Forest Road 171 traces part of the original rim route before modern highways replaced it — winding through forested ridges and open meadows in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest at 7,600 feet. The Old Rim Road is a quieter alternative to the main FR 300 corridor, with dispersed camping in the ponderosa pines and access to rim-edge canyon views that deliver the classic Mogollon Rim experience without the heavier traffic of the more established rim roads.

Matthew, Leslie Marie, Vicki, and I camped here October 13–16, 2023 — four nights in the fall forest, a day trip to Willow Springs Lake, and a drive out to FR 9512J to see the rim views from the edge.

This is an AZ Places available location — a camp spot we recommend for hosted and outfitted camping adventures in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest.

The Forest — What FR 171 Offers

Dispersed camping along FR 171 and Young Road runs through forest clearings and scenic pullouts suited to tents, trailers, and capable rigs — the range of sites accommodating everything from a single tent to a small group spread across a clearing in the pines. The Old Rim Road sees significantly less traffic than FR 300 — the solitude, the dark sky at 7,600 feet, and the shaded ponderosa campsites delivering the off-grid forest experience that the more developed rim campgrounds cannot.

Wildlife in this corridor reflects the full Apache-Sitgreaves ecosystem — elk move through the forest regularly and their sign is visible on the trees and in the soft soil of the clearings. Deer are common. Wild turkeys work the forest understory. Hawks ride the thermals above the rim edge. Black bear are present throughout the Apache-Sitgreaves — treat every camp as bear country and store food accordingly.

Young Road (FR 512) heading south from the FR 171 junction opens the more remote eastern Tonto Basin and Pleasant Valley corridor for those willing to travel deeper into the forest on a rougher road. The farther south you go on Young Road the more remote the terrain becomes — a genuine backcountry corridor for overlanders and off-road capable vehicles that connects the Mogollon Rim to the historic and geologically dramatic country below.

Our Visit — October 13–16, 2023

Four nights in the fall ponderosa pine forest — the October timing delivering the cooler temperatures, quieter roads, and the particular quality of fall light in the high country that makes the Mogollon Rim most itself.

Wildlife: Chipmunks throughout camp — active, curious, and persistent in the way that chipmunks at a forest camp always are. Squirrels working the pine canopy overhead.

Flora: Mullein standing tall in the forest clearings — the distinctive tall stalks with yellow flower spikes that appear wherever the forest opens up along the rim roads. Yellow flowers in the clearings. The October forest at 7,600 feet has its own character — the summer wildflower peak has passed but the fall light and the cooler temperatures give the remaining color a different quality.

The controlled burn: Smoke visible in the distance from a prescribed burn in the area — a reminder that fire management is an active and ongoing part of the Apache-Sitgreaves forest ecology. The controlled burns that keep fuel loads manageable and promote forest health are a regular feature of the Mogollon Rim landscape. The smoke column visible from camp was distant enough to be interesting rather than concerning.

Games in camp and hikes through the forest — the four-night stay long enough to establish a camp rhythm, explore the surrounding forest roads on foot, and simply be in the pines for a few days without agenda.

Willow Springs Lake — Day Trip

A day trip from camp to Willow Springs Lake — a high-elevation reservoir in the Mogollon Rim Ranger District stocked regularly with rainbow trout, brown trout, and tiger trout. Willow Springs Lake sits at approximately 7,500 feet in the ponderosa pine forest — a developed recreation area with shoreline picnic sites, a boat ramp, and paved road access that makes it one of the more accessible Rim lakes for a day trip from dispersed camping on the surrounding forest roads.

We picnicked at the lake — the October fall light on the water and the surrounding pine forest at peak color making it a worthwhile stop. A Rock Squirrel at the lake — the large, ground-dwelling squirrel of the rocky rim country, noticeably larger and more substantial than the tree squirrels in the forest camp.

FR 9512J — Rim View Day Drive

A day drive out to FR 9512J to see the rim from the edge — the road ending at a well-built established fire pit at GPS 34°17'11.3" N, 110°53'19.9" W, a genuinely good camp spot at the road’s end with the rim dropping away beyond it. The view from this point is the classic Mogollon Rim view — canyon walls and peaks visible across the landscape below, the cliff edges that define the escarpment, and the full depth of the drop from the Colorado Plateau to the Basin and Range country below. The same rim views visible from many points along FR 300 but from the end of a spur road that keeps the experience quieter.

FR 9512J carries consistent camper traffic — a number of sites occupied along the road on our visit. The fire pit at the road’s end is established and well-built — a good sign that this spot has been used carefully by those who found it before us.

FR 171 and Young Road

FR 171 (Old Rim Road) connects to Young Road (FR 512) which heads south toward the historic pioneer town of Young, Arizona — an off-grid route into more remote sections of the Apache-Sitgreaves. The combination of FR 171 and Young Road opens the eastern Tonto Basin country and the Pleasant Valley corridor to exploration from a rim-based camp.

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