Arizona The Rolls & Butcher Jones OHV Trails—December 20th
- Thread starter Chris
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35's is my build plan. Except for the winch, I have the topside done. Now for suspension axles and tyres.
The bad part is i feal good. Hopefully he will test negative and i will be free from my home.
It looks very long. How long did it take you to finish? Definitely adding this to the to-do list.
Around 3-4 hours. But we skipped a few obstacles. Once in crown king we hit the highway home. Its been a few years since I last did ut. But there is/was a restaurant to grab food and drinks before the ride home.
I did it in May. We stopped for lunch 4 hours in about 2/3 of the way thru the trail and turned around at that point. I'd say at least 5 hours. We got stalled for a good hour waiting for a couple of guys who got stuck on one of the obstacles.
My wife had a similar scenario. Found out a coworker had been coming to work sick for a week. He finally got tested and was positive. She hadn't had any interaction with him but with the owner who had... close contact with a close contact, I guess you could say.
Wife and daughter and I never head any symptoms, but had to wait for the wife's test results to confirm we were clear to gi anywhere, etc.
There's a lot of wrong info out there so let me clarify... There is Butcher Jones Recreation Area (right by the lake with access to the Rolls OHV area behind it). This entrance and area was closed off for some time. The Recreation Area is now open, however the Rolls/Butcher OHV access is closed off. You must enter from Pobrecito or from SR87.
The Rolls OHV area was reopened on Nov 24th, 2020; here's the notice from the USFS:
Tonto National Forest officials have modified the Bush Fire public safety area closure order to allow more access. The modified closure order will be in effect Nov. 25, 8 a.m. Recreational users are encouraged to check weather conditions before venturing out into the forest. This order shall remain in effect until March 15, 2021, or until rescinded, whichever occurs first.
Pursuant to 16 U.S.C. § 551 and 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(a) and (b), the following acts are prohibited within the “Restricted Area” on the roads and trails described in the Order:
1. Going into or being upon the Restricted Area. 36 C.F.R. § 261.53(e).
2. Being upon the trail. 36 C.F.R. § 261.55(a).
3. Being on the road. 36 C.F.R. § 261.54(e).
This expanded access includes the popular Rolls OHV area. While the area is reopening to the public, there are areas in the Rolls that were affected by the Bush Fire. Visitors are advised to stay on established routes and to exercise caution around burnt vegetation. The area will also have increased flash flood potential for the foreseeable future.
The Rolls OHV area is an 4x4/OHV area with routes of varied difficulty through Sonoran Desert ecosystem. Many miles of roads are available to explore, but most require a high-clearance 4x4 or OHV (ATV/UTV). Access will be available from the Fours Peaks turn off on State Road 87 and the Pobrecito Recreation site. Butcher Jones Beach and Recreation area will also be open for use. Access to Cottonwood Wash and the Four Peaks Wilderness area to include NFSR 143 to Tonto Basin and NFSR 401 are still closed due to flooding hazards from the Bush Fire.
Further information regarding this order may be obtained by contacting the Mesa Ranger Station at (480) 610-3300 or to view the order visit the Tonto National Forest alerts and notices webpage at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/tonto/alerts-notices. This order supersedes any previous orders prohibiting the same acts covered by this order. Visit the Tonto National Forest website for the latest news and alerts: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/tonto/home.
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It is still possible to get to the Coves and play in the Rolls. I have heard that there are some road closures and that the Rangers are out there making sure people aren't driving across the closed roads (including the often-taken-but-never-allowed crosscuts that go W<—>E)
There are some other trails open in the valley, it all depends on what we're looking for. If it's a larger group, the Rolls is a good option still. Butcher Jones is also fun to get out, though the difficult obstacles are rare.
The Rolls OHV area was reopened on Nov 24th, 2020; here's the notice from the USFS:
Tonto National Forest officials have modified the Bush Fire public safety area closure order to allow more access. The modified closure order will be in effect Nov. 25, 8 a.m. Recreational users are encouraged to check weather conditions before venturing out into the forest. This order shall remain in effect until March 15, 2021, or until rescinded, whichever occurs first.
Pursuant to 16 U.S.C. § 551 and 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(a) and (b), the following acts are prohibited within the “Restricted Area” on the roads and trails described in the Order:
1. Going into or being upon the Restricted Area. 36 C.F.R. § 261.53(e).
2. Being upon the trail. 36 C.F.R. § 261.55(a).
3. Being on the road. 36 C.F.R. § 261.54(e).
This expanded access includes the popular Rolls OHV area. While the area is reopening to the public, there are areas in the Rolls that were affected by the Bush Fire. Visitors are advised to stay on established routes and to exercise caution around burnt vegetation. The area will also have increased flash flood potential for the foreseeable future.
