Off-Roading the Back Way to Crown King, Arizona

Between Phoenix and a small mountain town in Prescott National Forest called Crown King is a winding Jeep trail that runs across desert, over gold mines, and through forest until it reaches its small, charming destination.

There’s a line of 10 Jeeps, trucks, SUV’s, and one side-by-side airing down tire pressure and prepping for the five or so hours we’d spend climbing up the back way to Crown King, Arizona.

Among them are first-gen Tacomas, a couple 4Runners, a few Wranglers, and my bone-stock 2016 Toyota Tacoma. It’s also the only one in line that’s a daily driver, so I need this to not only get me up to Crown King but also to work on Monday.

The annual trip up the Back Way to Crown King is a better Christmas tradition than Christmas itself. I join a group of good friends — true overlanders — to crawl up the jagged path to my favorite mountain town in the state. It doesn’t have the same clout as Sedona, Moab, or the Rubicon Trail in California, but anyone with 4-Lo on their transfer case knows about “the back way to Crown King” and has likely made it themselves.

This was my third trip to the top and there’s nothing to it but to drive the right truck or SUV and travel with other experienced drivers. There will be curveballs — there always is — but it’s nothing the right group can’t solve and it’s a guaranteed blast.

The Meetup Spot on Carefree Highway

The Chevron off Carefree Highway (which is right off I-17 above the 101) is like Cars and Coffee for…