Is the Sunflower Mine loop trail really an 8 out of 10?🤔Can a stock UTV/SxS survive it?😱In 4 hours?🫣

Indexed: 2026-05-22

[00:00:05]Looking for cooler temperatures and adventure, we headed up Highway 87 towards Pacin, Arizona. The Sunflower Mind Loop, it ranges from 3,800 ft to 5,400 ft. Now, it's 57 mi from my home in Apache Junction, Arizona to the staging area. OnX Off-Road shows the Sunflower Mine Loop as an 8 out of 10.

[00:00:28]It's only 16 miles long, but it takes four hours and 15 minutes. Now, the reviews on there from some Jeep drivers suggest at least 35 inch tires are required with a 2-in lift for a Jeep.

[00:00:40]The ledge trail collapsed a while back, so the wash is now the trail, and they warned that 3 to four miles of the of the wash section is very technical.

[00:00:50]Bring tools and parts since things will break. One group said it took them six hours with stops and repairs. They also mentioned that Arizona pinstriping is impossible to avoid. Can an almost stock UTV or side by side survive this very technical trail? Well, two of us decided to find out. I've been learning how to drive off-road in my 23 Segway Villain for the last 28 months here in the Sonoron Desert, and I recently replaced the 30-in OEM tires with 32s. Now, Mike is going to join me today, and he has the same machine, only he put 30-inch off-road tires on it. So, two villains.

[00:01:30]We're going to give it a try. I mean, what could possibly go wrong? All right.

[00:01:34]Well, Colin Beld on us today because he didn't think there was anywhere for him to park. And it it was it was impossible to tell from uh the maps, but there's a huge spot down there. And that's the road we came in on pavement right past that tree.

[00:01:50]and we're going to go that way.

[00:01:55]But we found a nice spot. Who's this guy and what are you doing?

[00:01:58]>> Hey, I'm Mike. I have a 2023 Segue Villain that hasn't lost its engine yet.

[00:02:04]So, I'm still working on doing that.

[00:02:06]>> Does your power steering work?

[00:02:07]>> It does work.

[00:02:08]>> You want to trade?

[00:02:09]>> Yeah. No. No. However, you do it very well of manhandling that thing.

[00:02:15]>> So, my power steering went into the shop yesterday. One of two parts. And the first part didn't fix it. So now they're ordering another one. So I'm already 34 days into no power steering. We'll see how much longer it takes. We turn right on 2011 Sunflower Mine out of the staging area. Now this is a fairly smooth two-lane dirt road. Doesn't take very long before we reach the Sunflower Mine loop. And we're going to turn left on 25, which means we'll be traveling in a clockwise direction. Everything I read suggested that all of it should travel in this direction because much of the trail is very narrow. There's no room to pass. So far, trail number 25 is a decent dirt road. I'm starting to wonder if I'm on the correct trail. Remember, it's rated 8 out of 10 somewhere. Then we reach an intersection where 25 goes left, but we're turning right on 25A.

[00:03:10]That's Sunflower Mine, West Sycamore.

[00:03:12]The fun is about to begin. I asked Mike to take the lead so you can see the articulation. Hopefully, this will give you an idea of the roughness of the terrain. Of course, he immediately went to the right, which is the trail. The bypass is to the left, so he's already picking the the roughest road possible.

[00:03:29]He's going to make this video interesting. It's starting to look more like a trail. The scenery is definitely drawing my attention, but the driver's side drop off, it alerts me to the need to pay attention to the driving. I think we're about to enter the wash. The question is, will we be able to handle the eight out of 10 obstacles? I don't think we have a choice once we get into it. The trail is quickly becoming sketchy. I'm certain this is a rough, rocky drainage that we are pretending is a trail. Well, at least it's shady. The temperature is quite comfortable, and we're really enjoying the atmosphere.

[00:04:03]Suddenly, Mike comes to a stop. Oh, it's time to walk the trail to pick a path of least resistance. This is not a place where you want to disable your vehicle.

[00:04:12]Mike decided to go first on this section. This was a good idea based on how things turned out, but we'll get to that in a moment. This is unexplored terrain for us, so we were very cautious. There's just enough water here to make the tires slip on the rocks.

[00:04:29]Pinch points are an abundance. With sharp rocks and plenty of opportunities to high center, picking a good line with just the right amount of speed is essential. Sometimes a rock will change that line a little bit. Mike manages with the occasional scrape and one tire or the other seems to be climbing a rock that he just couldn't avoid. And then it's time for the waterfall, which is a challenge. The base has multiple vertical ruts cut deep into the rock.

[00:04:58]Each one wants to control your line. Did I mention the water makes your tires slippery? I thought it was well out of the way, but I did have an escape route though, just in case.

[00:05:10]>> So, Mike, while it's fresh in your brain, tell me about that little adventure coming up.

[00:05:15]>> It was uh coming up to the little creek, it was okay, but coming up this shelf right here was a little puckering cuz the vehicle slid to the right while you were standing right there.

[00:05:29]>> I felt puckered, too, because you were trying to kill me. I know you will. Now it's my turn to climb the water. No power steering and I forgot to turn the diff lock. The rock soon took control and turn the wheel to the driver's side while sliding the rear to the passenger side. I had to stop before I rode. Then it was time to figure out how to get off the wall. I couldn't turn the steering wheel unless the tires were rotating.

