I was hanging off the side of a shelf looking down a very steep incline with inches to spare on the road. I could barely squeeze up the mountain ledge in my Tahoe.
Forest Road #142 in Corondo National Forest, otherwise known as Bull Springs Road, connects the South end of the Santa Ritas to Patagonia.
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Story has it this road was established to connect the old mining camps. It’s now used for ranch access and recreational 4 wheeling.
I couldn’t resist going out on this road when my buddy Matt mentioned trying it in my freshly painted Tahoe. I was able to christen my truck with some Arizona pinstripes, aka scratches.
The road is TIGHT. It would be best with a narrow wheel base, high clearance vehicle. My Tahoe (full size truck) was as wide as this road could support.
The route we took
Most of it is moderate, I didn’t scrape at all with stock clearance (about 11″ under my truck). However, there was no room to spare. No room to even open a door as I traversed the high shelf up to the pass leading down into Bull Springs.
The sights are BEAUTIFUL along this trail. There are numerous old mine ruins, the most spectacular being the ghost town of Alto. All we found was a old structure supposedly the post office but didn’t really have time to look around for more.
After about 4 hours we wound up in Patagonia. A quiet little town in the high desert with a rich history of mining, settlers, and the old South West.
I recommend visiting Patagonia during the annual street fair. It’s a great time and you don’t have to take the dirt road like us. There’s easy highway access.
Make sure you have a 4×4 with at least 1 ft clearance, minimum 2 vehicles, recovery gear, and water and food if you choose to take the dirt path.