Along with the national forests that Arizona has in abundance, there are also a good number of federally managed lands that offer some fantastic ATVing opportunities.
Imperial Dam is a fun place to take a long weekend with your family or favorite group of ATVing buddies. The area of this place is huge, measuring in at over 3,500 acres. The riding area is easy with flat, hard packed landscape and not too much vegetation to create riding obstacles. You will see a myriad of desert plants and trees such as creosote bushes, palo verde trees, ironwood trees and mesquite trees; along with a myriad of cacti types.
Another riding area that was created to protect the desert ecosystem by giving people a place to play in the outdoors is the La Posa Long Term Visitor Area. The area is over 11,000 acres and it is also flat, barren terrain to ride your ATV on. Oxbow Campground is a heavily used ATV area. Expect crowds if you make this a riding destination on a weekend or holiday. The trails are extremely easy and circle around a lake. There are little to no riding obstacles and the campgrounds have shower and restroom facilities making it a great place to go for a long weekend.
Packsaddle Campground is a good place take your ATV if you're looking for a challenging ride. Located in the Cerbat Mountains area, the riding area has a 6,000-foot elevation and is above the old mining town of Chloride. There are a lot of scenic areas and shady areas to stop and enjoy the ride on the way up on your ATV.
