Arizona Backway To Crown King

The BWTCK isn't a bad ride - somewhat boring but there are a few areas where it can be fun for some of the built rigs (still pretty mild though). It makes for a long day - especially if you stop for lunch on the trail or stop at the Bar & Grille in CK. Last time I was there, we started at 7AM and I didn't get back home until 7PM (we had a large group, plus got stuck behind some folk who were stuck/broken a few times). If you're figuring door-to-door time, 8 hours is a reasonable estimate.

I won't be making this, or other rides, at least for the next few weeks - the TJ is going down in two Saturdays from today, so I'm prepping for that now... #itsHemitime :)
 
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I like to types of trails:
  1. Extremely scenic trails (i.e. the Butcher Jones and Rolls trail we did)
  2. Rock crawling trails
If they don't offer at least one (or both) of those, it's just not worth it.
 
pc1p said:
I won't be making this, or other rides, at least for the next few weeks - the TJ is going down in two Saturdays from today, so I'm prepping for that now... #itsHemitime :)
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A few weeks? That's optimistic :LOL:

A few months sounds more realistic ;)
 
Chris said:
A few weeks? That's optimistic :LOL:

A few months sounds more realistic ;)
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I'm penciling in 6 weeks, 1 week for disassembly and paint prep, 1 week for Hemi fitment and final placement/welding, 1 week for paint, 3 weeks for reassembly, wiring and fuel plumbing...

It's aggressive but it has to be - I still need to wrap up a friend's set of axles (Dana 30/8.8) and help him install those and then also need to get my RamCharger OBD-II conversion done (should be done this weekend!).

We already hired a realtor in Flagstaff and may need to make a few trips here and there to see some houses/properties, so there will always be those unplanned timeline extensions, but I think I'll be able to get a lot of work done in the evenings (I already told the Mrs to plan on ordering take-out :) )

Chris said:
I like to types of trails:
  1. Extremely scenic trails (i.e. the Butcher Jones and Rolls trail we did)
  2. Rock crawling trails
If they don't offer at least one (or both) of those, it's just not worth it.
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I'm with you there - it had better be postcard worthy or something that makes me regret not working on my cage yet :)
 
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I have done it a dozen or so times. Goes from mild to wild depending on the optional obstacles. Has never taken me 12 hours even with a 20 Jeep group. Time depends on the number of stops you make, traffic and whether or not some dumb ass has rolled his side by side off the mountain. I am going with a few people Saturday as a matter of fact. If we start at 8 we should be in CK for lunch and home by 2 or 3pm. A stock Jeep can make if bypasses are taken.
It has little something for most everyone.
 
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Chris said:
I believe @DaveC did it or someone. Maybe they'll chime in.

Here's the GPX:

https://www.trailsoffroad.com/trails/1411-backway-to-crown-king-arizona
An 8 hour trip is a long one, you'd probably want to wait until the days get a bit longer to do it I would think. That being said, I am of course up for it.
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I did it this past spring. We had lunch at Burro John 22 miles in and turned around there because it took us roughly 4 hours to get there due to a 1 hour delay waiting for a couple of folks who got stuck. From what I understand, other than the creek bed shortly after Burro John, the rest of the trail goes by fairly quickly, so I'd say that without the delay, 5-6 hours would be a reasonable expectation.

Like @pc1p said, it's not terribly hard. You would want a built rig for the hard obstacles. I took the bypasses in those areas; most of those would classify as moderate or slightly more.

I'd go again with a group from the forum, but I'd probably wait for the longer days also. The group I was with weren't bad folks. It was a Meet Up group with too many rigs...and the guys who got stuck on the way up also got stuck on the way down :mad:
 
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It's been a few years since i've done this trail, but it's a lot of fun. Biggest challenge is the amount of side by sides riding your ass and finding a place to let them pass.
 
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DaveC said:
I've been wanting to do that one too. Couple more to put on your radar

https://www.trailsoffroad.com/trails/1125-pyeatt-drawhttps://funtreks.com/off-road-trails/turkey-creek/https://www.trailsoffroad.com/trails/3212-dupont-cabinSedona (multiple)
Sunflower mine (I think you'd mentioned this in another thread too)
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Yep, these are all added to my list.

I’m holding off on Sunflower until spring or summer when it starts heating up. The elevation might provide a nice break from the heat for the day.
 
Chris said:
Yep, these are all added to my list.

I’m holding off on Sunflower until spring or summer when it starts heating up. The elevation might provide a nice break from the heat for the day.
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I did Sunflower on New Years Day. It is a great trail would highly recommend. Cool old mine and a lot of creek crossings. I don't think it's high enough to make much of a difference in the heat of summer though, maybe a few degrees.
 
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PurpleTJAZ said:
I did Sunflower on New Years Day. It is a great trail would highly recommend. Cool old mine and a lot of creek crossings. I don't think it's high enough to make much of a difference in the heat of summer though, maybe a few degrees.
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Agreed - it is nice and cool in the river but once you climb out it gets hot fast!! Certainly not what I would consider to be a "dead of summer" trail. It's a great spring time one, especially since the snow melt can make the river challenging.
 
For those that like to wheel and camp there is Red Creek Trail near Sheep's Bridge, and another that goes North of Bloody Basin that ends at Fossil Creek.
 
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