Arizona Table Mesa Road

[musicforme]

I searched this part of the forum and the overall forum and couldn't find a thread specific for Table Mesa Road.

I had the day off today for Juneteenth and took the opportunity to visit the Table Mesa Road area. Its about a 45 minute drive from where I live in North Phoenix and I've driven past the exit more times than I can count.

The road itself is nothing more than a graded dirt road that leads to a large area containing lots of side roads and trails. I have an older version of the FunTreks Arizona book that has the Tip Top Trail in it that used to go to the old Tip Top Mine that is now closed to the public due to vandalism. Newer versions of the book don't have this trail in it. I still wanted to check out most of the trail since there were things on it that interested me.

The reviews I read about the Table Mesa area itself were spot on. Lots of trash in the desert when you first get off the pavement. I saw some trailers and RVs that look like they've been there a while and could easily fit in a Breaking Bad episode. I literally saw no one out there, guessing the high temp of 104 and it mid-week kept a lot of people away. I had plenty of water with me, Garmin inReach Mini 2, GMRS handheld radio, plus cell coverage for about 50% of my time out there.

I headed north from Table Mesa Rd to get to road 9999 that took me pretty far out northwest. I was able to visit an old indian fort and horse corral along the trail. There were a couple of dry washes and dry river crossings along the way. In one of the photos you can see some cows off in the distance close to some water. I'm tempted to go back in the fall or spring once there is water to cross.

The Tip Top trail was rated Green in my old book that is more than ten years old. I'm guessing if they were to re-rated it, it would be a Blue. There was one section towards the end that I went ahead and dropped it down to 4LO and disconnected my sway bar just to make the ride smoother.

The Table Mesa Road badge arrived in the mail today, 13 days after checking in.

Sponsored

 

[R3TRO]

Looks nice from your pics (which are great btw!). Your experience sounds like everyone else's. Not sure why this is a Badge of Honor Trail?

 

[Jeep4Win]

Looks nice from your pics (which are great btw!). Your experience sounds like everyone else's. Not sure why this is a Badge of Honor Trail?

There are some pretty cool trails out in Table Mesa. The BOH app doesn’t really show you where they are at from the dirt road they have listed but they are there.

 

[Nokones]

Have you tried Table Mesa Road east from Interstate 17 that will head you towards Sheep Bridge? That will be a long day driving over rocks at 3-5MPH for many miles.

 

[musicforme]

Looks nice from your pics (which are great btw!). Your experience sounds like everyone else's. Not sure why this is a Badge of Honor Trail?

Only thing I can think of is Table Mesa Road itself doesn't need something as equipped like a Rubicon or a modified Jeep. That puts the road as a good option for a stock Sport or Sahara if they want to get some dirt under the tires. I've had my Rubicon X for about 9 months now and my wife hasn't gone off-roading with me yet. It just isn't quite her thing. The road might be a good option to get her out on the dirt.

Have you tried Table Mesa Road east from Interstate 17 that will head you towards Sheep Bridge? That will be a long day driving over rocks at 3-5MPH for many miles.

I made a similar post on Reddit and someone over there made the same suggestion. They said there is a river or creek crossing that will take you all the way to Seven Springs and back to Cave Creek. One of my daughters has camped at Seven Springs with her scout troop, so I know the area. I may check out that side of things once it cools off in a couple of months.

 

[Dalvarado55]

There are trails in the Table Mesa Area for everyone. Ratings from green to black or a 1 up to a 10 on the west side of the I17. You can find them on Trails Offroad App or OnX. Lots of fun trails.

Table Mesa Rd east does take you to the Seven Springs area. It’s a fun trail too. Several river crossings with large boulders. Definitely be careful not to take this trail when a monsoon is hitting.

I’ve done both sides of this area. Lots of fun to be had

 

[azwjowner]

Note that mesa is Spanish for table, so Table Mesa Road is really Table Table Road.

 

[sherpaJL]

Not sure why this is a Badge of Honor Trail?

I don't think the Badge of Honor program is meant to challenge your off-road prowess.
It's to encourage owners to get out and explore a bit.

 

[Jeep4Win]

I don't think the Badge of Honor program is meant to challenge your off-road prowess.
It's to encourage owners to get out and explore a bit.

It does have trails to introduce people to but it also has trails like Cliffhanger and Pritchett Canyon in Moab that will seriously test your chops…

 

[DarthAWM]

Note that mesa is Spanish for table, so Table Mesa Road is really Table Table Road.

 

[UTME]

Was table mesa removed from the badge of honor program? Can’t find it in the boh app now.

Sponsored