'll keep checking.
 
Aww, lookit that, I'm famous!

-Spike
 
RHINO said:
backroad to CK is getting back the way it used to be many many moons ago, you'll enjoy.

I'm new to the trail, does that mean it's getting easier or more challenging?

-Spike
 
-Spike- said:
I'm new to the trail, does that mean it's getting easier or more challenging?

-Spike

It was our first trail in the K5 many years ago, stock suspension, 32" all terrains, runnning boards, no lockers or nothing - and didn't hit a single taillight...

Reports are that the rains last winter have made the trail more difficult, and it would now justify the 3.5 rating.
 
The most challenging obstacle on the trail previously (the ledge), is now nothing but a memory, replaced by an endless array of playgrounds including hillclimbs, off camber stuff, some chunky rocks and it just keeps going on and on. I believe it's 26 miles bottom to top, eh? Much more interesting than it ever was for sure :)

Spike, didn't you run "grape ape" up and toss a cv here? If so, that area was perhaps one of the tougher spots along the way...
 
DBAX said:
Spike, didn't you run "grape ape" up and toss a cv here? If so, that area was perhaps one of the tougher spots along the way...

No, I broke an unbreakable Nissan H233B rear axle, but it was driver foolishness. I've run it since (in the same truck), but I was wondering if it's more fun now, or was more fun before. It's a nice scenic trail, I like it.

-Spike
 
Brian, have fun in Baja; life's hard........

Spike, Crown King run would be fine, as long as we start early enough. This was the trip that precipitated the "nothing crazy after 3:30" rule: '96 Thanksgiving Day, Michael puts a new radio in the K5 (completely stock, no locker no nothing); we maybe got going by 2 pm from Scottsdale (not really being morning people, plus the radio install.....). And so we go onto "Backroad to Crown King", enjoying the beautiful desert close to the Lake Pleasant area; eventually, we are getting closer to trees and it is getting darker and darker...... Well, soon enough it starts SNOWING !!! According to our map, we were on the right trail, but we couldn't see much, getting out of the truck didn't help: for one, it was friggin' cold, plus, it was dark..... This being maybe our second 4-wheeling outing or so, we had a jacket for each of us, but not much else. We could have overnighted, but it would have become awfully cold and uncomfortable :frown:. So we continued just following whatever looked like the most travelled road (and there were plenty of turn-offs into wherever.....) groping for traction sorta blind, bumping up on rocks, sliding some since they were wet, and, after what seemed like LOOONG hours, somehow made it to Crown King. By the time we were back on North Scottsdale, it was about 11pm. So, that's where the phrase comes from "nothing crazy after 3:30" (the time we actually hit the Crown King Trail).............

I think there was a second story to re-inforce the idea but that's for another day...............

As far as wheeling around Christmas: We thought about FR41 (starting from the Carefree/North Scottsdale side ending at I-17), possibly with a sidetour up FR17, just to check out how it looks these days (Forest Ranger the other day had no idea what I was inquiring about on the phone, claimed it was closed, but it sounded more like she didn't know where it was in the first place). FR17 goes up Black Mesa (DeLorme Topomap shows a spur off FR41 southwest); some 7 years ago, the climb us FR17 was a gravelly shelf road, not too dramatic, some rocks (a Izuzu Amigo didn't make it, gunned it too hard and slid close to the edge, but nothing even close to the shelf road out of Martinez Canyon, really), and once you are on the Mesa, it's just dirt with a lot of stupid rocks in there (I remember walking and spotting the -at the time unlifted- K5 for more than a mile), but at the end there was a spendid view of the Valley of the Sun (we camped there on New Year's Eve, friggin' cold but really nice, with some fireworks, too -and champagne :flipoff2:). By the way, State Land Trust Permit required on a short stretch of FR41 ending at I-17 (CSC members got it :grinpimp:). Is there still an establishment where the Sqaw Steak House was years ago, or at Rock Springs? We could all have a drink and something to eat there after the trip (alternatively, Crazy Ed's or Horny Toad in Cave Creek).

Another possibility would be Tip Top Mine Road. Christmas 2004, Garie Chavez (snakesource) was planning to lead a group up there, but there was way too much rain and water in the Agua Fria. If this year is different, we could try. I haven't personally been on that trail, but it didn't sound as difficult as Sunflower Mine (which we just did this Thanksgiving).

Any other ideas?
 
Last edited:
I've never been to CK yet myself. I'm a member on RidingArizona.com, a forum for ATVs and they constantly have group rides up the back way. Here's some pics from like a day or 2 ago from that site:

20051211131054_10.jpg

20051211131144_11.jpg

20051211131234_12.jpg


And, apparently this thing made it up...so it can't be TOO bad:

2005121113742_6.jpg
 
The best part of a Crown King is run that changes each time you do it.
We ran it last in Feb just after the heavy rains and it was the worst I have seen it in 30 years.

After Xmas could be problem if it has snow or if you get hard rain.


It can be a lot of fun depending on the line you pick:eek:
phil.jpg
 

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