Boondocking on the Mogollan Rim

By Ross

After a great stay at the Dead Horse Ranch State Park in the Cottonwood/Sedona area, it was time to move on. We opted for a boondocking spot on the Mogollan Rim in the Coconino National Forest. From WikiPedia: "The Mogollon Rim is a topographical and geological feature cutting across the U.S. state of Arizona. It extends approximately 200 miles (320 km), starting in northern Yavapai County and running eastward, ending near the border with New Mexico. It forms the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau in Arizona.” We climbed a winding gravel road up to 7,500 feet in elevation. The wind was howling. Initially, we were freaked out a bit over the wind and isolation. Our trailer was parked along the downsloping edge of a cliff. But as we watched our first sunset from this magnificent overlook we began to settle down and settle in.

I got a chance to ride along the Rim Road and breathe in the views. The Arizona National Scenic Trail that runs from Mexico to the Utah border passes nearby, and I got a chance to ride a few miles on that too! I've been dreaming about bikepacking the Arizona Trail for quite a while so it was nice to get a taste of it.

The highlight of our camping spot: both beautiful sunrises and sunsets. And bonus highlight: I had a perfect TV signal to watch LSU beat Alabama in a hard fought, talent-filled game.

Beautiful sunset

I’m going to ride the length of this one day, including hiking through the Grand Canyon!

I rode a small sliver of the Arizona Trail.