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Jeep Trails

If everyone took care of their own back yard, the whole earth would be taken care of.

Sedona is my back yard and I have spent hundreds of volunteer hours caring for it. It's not mere chance or luck that Sedona's environs seem pristine to the casual eye. I encourage you to visit this beautiful yet fragile landscape knowing that it is cared for by many people who dedicate their time and energy freely in the hopes that it might remain a place of beauty forever.

Sedona is the Jeep capitol of the U.S. In respect to tourism and outdoor activities, just as Kenya is known for animal safaris, Sedona is famous for Jeep tours. Several of the most challenging and unique Arizona Jeep trails, technically known as “Jeep roads”, are located in the Sedona region. Pink Jeep Tours, the oldest, continually- operating Jeep tour in the world (for over 44 years), and many other Jeep tour companies traverse some of the most scenic and spectacular trails in America. An integral part of the Sedona visitor experience is to see the red rock outback and learn about the flora, fauna, geology, and archaeology on a Jeep tour.

I was a Jeep tour guide for 13 years and I have lived in the Verde Valley and Sedona area for 33 years. I am a firm believer in the concept that there is a place for everything and that except in rare exceptions, humans can use and share resources in a respectful, holistic way. There is ample room for 4x4 drivers to enjoy and explore the land, however there is no place for 4x4 drivers who do not respect the plants and delicate desert landscape in the name of bad driving or “4x4 challenges”. Over the years, I have picked up more than my body weight in trash and donated hundreds of hours protecting and repairing dirt roads and Jeep trails from public 4x4 damage. I speak from experience and have earned the right to criticize those who are just out for a good 4x4 ride without “treading lightly”. As Abraham Lincoln said, “Let him criticize who has the heart to help.”

During the early days of environmental concern for driving impacts on public lands around Sedona, beginning around 1990, the local Jeep tour companies were fingered as the scapegoats. Some criticism in this direction was on target and better guide training and tour company accountability were in order. Still, it hurt my heart to spend many hours protecting the land just to see increasing numbers of private 4x4 vehicles driving off-trail and causing the largest portion of the damage which was usually blamed on the local tour industry. Jeep clubs were not immune either. On more than one occasion I stopped while on tour to talk to large groups (10-20 vehicles) of 4x4s that had Jeep club stickers or other signs of affiliation and were driving the same trail as myself. In more than one instance, they consoled me that they “Tread Lightly” and would not do damage by driving off-trail. Ten minutes later I would catch up to where they had just driven and notice significant damage to plants that was not there an hour ago.

Every person needs to be responsible and accountable for preserving the land. Stewardship must become the new mantra for our public lands, indeed the whole planet earth, in order to preserve it for the next 7 generations.

Sedona 4x4 – Jeep Trail Driver Training

Great Western Trail - Arizona Section
www.gwt.org/desc/arizona.html

The Great Western Trail passes through 5 states on its path from Mexico to Canada. It is a non-exclusive corridor of routes that are open to motorized and non-motorized explorers. Some portions travel through designated Wilderness areas that are not accessible to motorized vehicles, however most of these areas have motorized routes that run parallel to these areas and re-connect beyond. The “Trail” is mostly a series of backcountry roads that highlight the natural beauty of the area it passes through. Much of the national route is in a “Proposed” status. In Arizona the trail is open as a series of existing backcountry gravel roads requiring high clearance with some sections requiring skilled 4x4 driving skills and suitable, short wheel-base rigs. The 80 mile Prescott Section features the Martin Loop and the Dugas Loop as examples of more challenging 4x4 corridors. I’ve driven the Dugas Loop and other neighboring 4x4 trails. This geographical area of Arizona offers numerous technical four-wheeling challenges and rewards the successful adventurer with the isolation and beauty that is synonymous with the Arizona wild.

Sedona Jeep School
928.274.0570
www.sedonajeepschool.com

4-wheel drive basics and advanced intensive training. 2 ½ hour and 5 hour instruction “on the rocks” with your own private instructor. You can use your own four-wheel drive vehicle or rent a Jeep through Farabee’s Jeep Rental to accomplish your goals. As Jeep guide manager for Pink Jeep Tours , I trained over one hundred professional guides in the skills and etiquette of 4-wheel driving and can say with conviction that there are a lot of 4-wheelers out there on trails and roads doing damage to the land, to the image of 4-wheel drivers, and to their own vehicle. I’ve even seen some get hurt or hurt other trail users. If you are serious enough to own an off-highway vehicle you should seek training. Jeep clubs train their members, tour companies train their guides, and this school offers qualified training, too. Their instructors, like my friend Nina who received her initial skills at Red Rock Jeep Tours, could turn out to be your next best friend.

Arizona Virtual Jeep Club – Trail Directory
www.virtualjeepclub.com/forumdisplay.php?f=66

I’ve met this club on Sedona trails. They have plenty of photos and good trail descriptions. A great website for their forums that cover every four-wheel driving topic under the Arizona sun. Not much on Sedona Jeep trails, though, except an occasional posting.

Arizona State Association of 4WD Clubs
www.asa4wdc.org/html/asa_member.htm

Comprehensive list of “rough terrain” vehicle clubs in Arizona with links to individual sites. Good resource for the serious enthusiast.

Off Road Network
www.off-road.com/toc

From racing to rambling, everything 4-wheel drive and even dirt bike can be found here. I like their “Land Use Issues” section concerning recent news that may affect off-highway travel on public lands. It’s very thorough and covers news from the state level to national. Writer Kim Orndorf presents a website column called “Woman Overbored!”. You can only guess what that’s about.

Blue Ribbon Coalition
www.sharetrails.org

“Preserving our natural resources FOR the public instead of FROM the public”. Their motto belies this group’s intention of uniting motorized recreationists nationwide to protect their rights to public land use. Another place to go for news about Land Use issues as they relate to 4-wheel drive vehicles, OHVs, dirt motorcycles, and snowmobiles. The “Legal Action Update” looks at current cases involving land use issues.