Forest Lakes OHV

Forest Lakes sits on the Mogollon Rim at roughly 7,700 to 8,000 feet, in the country where the Coconino and Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests meet, and it is the standard escape from Phoenix heat. The Forest Service names specific routes here rather than an open riding area. The 99a OHV Trail, signed as Trail 299a, runs near Forest Lakes itself, and the Long Draw OHV Loop, Trail 406, is a 30 mile loop on the Apache-Sitgreaves side. Both are managed as designated routes, which means the Motor Vehicle Use Map decides where you may legally drive rather than what looks driveable. The riding is easy by four-wheel-drive standards: graded forest roads and two-track through ponderosa pine, with the rim itself a short drive away for the overlook views that make the trip. Two Arizona rules catch visitors out. An annual Arizona OHV Decal is required for motorized vehicles with an unladen weight of 2,500 pounds or less operating on public land, which covers ATVs, UTVs, and dirt bikes but not a full-size truck. Separately, vehicles must be street legal with valid plates to operate on state and county roads and on horizontally numbered National Forest System roads, so a trailered play rig cannot simply ride the connector roads between trails. Routes are typically open across the seasons but close for snow at this elevation and for high fire danger in dry years. Fire restrictions are the bigger planning issue. The Coconino and Apache-Sitgreaves forests move into Stage 1 or Stage 2 restrictions most summers, which can prohibit campfires outright and restrict internal combustion engines without approved spark arrestors. Check the current restriction level before you pack a fire pit. Dispersed camping under the pines is the main draw, and Payson and Heber are the practical supply towns.