We are always on the lookout for fun places to trail ride, be it in the Jeep or RZR. Mark has a special folder on this computer for campgrounds we’d like to try along with a folder of places we’d like to ride. But but but, I get credit for finding this fun place.
I was perusing a RZR forum and came across a man talking about their super fun trip to Alamo Lake. He raved about this place west of Wickenburg, AZ. Good trails, good camping and best of all, not crowded. I gave Mark a synopsis and showed him the pictures, telling him we had to try this place.
There is a nice state park campground and plenty of dry camping space. The C Loop of the campground has direct trail access and fit our needs perfectly. The spaces are roomy with a fire pit and picnic table. Some are pull-through while others are long back-ins.
Our first trip was after an unusually wet stretch of weather. When we checked in at the ranger station we were told not to try to cross the river. The lake had risen 25 feet in the last 48 hours and it was still rising. Holy cow! We just had to see the water’s edge. We checked every day and yep, it was rising.
Even though we couldn’t cross the river, we still had a fun time exploring this new part of the desert. There are many wide trails, wide like forest service roads that are perfect for a RZR, Jeep or other side-by-side. You’ll also encounter more traditional sized trails and some rocky ones, a nice variety for sure.
We found this amazing canyon, we called it Wall Canyon, where the trail wound around twenty-foot plus tall walls as far as we could go. A wall had collapsed into a pile of rocks and mud; you could see where the water carved out a path beneath it as it pushed its way through the canyon. It’s awesome to see the power of Mother Nature up close. We walked farther back where a dead tree was still clinging to the mud. Farther back was a giant arch and more rock piles in the wash. This spot where we stopped would be the end point for us.
Since this was our first time, there were many map stops. There aren’t any formal maps that we could find. Thankfully the park ranger was able to assist us. He drew out a rudimentary map with road names along with a big star at the ranger office. I guess the star was to get us back if we got lost. Little did he know getting a little lost was half the fun. We used our trusty Polaris Ride Command app and ventured to a high spot overlooking the river. From there we saw what looked like a farmhouse very close to the riverbank. We HAD to get down there.
It’s an old house that sadly is in disrepair. It’s constructed mainly of adobe bricks which date back to a time before Arizona was a state. Newer parts had been added and you could see the adobe bricks under the broken pieces of drywall. There was a guest book you could sign and I wondered if it used to be a showpiece of an earlier time. We wandered around the place for a little bit; long enough to see a trail under some trees that left out of the back of the property where one of the coolest fences I’d ever seen stood sentry. This was not on our ranger map and we just had to explore it.
As we drove under this winter tree canopy I tried to picture how it would look covered with green leaves. It’s breathtaking in my mind’s eye. Our flag kept pinging at us while it clanked on the branches so we all stopped to pull them down. It was too late for many flags, we saw flag remnants in the trees as the trail wound down to the water. The trail was dry in spots where the sun shined brightest and we waded through several low spot puddles. Another quick check of our Ride Command app and we continued until we reached water. The ranger was right, it was moving pretty good here. We found more trails that skirted the water’s edge and kept exploring.
We ended our day at the Wayside Oasis RV Park. It’s at the intersection of two main dirt roads and is the only place for gas in the area. The campground looked to be 50/50 campers and livers. I didn’t care about that, I was mission oriented for the ladies room. What we found was a cute little restaurant/bar/pool hall inside. The bathroom was very clean with a penny covered floor. Apparently they close early as we were the last customers of the day at about 4pm but a round of seven beers and two wines for the nine of us was shockingly cheap. From there the drive back to camp was quick and easy up a super fun wash. The sun had fallen behind the hills and it really started to cool off. That’s when we saw them. The wild burros. There were everywhere. When you’re trail-riding, you need to keep your eyes peeled for them. Most times there were off to our sides in the desert but they do like to stand right in the middle of the trail, too. We slowly rolled by them and tried not to spook them.
The sunsets every night were amazing, as is almost every sunset in Arizona. Mark was checking the Ride Command app for tomorrow’s ride as we talked around the campfire. Matt and his youngest son Dylan arrived after dinner and after hearing about our day, he was bound and determined to get across the river.
We took Matt & Dylan to Wall Canyon and down by the old house the next day. We explored other areas along the riverside. The water wasn’t rising as fast as the rain and snow north of us had stopped altogether. When we stopped for lunch Mark found a rock formation that he decided to climb. His long legs were moving quickly as he dodged cholla cactus and we shouted SNAKE probably 100 times. Being the human selfie stick with his long arms meant a fabulous selfie from his perch with us in the background.
Our time leading the ride was over, Matt can only follow Mark for so long. He was bound and determined to find a way across the water so off we went back by the old house and through the tree covered trail to the water’s edge. Again we wound our way along different trails that skirted the banks until he found a narrow enough spot to cross. We got there just in time to see Matt fly across to the sandy little island in the middle followed by Linda and Kory. His mom and Dave were last to go but they were going far too slow and within seconds stopped right in the middle. The good news was it wasn’t deep and the RZR was still running. We later found out that Dave didn’t want to get Gail wet so we went slow and the tires sunk in the mud. We hooked a trusty tow strap to them and pulled them out in no time.
Now was time for the crazies to play. And by crazies I mean Matt and Kory. It was just cold enough for me to not want to be completely soaked the rest of the day and thankfully Mark agreed. You can see exactly where the seat harness is on Kory’s shirt after his adventuresome across. Dylan’s shoes could now be called water shoes and took almost an hour to dry in the dryer when we got back to camp. Oh the sand that was left behind. Good times I tell ya.
Our first trip to this wonderful playground in the middle of nowhere was a huge success. There was a 100% chance of a return trip. First on the next trip agenda was getting across the river without getting soaked.
It was an outstandingly fun fun trip, even getting stuck in the river and then pulled out was a hoot