The Rolls OHV area is an 4x4/OHV area with routes of varied difficulty through Sonoran Desert ecosystem. Many miles of roads are available to explore, but most require a high-clearance 4x4 or OHV (ATV/UTV). Access will be available from the Fours Peaks turn off on State Road 87 and the Pobrecito Recreation site. Butcher Jones Beach and Recreation area will also be open for use. Access to Cottonwood Wash and the Four Peaks Wilderness area to include NFSR 143 to Tonto Basin and NFSR 401 are still closed due to flooding hazards from the Bush Fire.
Further information regarding this order may be obtained by contacting the Mesa Ranger Station at (480) 610-3300 or to view the order visit the Tonto National Forest alerts and notices webpage at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/tonto/alerts-notices. This order supersedes any previous orders prohibiting the same acts covered by this order. Visit the Tonto National Forest website for the latest news and alerts: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/tonto/home.
=AZWD4H5zbrBcKY02NeINb6j3z33WTO_kxFCh8m6Q-sxkazkFfK_Tjr0Pp8UYV8B5LvVZFTINFBLlSaNdxrg39lRbMHiM-VjO9GNfFzzw4XkEceKb2W7Gs0NKfkrH1SBDIxjyWFvYAOA8jsYkSSGMXY-x&__tn__=*bH-R']
It is still possible to get to the Coves and play in the Rolls. I have heard that there are some road closures and that the Rangers are out there making sure people aren't driving across the closed roads (including the often-taken-but-never-allowed crosscuts that go W<—>E)
There are some other trails open in the valley, it all depends on what we're looking for. If it's a larger group, the Rolls is a good option still. Butcher Jones is also fun to get out, though the difficult obstacles are rare.
If you know of how the way that we can get into The Rolls, let's just stick with the plan and do this.
I was wanting to do Hackberry Creek if this one was closed, but that can be saved for next week as I don't think anyone can do that unless they have at least 33s and lockers. Have you done Hackberry?
So let's stick to this plan. Pick a place where we can meet on Sunday and we'll all meet up and then head to the trailhead (since you know the way).
I looked here:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/tonto/recreation/recarea/?recid=83054&actid=93
When I saw "Closed" right at the top, I assumed it was indeed closed.
There are a few places that are convenient to meet up - I often meet up at the Power Road Park-&-Ride (on Power Rd and the Loop 202) for trips up north:
Link to map: https://www.google.com/maps/search/...hUKEwiI98fUq87tAhVCIzQIHS-RA7MQ8gEwAHoECAEQAQ
GPS Coordinates: 33.472017095666914, -111.68340991610033
The entrance at Pobrecito is about 20 minutes away.
Pobrecito Entrance:
GPS: 33.59377001254254, -111.54356846973336
Link: https://www.google.com/maps/place/3...1s0x0:0x0!4b1!8m2!3d33.4720171!4d-111.6834099
Link to map: https://www.google.com/maps/search/...hUKEwiI98fUq87tAhVCIzQIHS-RA7MQ8gEwAHoECAEQAQ
GPS Coordinates: 33.472017095666914, -111.68340991610033
The entrance at Pobrecito is about 20 minutes away.
Pobrecito Entrance:
GPS: 33.59377001254254, -111.54356846973336
Link: https://www.google.com/maps/place/3...1s0x0:0x0!4b1!8m2!3d33.4720171!4d-111.6834099
Let's meet there, that's right off the 202, close to Bush Hwy, and easy to find. 10 AM lets say?
10 AM is perfect!
If anyone wants to drop off their top or doors at my house, I'm <1/2 mile away from the Park & Ride - just shoot me a PM and I'll send my phone #.
If anyone wants to drop off their top or doors at my house, I'm <1/2 mile away from the Park & Ride - just shoot me a PM and I'll send my phone #.
Really ? I live in the wrong part of town. Y'all got trails right in your backyards.
We've lived all over the east valley - Scottsdale, Higley/Gilbert, Casa Grande, Queen Creek, Mesa and San Tan Valley.
Northeast Mesa is by far our favorite area - I'm 10 minutes to the gun range and the closest off-roading, 15 minutes from the Salt River, 20 minutes from the lake, 25 minutes to the airport, and 50 minutes to Payson. We actually moved here due to the schools being A+ rated (both the elementary schools and middle schools) and due to proximity to airport (I travel quite a bit for work, well at least during non-COVID times!) - we absolutely love it. There are tons of good restaurants too and the houses aren't as jam-packed or cookie cutter as in some of the other parts of the valley.
You've seen how close the trails and gun ranges are to my house. About 6 miles away 
NE Mesa is a great area. We lived not far from Falcon Field for our first few years here and loved the area. We're down in the northern portion of Gilbert now and have no complaints since we're only a few minutes further from all the things you mentioned, but I do miss living amidst the citrus groves.
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