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The group met at I17 and the Carefree Exit (#223), and waited for a few remaining members of the AZLCA to arrive. Despite several Land Rover owners committing to make the trip, none arrived by the take off time. Their absence was not lost on the Land Cruiser owners, but it was all in good fun.
The group made good time to Castle Hot Springs, enjoying the scenery of Four Tanks and Dorothy Canyons. The Castle Hot Spring Resort is an impressive sight, given the remote location (N33 58 58.0 W112 21 46.3).
The hotel was build at the turn of the century. The hot springs nearby were called the "magic waters of the Apaches". The hotel was visited by members of the
Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Ford, Theodore Roosevelt, and Astor families. In 1945 JFK spent several months in the Hotel, which was serving as a rehabilitation center after the war.
We passed Governors Peak (3,260) and began climbing north east on Castle Hot Springs Road to the intersection of the main Crown King trail (N34 01 13.5, W112 20 16.7) |
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The trail begins with a sign identifying its primitive road conditions, and a well formed two track starts winding it's way north, gaining elevation quickly. The challenges on this portion of the trail involve crossed axle holes, washouts and steep climbs. Tire placement is more important for near stock vehicles. The modified trucks in our group made short work of this area. |
| There are several optional climbs that require additional drivers skill and traction devices. We had an unfortunate accident, and one of the FJ40's went on it's side. The vehicle was righted quickly by using tow straps and two vehicles. The group was very helpful, and worked efficiently as a team. I was very thankful for their willingness and competence. There were no injuries to the driver, and the vehicle only suffered minimal damage to the rear corner of the hard top. As a testament to Toyota durability, the 25 year old vehicle started right up and finished the trail! |
Optional Climb |
Efficient Extraction, and no injuries |
Dan's FJ40 was very well built and engineered. He made short work of this obstacle on the main trail
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John's FJ80 always impresses. He had no wheelspin on this steep ledge |
Randy was a great driver, and knowledgeable of the area. His well equipped LX450 had no trouble. |
John traversing another optional climb |
The trail gets progressively more difficult due to the loose conditions, requiring good tire placement. Several members of the group attempted the additional optional climbs before entering the Prescott National Forest, and the most difficult portion of the trail without a bypass. We had lunch at Fort Misery. After lunch we made the right turn onto F. S. 192 and past the Oro Belle Town site. This was the location of the most challenging obstacle of the main trail. There was a narrow off-camber shelf cut into the mountain that required climbing a rock ledge. The entire obstacle was covered in snow and ice, with a 100ft drop to the left. It made for a few tense moments, but everyone did great, and we were soon on our way. We arrived in Crown King around 3:00, and took group pictures. It was a great day with a great group. |
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