Arizona Peace Trail
At nearly 700 miles long, the Arizona Peace Trail is the state's most iconic off road adventure. And while Death Valley, the Mojave Road and more recently the East Mojave Heritage Trail are immensely popular with the overlanding community, the AZPT needs to be added to that shortlist of iconic desert tracks! With its towering and majestic saquaros and red rocked bluffs, the Arizona Peace Trail is the perfect place to escape, whether you only have a couple days, or weeks to explore.
Route Overview
Trip Length & Season
Adventure Rating: Baja Trip Length: 675+ miles (main track), 5-14 days Season: October to May provides the best weather. Hit the trail mid-February to May to experience wildflowers blooming. Segments 2 and 3 through the Hualapai Mountains may be impassable at times during the winter months due to snow. Not recommended during the warm season when daytime temps can exceed 110 F.
Digital Maps & GPX Files
OTG features the cleanest digital mapping files for the AZPT online. We've removed literally hundreds of useless waypoints from the original digital mapping files (which created an incredibly cluttered map), while adding additional points of interest to see along the track.
Download Digital Mapping Files Arizona Peace Trail *If you need help working with digital mapping and GPX files, please check out our FAQ section.
Technical Ratings & Terrain
Avg Technical Rating: 2-3
Peak Technical Rating: 5
Typical Terrain: The terrain along the Arizona Peace Trail and its various alternative tracks is incredibly varied. You can expect to travel along everything from small sections of pavement, graded dirt and gravel roads, skinny and off camber trails, and rockier jeep tracks. AZPT Technical Ratings Explained Each segment within the digital mapping files is tagged with a technical rating. We've done our best to convert AZPT's rating system to the 10 point OnX system that OTG utilizes for rating routes. For example, the technical rating within segment 1 of the main AZPT is highlighted in red below: AZPT01 E1 - Kingman City E1: 1-2 E2: 2 E3: 3 M1: 4 M2: 4-5
Recommended Vehicle / Moto / Adventure Vans
Recommended Vehicle: A stock 4x4 should be able to handle most of the track, but some drivers may prefer a high clearance 4x4 for tracks with an M2 trail rating.
Recommended Moto: A mid-weight or dual sport bike is best for this track given the rocky nature of the some of the tracks. Riders on big bikes may wish to stick to segments rated E1-E3.
Adventure Vans: Sprinter 4x4s should be able to manage trails rated E1-E3, and possibly M1 trails (more experienced drivers). We'd recommend avoiding any trail rated M2. Keep in mind, some trails may be on the narrower end for a Sprinter. To get more detailed information about each segment, we'd recommend purchasing the AZPT Atlas.
Fuel, Provisions, and Recommended Gear
Fuel: There are numerous options to refuel along the AZPT main track. Fuel is typically never more than 50-75 miles away. Provisions: Provisions can be obtained in the same general vicinity as fuel. Gear: no specialized gear is recommended for this adventure.
AZPT Trail Coding & Alternative Segments Explained
The Arizona Peace Trail contains dozens of alternative tracks, each with a specific code (AZPT, A, B, C, S). Each of these segments is tagged with a technical rating, and typically leads to one or more points of interest along the way. Each of these codes is explained below: AZPT Main Track Trails that a part of the "main track" look like AZPT28. AZPT indicates this particular segment is part of the main track, and 28 signifies the segment number. Alternate Segments (A)
A trail or route that can be used instead of the AZPT rote. Alernates are generally used to visit specific towns or points of interest that are not along the main AZPT track.
Bypass Segments (B)
Use Bypass Segments to get around planned/unplanned closures along the main AZPT Track, and also as a means for drivers/riders looking to avoid more challenging trails along the main track.
Connector Segments (C)
Connector Segments can be used to access the AZPT from a populated area, or may be used to help reduce the mileage of the AZPT into smaller segments. Connectors are often used for drivers/riders to make a smaller day loop out of the AZPT.
Spur Segments (S)
Spur segments typically provide access to a town for supplies or to a point of interest, such as a mine or vista. These are typically out-and-back trails.
Camping Recommendations
The AZPT has a wealth of dispersed camping opportunities, take advantage of them! We've marked many additional campsites and camping areas that aren't included with the official GPX files provided by the AZPT.
