In 2006, BFGoodrich Tires, in conjunction with Tread Lightly and the United Four Wheel Drive Association (UFWDA), launched its Outstanding Trails program to highlight some of the best off-road trails in the country. The effort was aimed at recognizing these trails and spurring emphasis on responsible trail use and preservation of the 'wheeling experience.
Pyeatt Draw was one of the five trails chosen in that inaugural year. The trail lies just outside of Payson, Arizona, nestled between the Diamond Rim and the much more majestic Mogollon Rim to the north, which rises to elevations of more than 7,000 feet. The trail sits surrounded by native pines in the bottom of a ravine, where running waters have cleared it and shaped it over many geological years.
We joined a group of 'wheelers from the High Country Renegades to make another trip up this short, but very scenic trail that meanders through the Tonto National Forest. The weather here can vary widely over the calendar year. The summers may leave the trail dry, yet not dusty. Winter brings snowfall at this 5,400-foot elevation mark. We ran the trail in very late spring when the last bits of runoff still pooled in the lower parts of the wash areas.
Our group consisted of about eight vehicles. We had some Jeep TJs and a YJ, a couple of XJ Cherokees, and a pair of Toyota trucks. We accessed the trail by travelling down Pyeatt Draw Road (FSR 198) to drop into the draw near a concrete dam. We eased our way up the wide, rocky wash bumping our way across scattered boulders and the occasional rocky ledge.
We had no problems walking through the obstacles as most of our vehicles were equipped with 35-inch-or-larger tires. The trail can be done with much smaller rolling stock until you get to what's known as the "Filter Ledge." This three-to-four foot ledge spans the entire width of the draw, making it a mandatory obstacle to continue upstream. There is, however, a way around this spot on the dirt road that parallels much of the trail.
Continuing onward, we 'wheeled our way to the biggest challenge on this trail, which is an imposing waterfall. The path straight up the middle is typically a wet one and funnels you into a two-step ledge that is best tackled by those rigs with the largest tires and packaged in a tube chassis.
Our path for the day was the far left side of the fall. A rock shelf leads drivers to a large step to climb a huge, sloping rock face. You are limited in space by the wall of the wash on the left and by a drop off into the water area to your right. It also doesn't help that the tire line up the obstacle is narrow and that the right side is well undercut. Most of us gave it a go, with a few climbing it unassisted. The rest of us had to pull winch cable to make it at least past the lower undercut.
With our group on top of the waterfall, we took a short break and then headed back out via the dirt road near the trail. We were fortunate to suffer no carnage that day so were able to enjoy all our time on the trail without crawling under a vehicle or two. It's a fun trail, combining both challenging obstacles and scenic views. Many thanks to the High Country Renegades for inviting us along for the ride.
We locked in our hubs and...
We locked in our hubs and started up Pyeatt Draw, working our way over river rock and the occasional rock shelf. Andrew Zaunmiller crawls up this one in his '89 Cherokee with the wheelbase stretched 4 inches. He's using 35-inch Pro Comp Xterrains on his modified XJ and with the weather so pleasant, he decided to pull the front set of doors off for the day.
About halfway up the trail...
About halfway up the trail is an interesting area where a large rock fissure tears down the middle of the wash. There's often running or standing water in this spot and it makes for some fun 'crawling.
John Porvaznik came from the...
John Porvaznik came from the Phoenix area to 'wheel in the mountain trails near Payson. His trail-worthy XJ Cherokee rolled on 33-inch Super Swamper LTBs. Lift came from a 3.5-inch Rubicon Express kit with custom rear leaf packs, and the Dana 30/Dana 44 axle pair were fitted with 4.88 gears and Lock-Rights.
Symon Devries has spun a few...
Symon Devries has spun a few mods into his trail rig. It started as an '85 Xtra cab Toy truck, but the stock drivetrain is long gone. In its place sits a GM 4.3L V-6, a 700R4 auto tranny, and an NP203/Dana 300 doubler transfer case setup. He's custom linked 35-spline Dana 60s front and rear so he can 'wheel hard on 37-inch Goodyear MTRs with confidence. Symon built custom links and set the truck on Rubicon Express 4.5-inch Jeep TJ coils to get the stance and clearance he wanted.
The trail offers some interesting...
The trail offers some interesting optional obstacles, allowing most drivers to choose their level of challenge. Cliff Nerenburg spotted a car-sized boulder he decided to crawl and soon had his 2003 Rubicon up and over the bulky obstacle.
Here Rick Walter lifts a front...
Here Rick Walter lifts a front tire on his '93 YJ as he eases his way up out of a wet rock shelf. The weather that day was awesome and we enjoyed the mild mountain air mingled with the slight scent of pines. This area sees snowfall come winter, and the resulting weather can make trail-running a different experience or further change the lay of the trail by spring thaw.
The "filter ledge" was no...
The "filter ledge" was no problem for Chuck Butitta in his '02 Wrangler. It's his daily driver but well equipped for the trail with a 5.5-inch Rubicon Express long-arm lift and 37-inch Goodyear MTRs on locked axles.
Much of the main wash is wide,...
Much of the main wash is wide, leaving room to 'wheel just about anything you might want. That is until you get to the big waterfall, and then the available lines diminish rapidly.
We ran across a small group...
We ran across a small group of fullsize Blazers headed upstream towards the waterfall. Brandon Conder had just replaced a driveshaft that had pretzeled and was just pulling his '82 Blazer up to one of the harder lines on "Filter Ledge" as we caught up and took a short break for lunch.
Thom Campbell was one of the...
Thom Campbell was one of the few in our group to walk up the waterfall unassisted. His 2001 Jeep TJ sits on a wheelbase that's been stretched 10 inches using a 5.5-inch Rubicon Express long-arm kit with Unlimited arms. The 37-inch BFG Krawlers are mounted on Trailready beadlocks bolted to a pair of Detroit-locked and 4.88-geared Dana 44s. Thom slowly clawed his front end up the ledge and worked the tires around until he found just the right traction to pull him the rest of the way up the rock.
Straight up the center of...
Straight up the center of the waterfall is the buggy line for those looking for the greatest challenge. The climb out requires negotiating two large steps. You can get an idea here of the height of the first ledge, which is even with top of this buggy. At times when water is standing in the bottom, it's that much harder to find the traction to get your rig up this obstacle.
Here's a high-angle view from...
Here's a high-angle view from the far side of the ravine where the trail climbs up the big rock ledge. Brent Rederick gave the face a good try in his vintage Blazer, but his rear axle slid too far to the right. He couldn't back down without flopping into the water and his right rear tire was too far into the undercut for him to climb. He finally had to resort to a winch cable to pull him self a few feet forward.
We take a quick pause on our...
We take a quick pause on our way back out toward the highway to look out off the Diamond Rim. There are other scenic trails in this area to explore for those with a sense of curiosity and the help of a Topo map or two.