Northern Arizona High Desert (Part 1)

Trail Overview

Between Sand Hollow State Park in Southern Utah and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, there are some high desert trails that stay open almost all year. You may encounter snow if you ride shortly after a big storm, but we took this trail in late January when lots of snow was visible on the high mountains nearby, and we had mud and some light snow on the north slopes, but mostly the trail was dry. Up on top of this mesa, the elevation is about 4400 feet, so it's a perfect place to escape the desert heat in the summer, spring, and fall. If you have all day, you can continue south to the Grand Canyon National Park. Or you can continue to the north and play around in Sand Hollow. The trails up here go through several gates as this is cattle country. Leave all gates as you find them. And watch for cows on the trails. There is evidence at times that they use the trails, too. If you connect Arizona High Desert Part 1 and Part 2, you can go from the Temple Trail North, which runs on the east side of Sand Hollow, all the way to the West Mesa Cut-Across Trail, the Sunshine Trail, and the Segmiller Mountain-Sunshine Trail Interconnect on the west side of Sand Hollow. To the south, you can connect with the Navajo Trail West and the Mount Trumbull School House Road in northern Arizona. Be sure to carry extra fuel out here. There is no place to buy more, and it's not hard to put 150 miles on in a day. There is pretty good cell service, with just a few places you have no service. Bring your camera as the high desert scenery is spectacular. Starting Feb 2023, Utah is going to begin enforcement of their new law, which requires an online education course for all off-roaders. The free course is available online now. Google "Utah OHV Education Course," and the free test will pop up. It's an easy test that will only take 15-30 minutes, and it's required for all off-roaders, Jeeps, SXSs, dirt bikes, and ATVs. Kids under the age of 18 will have to take the Youth Education Test at the same site. After completing the test, print out the certificate to carry with you which shows you completed the course. We have taken it, and it's really no big deal. Good reminders about trail etiquette and trail preservation. To find this trail, from the east side of Sand Hollow, you take the Far East Access Road to Hurricane Wash down to the Temple Trail North, and then you take a right onto this trail off of the Temple Trail North some 30+ miles south of Sand Hollow. From the west side of Sand Hollow, take the Sunshine Trail up onto the mesa, and you'll connect with this trail. A more scenic route from the west side is to take the Segmiller Mountain-Sunshine Trail Interconnect to the West Mesa Cut-Across Trail, then take the Northern Arizona High Desert (Part 2) to this trail.

Photos of Northern Arizona High Desert (Part 1)

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Difficulty

There is nothing difficult about this trail. Getting to it from the north, you will encounter some rocky hills and some washes that may have evidence of erosion.

Technical Rating