Discovery Points
The Arizona Peace Trail does not have a list of official discovery points, but it contains hundreds of points of interest along the way. OTG has included all of these points of interest, in addition to a number of other interesting sites and campsites to see along the way. The AZPT Atlas contains more detailed information about many of these POIs, but below is the shortlist of what we believe are some of the most interesting sites along the trail:
Hualapai Mountains (AZPT02, AZPT03)
Lava Buttes & Fields (AZPT-12)
Boxer & bra tree (AZPT-29)
Bra & pantie tree (AZPT-33)
Gold Eye Mine & Museum (A-08)
Chrloride historical mining town (S-01, S-36)
Gold King mansion (S-02)
Survivalist Camp (S-03)
McGuffey Cabin (S-14)
Shaffer Fish Bowl Spring (S18 to Oatman Highway)
Oatman historical mining town (S-22)
Boriana Mine (S46)
Goldfish pond (S-46)
Swansea ghost town (S-47)
Bunker Bar (S-48)
Tyro Mine (S-49)
Lincoln slot canyon (S-50)
The Desert Bar / Nellie E Saloon (S-54)
Bat cave (S-56)
Land Managers & Other Resources
Permits & Papers
n/a
Â
Route Details
The Arizona Peace Trail (or simply AZPT) came to be in 2013 when the Bureau of Land Management and Arizona Game and Fish Depart (AZGFD) decided to take advantage of the huge swaths of beautiful and open land in southwestern Arizona, along with the growing popularity of off road recreation in Arizona. A few short years later, the trail had its inaugural opening to the public in 2016. Today, thousands of outdoor recreationalists travel the off road loop by way of motorcyle, 4x4, SxS, quads/ATVs, and even on mountain bikes (be sure to remain vigilant for oncoming trail traffic). While overlanders flock to locations like Death Valley and the Mojave Road, the Arizona Peace Trail offers a totally different experience, showcasing the rugged beauty of the Sonoran desert in southwestern Arizona. The main track is approximately 675 miles in length, and consists of 32 segments, while the alternative segments add nearly 1,000 miles of additional roads and trail. The track can be driven in either direction and a stock 4x4 should be able to manage the entire track. The Arizona Peace Trail travels through some of the most scenic locations the of Sonoran Desert in Arizona. With its towering saquaro cacti and red rock mesas and bluffs, one might think they've been transported to a John Wayne movie set. Along the way travelers may come across coyotes, bighorn sheep, and wild burros, which are especially prevalent in the old mining town of Oatman. The terrain is incredibly varied, expect to travel through a series of Basin and Ranges (isolated mountain ranges separated by wide plains), the high desert in the mountains, the floodplains of the Colorad River, valleys, canyons, and numerous desert washes. With so many trails to explore and points of interest to visit, the Arizona Peace Trail can feel overwhelming, especially for visitors who don't have weeks to roam the desert. We recommend doing a bit of planning in advance. Do you want to travel on manicured and well kept trails, or does your group want to take on some rockier and more challenging trails? Consider studying up on the points of interest, especially the shortlist of POIs we've outlined in the Discovery Points sub-section under the Route Overview section. Once you've got an idea of the the trails you want to drive/ride and the places you'd like to visit, it's pretty easy to piece it altogether given the extensive list of alternative segments. It's not uncommon for folks to make a daytrip out of the AZPT, while some folks prefer spending weeks exploring the main track and the various alternative segments.
We recommend purchasing the AZPT Atlas as a means of supporting the AZPT, and to obtain more detailed information about the route.
Â
Terms of Use: Should you decide to travel a route that is published on Overlandtrailguides.com, you do so at your own risk. Always take the appropriate precautions when planning and traveling, including checking the current local weather, permit requirements, trail/road conditions, and land/road closures. While traveling, obey all public and private land use restrictions and rules, and carry the appropriate safety, recovery, and navigational equipment. The information found on this site is simply a planning resource to be used as a point of inspiration in conjunction with your own due-diligence. In spite of the fact that this route, associated GPS track (GPX and maps), and all route guidelines were prepared under diligent research by OverlandTrailGuides.com, the route accuracy and current conditions of roads and trails cannot be guaranteed.