ATV and Overland Trails Near Show Low

Part of Things To Do, our guides to parks, lakes, trails, camping, museums and clubs in the White Mountains.

The nearest official motorized route is the Maverick Trail, almost 50 miles from Pinetop-Lakeside, but the Forest Service says there is no Motor Vehicle Use Map published for the Apache-Sitgreaves, so call the district before riding any other road. An Arizona OHV decal costs $25 a year.

Checked Oct 23, 2026 · Edited by Sam Ridley · Sources · How we check

~50 miMaverick Trail

60+ miwith Porter Mountain Loop

$25AZ OHV decal, one year

5Maverick trailheads

White ATV parked in a grassy field — Illustrative photo of an ATV, not taken locally.

No Motor Vehicle Use Map for This Forest

The Forest Service Southwestern Region says motor vehicle use maps are not available for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests and the Tonto National Forest. The national map page lists Arizona forests that have them (Coconino, Coronado, Kaibab, Prescott and Tonto) and does not list the Apache-Sitgreaves. It also says using a motor vehicle in a way that conflicts with designations on a completed map is prohibited. Because there is no Motor Vehicle Use Map here, this page does not call any road legal for ATVs. Ask the district which roads are open to motor vehicles: the Supervisor’s Office is at 30 S. Chiricahua Dr., Springerville, 928-333-6280; the Lakeside district is 928-368-2100; the Black Mesa district (Overgaard) is 928-535-7300. The Forest Service sells a Visitors Map for $14 and offers free trail guides and an interactive map on its maps page. Facts as of October 23, 2026.

Maverick Trail

The Forest Service describes the Maverick Motorized Trail as almost 50 miles of OHV riding on the Lakeside Ranger District, closest to Show Low and Pinetop-Lakeside. Adding the Porter Mountain Loop (about 11 more miles) gives more than 60 miles ending at the Clay Springs Trailhead. The Forest Service and White Mountain Open Trails Association volunteers built and maintain it. It is marked with orange diamond markers that are changing to brown, and the terrain runs from open grassland to hilly and rocky. Difficulty is not rated.

Trailhead	How to find it
Sky-Hi	North of Pinetop-Lakeside: SR 260 in Lakeside, east on Buck Springs Road about 0.5 mi, north on Sky Hi Road about 2 mi
Timber Mesa	SR 260 in Lakeside, east on Porter Mountain Road about 1 mi, about 1/2 mi past Penrod Road
Panorama	About 4.5 mi past Timber Mesa
Burton	SR 260 west of Show Low, northeast on Burton Road about 4.5 mi, at Burton Rd and Lone Pine Dam Rd
Clay Springs	SR 260 west of Show Low, north on Sawmill Road (Old Hwy 160) 0.9 mi, right 0.5 mi

No restrooms or water at the trailheads. No camping at trailheads; dispersed camping is allowed along the trail, so bring water.
Planned extensions to Springerville and Heber-Overgaard: status unknown, ask the district.
A map is available at the Lakeside district office; call ahead.

Other Forest Service OHV Trails

These Black Mesa Ranger District systems are listed on the Forest Service OHV page. They are farther away; we could not confirm the drive from Show Low or Heber-Overgaard.

Trail system	Length	Details	Distance from a coverage town
Long Draw OHV Loop #406, Black Mesa Ranger District	About 30-mi loop	Long Draw North Trailhead (Chevelon Crossing Campground) or Long Draw South Trailhead (Chevelon Lake Campground); Forest Service Level 2, 3 and 4 roads; the route page limits it to street-legal, licensed vehicles with a motorcycle plate and OHV tag; generally open all year but may close for snow or fire danger; the page says “challenges to riders along the FR 213 section”	Not confirmed
Long Draw connectors	#406A 1.9 mi; #406B 1.9 mi; Chevelon Lake Trail #611 0.8 mi	Shortcut #406A runs FR 169 to FR 213 and shares tread with a high-clearance Level 2 road; #406B runs to Long Draw South Trailhead; #611 is ATV and hiking, page	Not confirmed
Forest Lakes OHV trails, Black Mesa Ranger District	237B 0.5 mi; 99a Access 0.9 mi; 99a OHV 3.9 mi; Larson Canyon 3.5 mi	237B and 99a list OHVs up to 68 inches wide; the 99a page shows the number 299a; the Larson Canyon page itself was not opened and its numbers come from the list page	Not confirmed

Arizona OHV Decal

Per Arizona State Parks, operators of OHVs on unimproved roads, trails and approved areas need a decal. The vehicle must be built mainly for unimproved terrain and weigh 2,500 lb or less unladen, such as ATVs, UTVs, trail motorcycles and dirt bikes. Pickups, SUVs and cars cannot get one.

Fee$25.00, valid one year; replacement $5.00

Where soldAZMVDNow.gov, MVD offices and authorized third parties

Where it goesUpper left corner of the license plate; renewals are not mailed

Required sinceJanuary 1, 2009

NonresidentsNot confirmed: the State Parks page gives no resident or nonresident split, and a search excerpt mentions a Game and Fish portal. Check azgfd.com/ohv

Overland and High-Clearance Roads

These are forest roads for licensed vehicles, not routes we can call ATV-legal. With no Motor Vehicle Use Map, ask the district first. We read only the facts below, and road conditions for each are not confirmed.

