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Saguaro Lake The Rolls 3.0

This is an enjoyable Jeep tail along Saguaro Lake in an area frequented by the Salt River Wild Horses.  The entire trip is within the Rolls OHV Area, but it avoids the trails more suited for quads and side-by-sides.
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Visit four locations along Saguaro Lake, enjoy majestic vistas, challenge yourself and your Jeep at several "playgrounds" and even get up close and personal with wild horses if you are lucky.

There are several loose climbs along the trail, and in the playgrounds.  Some vehicles will need limited slip or lockers.

​There is a GPS - gpx track at the bottom of the page.
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Salt River Wild Horses
This trail can be driven in either direction but is much more scenic if done from north to south, as indicated by arrows on the maps.

​Less than a mile after you leave the Four Peaks Road there is a semi crested saguaro on the left.  Fairly unusual.

The road you start out on is Forest Service Road 401, which penetrates for several miles into Four Peaks Wilderness.  This trip does not enter the Wilderness.
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Semi crested saguaro
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First part of trail is Road 401
The upper part of this run must have soil that is especially good for saguaros - they are abundant.

Road 401 drops about 800' in elevation from Four Peaks Road down to Cottonwood Creek (unique name, don't ya think?).
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Abundant saguaros
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Down to Cottonwood Creek
You will find a huge cistern at Cottonwood Creek.  Enjoy the beauty of Four Peaks for your entire day.
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Cistern at Cottonwood Creek
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Four Peaks
The first time you come to Saguaro Lake you can drive to the shore of a tiny cove then climb to a higher ledge with a great spot to take a break and look around.  The docks on the opposite shore are for Bagley Flat Campground, accessible only by boat.

​The second lake access is a chance to drive right out on a beach.  You may find campers here on a weekend.
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First lake visit
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Second lake visit
This trail is about scenery, but it is also about being an up and down Jeep trail. The hills are what give the trail a 3.0 rating.
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Between lake visit 1 and 2
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Dropping toward lake visit 4
There are also a number of playgrounds as you pass through "The Rolls".  These are optional and you can gain Extra Credits to your heart's content.
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Typical playground
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Playground above lake visit 4
This trail is also about the Salt River Wild Horses, but of course you cannot be sure of seeing them.  They do not seem to be on a predictable circuit of the area.  The horses are not afraid of people, and we were able to get very close to them.

​They were eating from mesquite trees when we saw them in October.
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Seven horses in this band.
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Eating from mesquite trees
Exit via the Butcher Jones Recreation Area.  The Tonto National Forest requires you to buy a Tonto Pass to actually use any of their recreation sites, but it is not necessary if you are just passing through and do not stop.

​Updated 2018.

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  • Jeep The USA
  • Trails
    • Arizona Jeep Trails >
      • Apache Junction Jeep Trails
      • Kingman Jeep Trails
      • Lake Havasu - Parker Jeep Trails
      • Phoenix to Flagstaff Jeep Trails
      • Quartzsite Jeep Trails
      • Tucson - Benson Jeep Trails
    • California Jeep Trails >
      • Death Valley
    • Colorado Jeep Trails >
      • Breckenridge Jeep Trails
      • Buena Vista Jeep Trails
      • Grand Junction Jeep Trails
      • Montrose Jeep Trails
      • Silverton - Ouray Jeep Trails
    • Nevada Jeep Trails >
      • Las Vegas Jeep Trails
      • Mesquite Jeep Trails
    • New Mexico Jeep Trails >
      • Elephant Butte Jeep Trails
      • Las Cruces Jeep Trails
    • South Dakota Jeep Trails >
      • Black Hills Jeep Trails
    • Texas Jeep Trails >
      • Big Bend Jeep Trails
    • Utah Jeep Trails >
      • Blanding Jeep Trails
      • Green River -Hanksville Jeep Trails
      • Moab Jeep Trails
      • Page - Escalante - Kanab Jeep Trails
      • Saint George Jeep Trails
    • Wyoming Jeep Trails >
      • Bighorn Mountains Jeep Trails
      • Lander Jeep Trails
  • Difficulty Ratings
  • Use GPX
  • Interactive map Tutorial
  • Contact