Mount Trumbull Loop - Southern Section

Located in northern Arizona, within a vast area known as the Arizona Strip, the Mount Trumbull Scenic Loop is a picturesque drive through the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument that takes drivers through nearly every aspect of terrain the monument offers. Cutting through the desert, shrubland, and montane habitats, drivers are rewarded with picturesque views of deep canyons, vast valleys, lonely buttes, and 8,000-foot mountains.

The southern section of CR 5 travels east to west through significantly different terrain than the other two sections of the Mount Trumbull Loop. This section ascends a half-mile-long dugway constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps into mountainous terrain with a ponderosa pine forest reaching 6,800 feet. The road is continuously rocky and rough, only 1.5 vehicles wide across the dugway. Drivers of this road are rewarded with plenty of scenic views, including the 8,028-foot Mount Trumbull and 7,866-foot Mount Logan. The trail passes a historic sawmill site that once supplied lumber to build the St. George Morman Temple in the 1870s. It also offers a short side trip to petroglyphs at Nampaweap.

There is substantial dispersed camping along this road, with many large sites suitable for groups or multiple vehicles.

This road is suitable for any high clearance 4WD vehicle, and it is highly recommended to air down to make the ride more comfortable due to the roughness of the road surface.