The Arizona Peace Trail (AZPT) is a 675+ mile off-highway vehicle loop through western Arizona's Mohave, La Paz, and Yuma counties. The route connects communities including Bullhead City, Kingman, Lake Havasu City, Parker, Quartzsite, and Yuma and can be ridden by ATVs, UTVs, and dirt bikes. The official AZPT organization recommends allowing at least six full days to complete the entire route.
Before you head out, pull up the route in the TrailIntel app to check current trail conditions, closures, hazards, and rider-submitted reports along the AZPT. Conditions can change quickly because of weather, races, washouts, and other events.
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Question |
Answer |
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Length |
675+ miles |
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Location |
Western Arizona |
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Counties |
Mohave, La Paz, Yuma |
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Vehicle types |
ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes |
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Recommended minimum |
6 full days |
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Route type |
OHV loop |
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Best season |
Depends on elevation and section |
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Official route files |
GPX and KML |
The name comes from La Paz County, Spanish for "peace," one of the three counties the loop passes through, along with Mohave and Yuma. The AZPT committee was formed in 2014, and within a couple of years, 14 OHV clubs banded together to sign and map the route. The finished loop runs about 675 miles, though the wider trail system, including spurs and connectors, stretches closer to 750 miles. Elevations along the way range from around 170 feet near the Colorado River up to more than 7,000 feet in the Hualapai Mountains, so riders pass through everything from saguaro-studded desert flats to pine-covered high country.
Towns along the loop, including Bullhead City, Kingman, Wikieup, Lake Havasu City, Parker, Salome, Bouse, Quartzsite, Dateland, Wellton, and Yuma, all support OHV traffic with fuel, food, and lodging, so you can ride the trail as a series of town-to-town day trips rather than a fully self-supported backcountry trip.
The northern segment climbs out of the desert floor into the pine forests of the Hualapai Mountains, and is considered to be one of the most scenic stretches on the entire loop. This section is best ridden in the warmer months, since the campground at Hualapai Mountain Park closes for the season from late October into early spring.
This stretch winds through remote high desert and connects to Alamo Lake State Park, a reservoir popular with anglers and a natural stopping point for camping and resupply roughly 38 miles north of Wenden.
A classic mix of graded dirt roads, sandy washes, and rolling hills, this section passes historic mining sites and old homesteads on its way toward Quartzsite, one of the trail's main hub towns.
Just outside Quartzsite, riders can branch off onto the roughly 78-mile Petroglyphs OHV Trail, which includes a run up Dripping Springs Canyon, a tight box canyon that rewards riders with careful line-picking.
This roughly 50-mile stretch is mostly graded dirt with a few sandy sections, and it offers optional side routes with rockier climbs for groups that want a bit more technical challenge on the way back.
The southern leg drops through the low desert toward Yuma, passing near the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge and the Colorado River corridor. This is the section to save for the cooler months, since summer temperatures here can be extreme.
The official Arizona Peace Trail organization also maintains a longer list of marked points of interest with GPS coordinates, including petroglyph sites, historic cemeteries, and old homesteads, so it is worth downloading their route files before your trip.
The AZPT has no single trailhead since it is a loop, but a few staging areas make good starting points. The Quartzsite Off Road Staging Area, added in 2021, offers a large paved parking area, restrooms, and a camp host. Hualapai Mountain Park near Kingman has a full campground with water and electric hookups, though it closes seasonally. Near Cibola, a staging area built with state OHV grant funding offers pull-through parking, a picnic area, and a restroom building. Dispersed camping is also common along much of the route on BLM land, particularly around Quartzsite and Cibola.
The loop itself runs roughly 675+ miles through Mohave, La Paz, and Yuma counties. Counting spurs and connector routes, the full trail system approaches 750 miles.
Arizona OHVs generally need a valid OHV decal to operate on public and state trust lands. Nonresident ATV, UTV, quad and dirt-bike owners generally need an Arizona nonresident OHV decal from Arizona Game & Fish. Arizona does not accept OHV decals issued by other states. The AZPT itself does not have a separate trail-use fee.
It depends on the section. The higher elevation northern loop near Kingman and Hualapai Mountain Park is best in the warmer months, while the low desert southern sections near Yuma and Quartzsite ride best from fall through early spring.
Most riders budget five to ten days for a relaxed pace with stops at points of interest. Experienced groups have completed it in as few as five days, and some spend an entire winter working through the route and its connecting trails.
The Quartzsite Off Road Staging Area, the Cibola staging area, and Hualapai Mountain Park near Kingman are the three most developed access points, each offering parking, restrooms, and camping options.
Most of the loop follows graded dirt roads, mining roads, and sand washes suitable for ATVs, UTVs, and dirt bikes with basic off-road experience. Optional side routes and canyon spurs offer rockier, more technical terrain for riders who want it.
Ready to plan your ride? Open TrailIntel to pull up the Arizona Peace Trail map, browse points of interest with GPS coordinates, and get live hazard and road condition alerts from riders on the trail right now.