New Years in Crown King, AZ

[SOAZ]

For New Years I had no desire to be in the middle of town or around a bunch of strangers so we gathered some friends and headed up to Crown King on New Years Eve.
Here are few pics and the rest are up on my blog.
Happy New Year!!
http://soaztim.blogspot.com/2012/01/new-years-in-crown-king.html

 

[dirty Bakers]

Yes you are very selfish to think that peoples who litter and destroy our beautiful back roads shouuld be prevented to do so. Im with you all the way.

 

[SOAZ]

Yes you are very selfish to think that peoples who litter and destroy our beautiful back roads shouuld be prevented to do so. Im with you all the way.

:sombrero:

 

[BIGGUY]

That looks like a really beautiful area and some fun times.

 

[toddz69]

Yes you are very selfish to think that peoples who litter and destroy our beautiful back roads shouuld be prevented to do so. Im with you all the way.

Many years ago our 4WD club adopted a portion of the Crown King trail for a time. I was doing some trail cleanup (picking up trash, etc.) at Oro Belle when I came upon some quad riders stopped for lunch there. I walked around/amongst them with my "grabbers" picking up cans and papers and they started to heckle me - accusing me of being an environmentalist/tree hugger, etc. I calmly explained who I was and what I was doing and told them about our trail cleanup efforts etc. They responded by intentionally throwing a few more beer cans and food wrappers on the ground for me before they roared off. That incident forever changed my opinion of that segment of the OHV population.

Todd Z.

 

[Jrally]

I knew we should have tried harder to get all the way up the trail that day. My 2wd expo car made it about 1/3 of the way up from Cow Creek Rd., before smarter heads prevailed and we turned around. I love an adventure, but wasn't into spending the night stuck in the middle of the desert for New Years. Great pictures. I think next time, we might start at the top, and drive south on the trail instead.

-Jon

 

[SOAZ]

I knew we should have tried harder to get all the way up the trail that day. My 2wd expo car made it about 1/3 of the way up from Cow Creek Rd., before smarter heads prevailed and we turned around. I love an adventure, but wasn't into spending the night stuck in the middle of the desert for New Years. Great pictures. I think next time, we might start at the top, and drive south on the trail instead.

-Jon

If you made it to say, the cabin with the "Don't shoot, people living here" sign then you would be good from there up. It used to be that from there up was the hard part, but now it's a graded road essentially from there until town.

Many years ago our 4WD club adopted a portion of the Crown King trail for a time. I was doing some trail cleanup (picking up trash, etc.) at Oro Belle when I came upon some quad riders stopped for lunch there. I walked around/amongst them with my "grabbers" picking up cans and papers and they started to heckle me - accusing me of being an environmentalist/tree hugger, etc. I calmly explained who I was and what I was doing and told them about our trail cleanup efforts etc. They responded by intentionally throwing a few more beer cans and food wrappers on the ground for me before they roared off. That incident forever changed my opinion of that segment of the OHV population.

Todd Z.

Todd,
that's sad, but not surprising. From doing the Four Peaks Pickup I learned that every group has plenty of knuckle heads and great folks. It takes real effort to not judge a group based on a few people. Especially if you have repeated incidents with folks who are all part of the same group. I have to remind myself to think back to the cleanup's and remember how there were great people from every user group there.
That being said, Quads are just dirt bikes for people who need training wheels! Haha. :victory:

 

[Jrally]

If you made it to say, the cabin with the "Don't shoot, people living here" sign then you would be good from there up. It used to be that from there up was the hard part, but now it's a graded road essentially from there until town.

We made it about 7 or 8 miles up pass the turn from Cow Creek Rd. We had just come down a very rough section into a tight little valley that curved left straight into what looked like two black rock faces (black from all the tires spinning on them). I hear I might have made it up the right side, but without another vehicle around to assist, I didn't want to chance it. I wasn't really looking forward to go back up the rough steep section we had just come down either though.

-Jon

 

[SOAZ]

We made it about 7 or 8 miles up pass the turn from Cow Creek Rd. We had just come down a very rough section into a tight little valley that curved left straight into what looked like two black rock faces (black from all the tires spinning on them). I hear I might have made it up the right side, but without another vehicle around to assist, I didn't want to chance it. I wasn't really looking forward to go back up the rough steep section we had just come down either though.

-Jon

I think I know the exact part your talking about. The far right side that is dirt isn't too bad. I think you'd make it in AWD. If it's wet then maybe not. Then it can get tough and slippery for any truck.
Once you make it past that spot "most" of the rest is doable. There are a couple of washes that have boulders and rocks in them that would be a ground clearance challenge, but I think you'd make it!

 

[toddz69]

that's sad, but not surprising. From doing the Four Peaks Pickup I learned that every group has plenty of knuckle heads and great folks. It takes real effort to not judge a group based on a few people. Especially if you have repeated incidents with folks who are all part of the same group. I have to remind myself to think back to the cleanup's and remember how there were great people from every user group there.
That being said, Quads are just dirt bikes for people who need training wheels! Haha. :victory:

Yeah, I tend to overgeneralize myself but since my gf owns/rides a quad, I have to watch myself .

Todd Z.

 

[Jrally]

I think I know the exact part your talking about. The far right side that is dirt isn't too bad. I think you'd make it in AWD.

Except I'm only 2wd/rwd. If I had been with a group, I would have gone for it, but better safe then stuck or broken down alone.
-Jon

 

[SOAZ]

Except I'm only 2wd/rwd. If I had been with a group, I would have gone for it, but better safe then stuck or broken down alone.
-Jon

Ah, for some reason I thought you were AWD. I agree, best to make good choices when alone. There are plenty of other cool ways into Crown King. Your car would do great on the road from Kirkland Junction which we took out of Crown King, or Senator Highway of course.
(I did the Kirkland, to Minnehaha to Crown King in a rental Honda Pilot once. Hey, I asked for a 4x4 rental so they had it coming. ;-)

 

[Lostmanifesto]

Great post! Please tell me the only way to reach that town is via 4wd

 

[SOAZ]

Great post! Please tell me the only way to reach that town is via 4wd

Okay, I'll tell you that if you want. ;-)
There are several ways into Crown King. The easiest is a relatively smooth dirt road that is still very out of the way. It follows the switchbacks where the tracks of the "Impossible Railroad" that used to carry Ore from the mines. Still a very cool, if easy, road.
You can also enter Crown King via the Senator highway which is another long dirt road that starts in Prescott, AZ. CK is sort of an offroad hub from which you can get to many places in AZ on dirt. :smiley_drive:

 

[Scott Brady]

Great trip Tim - glad you guys had fun.