Fall 2022 Arizona Peace Trail cross country trek - Planning Thread!

[Montecresto]

With exact date to be determined after collaboration from interested parties, this ride will be approximately 8 days from start to finish.

It is by far the most complex cross country I’ve ever set upon and will require a whole lot of research, planning and input.

A thumbnail sketch of the route is as follows. The trail is originally the effort of the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) and then supported by the Arizona Peace Trail Committee as well as a host of off-road clubs. At about 700 miles in length, the trail traverses very divergent terrain and climates. Elevations from about a couple hundred feet near Yuma in the desert with Ocatillo and Suguarro cactus to heights near 8,000’ in the Kingman area with ponderosa pines….

The trail spans three Arizona counties in the southwest corner of Arizona.

The trail can begin and end wherever we’d like sense it is a loop, and we have the option of getting a motel every night, camping every night, or what I would consider most enjoyable, alternating between camping for a night or two and then getting a motel for a night.

Sense the trail does include using some city, county, and state roads, it’s likely that some level of street legal status for our SXS’s will be required…..

Information from Arizona forum members, whether or not you’re interested in participating will be very welcome.

Below is a map of the trail. Let’s start discussing and adding info to this and see what we can come up with….

 

[Admin]

 

[Hondasxs]

Hum.... So darn far away.. But Man, I'd love to do this.

There is a member who sent a small sponsor for the takeover from one of the groups who help look after this loop.
Forget the user's ID.
Here was the website he wanted as a small sponsor - https://www.quartzsiteoffroad.com/

 

[Hondasxs]

Q. Do I need to be STREET-LEGAL?

A. Yes. You must be street-legal on many parts of the route.

 

[Montecresto]

Hum.... So darn far away.. But Man, I'd love to do this.

There is a member who sent a small sponsor for the takeover from one of the groups who help look after this loop.
Forget the user's ID.
Here was the website he wanted as a small sponsor - https://www.quartzsiteoffroad.com/

Awesome, thanks for the help!!!

 

[WhiteLightning]

 

[WhiteLightning]

 

[Montecresto]

View attachment 296552

Great!

 

[WhiteLightning]

They have the same laws as moab. So we need to renew idaho tags next year and we will be good

 

[Montecresto]

View attachment 296565View attachment 296566

Ha, you and I have a license plate but we will need a new validation sticker before then.

 

[Montecresto]

They have the same laws as moab. So we need to renew idaho tags next year and we will be good

That’s great. But when we start getting any interest from people that don’t have a plate yet we’ll post up info here on how to get it pretty easy.

 

[crewcabrob]

I’m super excited for this. Sad I missed the RimRocker ride. Discussing with my wife. 8 days may be a bit much for her, but alternating with a motel every so often may make a difference. My level of prep will make a difference for her too.

From my location it looks like it will be an extremely long drive to anywhere along the route. The closest is Kingman and that is 19 hours from Omaha. Which really means a day and a half drive there and day and a half drive back which easily makes this an 11 day trip but more likely 12 days.

I recently read a story about a group of four machines covering the distance in some thing like five or six days. I will need to go back and re-read the article but it sounded like they were covering about 100 miles a day and some were longer

 

[WhiteLightning]

I’m super excited for this. Sad I missed the RimRocker ride. Discussing with my wife. 8 days may be a bit much for her, but alternating with a motel every so often may make a difference. My level of prep will make a difference for her too.

From my location it looks like it will be an extremely long drive to anywhere along the route. The closest is Kingman and that is 19 hours from Omaha. Which really means a day and a half drive there and day and a half drive back which easily makes this an 11 day trip but more likely 12 days.

I recently read a story about a group of four machines covering the distance in some thing like five or six days. I will need to go back and re-read the article but it sounded like they were covering about 100 miles a day and some were longer

Will be 20 hours for us.

 

[Montecresto]

I’m super excited for this. Sad I missed the RimRocker ride. Discussing with my wife. 8 days may be a bit much for her, but alternating with a motel every so often may make a difference. My level of prep will make a difference for her too.

From my location it looks like it will be an extremely long drive to anywhere along the route. The closest is Kingman and that is 19 hours from Omaha. Which really means a day and a half drive there and day and a half drive back which easily makes this an 11 day trip but more likely 12 days.

I recently read a story about a group of four machines covering the distance in some thing like five or six days. I will need to go back and re-read the article but it sounded like they were covering about 100 miles a day and some were longer

Well Rob, go ahead and do some research on this trail. It’s an epoch trail, and there’s too much to see and do to rush through it. Anything less than 8 days of riding is not going to do it justice. But, if you study the map, because it’s a loop trail, there’s ways to cut off back to where the tow vehicles are left and shorten the duration for those that may have to. Maybe in the meantime you can start doing smaller 2,3 or 4 day trips closer to home to break her in and get her a feel for it…🤔

Probably all total you need a two week vacation to do it right and not be rushed and stressed?

 

[WhiteLightning]

 

[lowrider]

View attachment 296596

At this point, Copilot and I are getting excited about the BC trip next summer. This one maybe not so much. We did a 30+ mile ride today and that was "taxing" even in cool and clear conditions...but then it's a long way off and attitudes could change. Still sorry we didn't make Rimrock.

 

[Montecresto]

They have the same laws as moab. So we need to renew idaho tags next year and we will be good

I know damn well you’ve been studying this more than anyone big E.
We need @Monkeywrench63 to weigh in with his brilliance 😂

 

[Montecresto]

View attachment 296596

Nellie E. Saloon and desert bar…..
The 4 wheeler road to this bar is ranked “difficult” and is described by many as tippy, rutted, washed out, rocky, extremely steep accents and descents….😂

 

[ByronM]

Nellie E. Saloon and desert bar…..
The 4 wheeler road to this bar is ranked “difficult” and is described by many as tippy, rutted, washed out, rocky, extremely steep accents and descents….😂
View attachment 296789

Interesting story
Desert Bar closes for summer soon. Its legendary owner might be saying goodbye for good

 

[Keebler]

The wife and I are in!
I looked at the https://www.quartzsiteoffroad.com/off-road-atlas.html website last night and will be ordering the 29 page trail atlas this weekend. Since I will be retiring this November anytime works for me, once I get the dates I will put it on my calendar! My vote is for a hotel every 2 or 3 nights and to start somewhere in the norther half of the trail, but I am OK with whatever is decided.

 

[Montecresto]

The wife and I are in!
I looked at the https://www.quartzsiteoffroad.com/off-road-atlas.html website last night and will be ordering the 29 page trail atlas this weekend. Since I will be retiring this November anytime works for me, once I get the dates I will put it on my calendar! My vote is for a hotel every 2 or 3 nights and to start somewhere in the norther half of the trail, but I am OK with whatever is decided.

Great, I ordered that atlas too…👍

As for dates, October day time highs average 93* and nighttime lows 59* whereas November averages 80* days and 49* nights…. And that is for the Yuma area. And Kingman area where we’d encounter our highest elevations is 78* days and 51* nights in October and 65* days and 40* nights for November

Seems like November would be the better compromise to me if we just time things so that we don’t have a camp at the highest elevation in the mountains which is 7,500 to 8,000’

Camping two nights works for us. Some camping will be boondocking whereas some campgrounds are like KOA where there may be a bath house. Need to research on that….