Off Roading on the Outlaw

The day dawned cool with visible clouds in the west. Not quiet yet the season of fall, and summer still had an iron fist upon our state. But being up in the high desert meant a slight reprieve from the ever present heat. Dark clouds rolled in and could have the potential to rain. That is the one thing about off roading some of us dread: rain and mud. How long and hard could it rain? Will it be safe on the trail or does the trail ride need to be rescheduled?

Sigh.

But then, the sun peeked out and scared the dark clouds away, providing a renewal in the faith that this will be a good day to drive on dirt trails. Not only one but two! We usually just do one as driving on dirt trails can be long and intense, depending on the type of trail and what else we do on it. Such as taking photos, a hike or a walk, lunch break or technical climbs. So it will be a long day, but fruitful. I was excited!

Sedona was calling. Sedona is a town located north of Phoenix, offering amazing views of red rock, plenty of art to look at for your inner art spirit, breathtaking hiking trails and a peaceful place to visit or call home to.

We met with our local Ford Bronco club a little later, still bright and early on a Saturday morning. I was still rubbing the sleepiness from my eyes, as we talked about the trail. This is the important part as we want to be safe and have loads of fun. Communication is key to any type of activity. As with our trail runs, we have a leader and a caboose (last vehicle in a line). We were not in either position (my husband and I do these type of trails), but in a nice middle place of vehicles. Our plans were to visit two Native American sites and drive on the Outlaw.

Here is some information about the Outlaw Trail:

Difficulty: Easy to moderate

Distance: around 6 miles

Scenery: very scenic, plenty of mountain views all around and lots of red dust if it has not rained.

Elevation: 413 feet

Our fearless leader (indeed he was fearless!) started us off and our first stop was the Palatki Heritage Site. It is not part of the Outlaw trail, but was something we wanted to visit. It is a dirt trail to the site that does not require an offroad vehicle, however, if the weather is inclement, as in rain or snow, an offroad vehicle is advised and weather information regarding the trail for that day. We jumped into our vehicles and set off for our first adventure.

Palatki Heritage Site

The Palatki Heritage Site offers a view of a cliff dwelling that was once inhabited around 1100 to 1400 a.d. The Sinagua people lived here, as a means of protection from their enemies, planted crops and made pottery.

There are two walking trails in the park. One is to view the cliff dwelling, the other is to view the pictographs and the petroglyphs. They only offer tours which are very informative and highly recommended. You will have to purchase two passes: a Red Rock Pass and an Interagency Pass to enter the site. The Red Rock Pass is standard for Sedona as you will need it to access many recreational areas. This is truly a beautiful area and I see why the ancient people of long ago chose this as their home. Make sure you have a camera!

Honanki Heritage Site

After we left the Palatki site, we started on F.S. (forest service) road 525 to access the next ruins, Honanki Heritage Site. At the time of us going, the trail was easy, just some washboard to keep things interesting. The peoples of that site were also a part of the Sinagua, a cliff-dwelling people that lived there from 1100 to 1300 a.d. There are walking tours available, plus a lot of pink jeep tours come to this place. If driving on the dirt roads with your vehicle doesn't sound palatable, here is a link for more information on taking a ride with a pink jeep tour. A Red Rock Pass is also required for this site.

There was a fire that had destroyed the east end, and the burned bricks were reused again for building. Talk about recycling! There are pictographs at this location as well. Honanki means "bear house" in the Hopi language.The walk to the ruins has plenty of nature surrounding the area with shade, which can make it more bearable if you decide to visit it in the summer.

Outlaw Trail

After your visit to the Honanki Heritage Site, it is time to start on the Outlaw Trail and go exploring! Forest Service road 9551 is the next trail to drive. Rocks will greet you right away after the Honanki. It is doable but do drive carefully. There are a series of hills and rocky trails along the way. Be sure to get out and take photos of the amazing scenery. We came to a stopping point and proceeded on our next trail, Greasy Spoon. We first have to retrace some of our steps as we head toward F.S. 535. We then have to access 152C, and finally to the actual Greasy Spoon, 152A. Here is a link for the Greasy Spoon as part of our two part series as we further explore the red rocks of Sedona!