Road	What the source says	Status
Coalson Trail #85 / Forest Road 475, Blue River area	The trail page calls it “an extremely rough 4-wheel drive road” and lists hiking, horse riding, mountain biking and OHV among uses. Use caution crossing the Blue River at high water, especially in spring. Length and district are not on the page.	Conditions not confirmed; distance from a coverage town not confirmed
Rim Road, Forest Road 300	Meets SR 260 about 26 miles west of Heber across from the Rim Visitor Center (the Rim Lake Vista page). Check the Coconino forest roads status page.	Conditions not confirmed
Black River road, FR 25 and FR 26 / FR 24 to Buffalo Crossing	From Alpine 14.5 mi south on US 191 to FR 26, west about 9.5 mi to FR 24, northwest 3 mi to Buffalo Crossing; FR 25 continues west 12.8 mi from there to Wildcat Bridge (Black River Mainstream Trail page).	Conditions not confirmed
Blue River Road, FR 281	Runs 30.0 mi south from US 180 (3 mi east of Alpine) to Lower Steeple Trailhead (Steeple Trail page).	Conditions not confirmed
Forest Road 51, Lakeside Ranger District	Appears only as an endpoint of a short horse trail in a search excerpt; no driving page was read.	Conditions not confirmed

The Coronado Trail Scenic Byway (US 191, Clifton to Springerville) is a paved highway, not an overland road. Its length conflicts between sources: 123 miles (federal listing), 103 miles (state scenic road list) and 120 miles (marketing). We could not confirm any of the three.

Fort Apache Reservation

The Reservation is tribal land with its own rules. The White Mountain Apache Tribe’s outdoor recreation page (it carries a 2018 regulation handbook date, so parts may be out of date) sets these terms, as of October 23, 2026:

Outdoor Recreation Daily Vehicle permit: $10 for hiking, sightseeing, picnicking, biking and winter activities. Camping was $15 per vehicle per day in earlier reading of the Tribe’s rules.
Special Use permit price conflict: $25 on a vendor page versus $15 in the Special Use regulations. We show both and do not pick one.
All Reservation roads are open to sightseeing vehicles except posted CLOSED areas. Sightseeing and hiking in Special Use Areas need the Special Use permit. Hiking is allowed from designated campgrounds and along perennial streams.
Biking only on established roads, not at night, and closed during hunting season. Horseback riding only at designated facilities. Salt Banks and posted areas are closed to non-members.
The Tribe’s published rules do not address ATVs, OHVs or off-road travel, so we cannot say they are allowed or banned. Contact the Tribe’s Game and Fish office, (928) 338-4385, before bringing any off-road vehicle. Permits are sold at vendors including Hon-Dah.

Safety and Closures

Forest Service alerts as of October 23, 2026: no fire restrictions; a 14-day camping limit (14 consecutive days in any 30); the Scott Reservoir recreation site closure; and the Benny Creek Campground and Southfork Day Use Area closure. See the alerts page, which changes.
Fire danger was Low on all five districts; the Long Draw page says that loop may close for winter snow or fire danger.
Use of a motor vehicle that conflicts with a Forest Service designation is prohibited (36 CFR 261.13).
Carry water; most trailheads have none. Cross the Blue River on Coalson only with care at high water.
Hikers: see our hiking trails list.

What We Could Not Verify

Nonresident OHV rules and fees: the Game and Fish and ADOT decal pages returned errors and could not be read.
Whether any Motor Vehicle Use Map exists for the Apache-Sitgreaves elsewhere: the Region page says none is available; ask the Supervisor’s Office.
Overland road conditions and clearance needs for FR 300, FR 25, FR 281, FR 51 and the Coronado Trail connections; Coalson FR 475 distance from a coverage town.
Coronado Trail length: 123 miles, 103 miles and 120 miles conflict; none confirmed.
Drive distance from Show Low or Heber-Overgaard to the Long Draw and Forest Lakes systems.
Decal rule on the Maverick Trail page (none stated), vehicle width limit, season, and trailhead coordinates.
Any BLM OHV route near Show Low: none found; ask the BLM field office.
Phone numbers for the Lakeside district came from a search excerpt, not an office page; four more OHV trails on page 2 of the Forest Service OHV list were not read.
Whether ATVs or OHVs are allowed on the Fort Apache Reservation: the Tribe’s page is silent.

More Guides

Questions People Ask

Is there a Motor Vehicle Use Map for this forest?

No. The Forest Service Southwestern Region says motor vehicle use maps are not available for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. Call the district for which roads are open.

Where is the nearest ATV trail to Show Low?

The Maverick Trail, with Burton and Clay Springs trailheads on SR 260 west of Show Low and Sky-Hi, Timber Mesa and Panorama near Lakeside.

Do I need an Arizona OHV decal?

Per Arizona State Parks, yes for OHVs on unimproved roads and trails: $25 for one year, for vehicles of 2,500 lb or less. Nonresident rules are not confirmed.

Can I ride an ATV on the Fort Apache Reservation?

Not confirmed. The Tribe’s published recreation rules do not mention ATVs, so contact the Tribe’s Game and Fish office first.

Sources

Checked October 23, 2026 by It’s Show Low. Cite this page: It’s Show Low (itsshowlow.com), checked October 23, 2026. Free to quote with a link; tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.