[00:05:55]The rear tires were very close to the edge. We decided to use Mike's villain as an anchor for my winch. He used the winch remote control while I rocked the villain. This allowed me to safely back to the edge, turn the steering wheel, pull forward, and repeat until all four wheels were safely on the ground. Was there a better way? Probably. But I'm still new at this, and I sure didn't want to roll the villain in this location, or anywhere for that matter.

[00:06:25]Can you imagine trying to recover from a rollover in this location?

[00:06:30]>> Let's start with So, how did you feel about rescuing Ed back there? You were a great anchor.

[00:06:34]>> I uh Yeah, you dragged me uphill while I was trying to pull you over a rock. So, uh that that's been the most aggressive that I've uh ever been on so far. So, now tell me about how your experience was on uh getting stuck on a on a cliff.

[00:06:51]>> Is it brown?

[00:06:52]>> Oh, yeah. I don't even see it. It's so sucked up into your there.

[00:06:57]>> Yeah, >> actually I got stopped in in time, so I didn't freak out too much, but that was uh definitely a bit more excitement than I was anticipating. I need my power steering.

[00:07:07]>> Yeah, you were on the ledge.

[00:07:09]>> And even after we got hooked up with the winch, it did not want to turn.

[00:07:12]>> Mm- >> The rocks had control.

[00:07:15]>> Yeah, >> I got to work out.

[00:07:16]>> If it wasn't for the winch, you would have just went right back over the edge.

[00:07:21]I know. Yeah. The waterfall experience definitely made me pick better lines with a stronger grip for the rest of the ride. I was careful not to wrap my thumbs around the steering wheel, though. I've read about sudden strong jerks of the wheel ripping people's thumbs off. Oh my. We climbed out of the wash and took a left to the old mine processing location. Well, it's time for lunch and there's shade, so this is perfect. We wandered around as we were eating, looking at the remains and guessing what took place here with absolutely no research to help us understand. Well, once lunch was over, it's time to get back to the adventure.

[00:07:58]We made a U-turn and took the trail back to the fork. A left turn has us back on 25A for more unknown territory. Wow, it's downhill for a short distance with some views, but didn't take long. We're heading right back into the wash. The trail, it's getting rough again. But after the waterfall, this isn't bad. And then it's time for another walk. Once we determined our lines, it was my turn to go first.

[00:08:25]>> My Cheerios.

[00:08:26]>> You see that rock in front of you?

[00:08:29]>> Not really. Just way over.

[00:08:32]>> Yeah.

[00:08:34]All right. Now, turn to the left. There you go.

[00:08:40]There you go.

[00:08:51]Instead of stopping at the rock, he went over it.

[00:09:14]I definitely got you with some uh wheels in the air and spinning and jumping and everything else.

[00:09:39]You did that like a pro.

[00:10:04]It's a trail, not a drainage full of rocks. Happy days. Oh, pen striping.

[00:10:10]Well, that's okay. But this doesn't last for long. We're heading right back into the wash again. At first, the trail is not bad, but soon the rocks got bigger and the trail became much more difficult to navigate. It's time for another walk.

[00:10:28]Yeah, nice line.

[00:10:36]Go left. Go left. Oh, you missed it.

[00:10:53]Oh, back up.

[00:10:56]You hit that rock.

[00:11:02]Yeah. Wait a passenger.

[00:11:09]>> That's what's going to kill you right there.

[00:11:10]>> Yeah. And there's a big rock under you.

[00:11:22]Lot of lot of slamming. Yeah.

[00:11:29]Heat.

[00:12:13]Oh, you made it.

[00:12:16]>> Just go straight. Yeah, you're clear.

[00:12:19]That back tire is going to hit that rock, though.

[00:12:22]But you should be good.

[00:12:59]We continued in and out of the wash for quite a while with lots of challenges and lots of excitement. I must admit, I was getting tired. No power steering is making this into quite the workout.

[00:13:13]Hopefully the end is near. Out of the drainage and it's time to climb with a right turn on 3722.

[00:13:20]Now it's steep, it's rocky, it's rough, but hey, they're smaller rocks. Cool.

[00:13:25]Here's some music for the climb.

[00:14:00]Heat. Heat.

[00:14:04]Heat. Heat.

[00:14:40]Heat. Heat.

[00:15:04]We paused here so I could show you the view of the valley we just drove up.

[00:15:10]That was quite the workout, but man, what a view. And we still have more climbing to go.

[00:15:17]Heat. Heat.

[00:15:39]Heat. Heat.

[00:16:00]Heat up here.

[00:16:25]Heat up here.

[00:16:48]Heat.

[00:17:02]Heat.

[00:17:21]Heat. Heat.

[00:17:31]Heat Heat up here.

[00:18:26]We started our adventure this morning on this very road 2011. And now the ride is almost over. A few miles of easy dirt road with breathtaking scenery and we'll have completed the entire loop. I am truly amazed at the different terrain we've traveled through today. I hope you've enjoyed the adventure as much as we did. Maybe you'll add this to your future ride list or perhaps share a comment about the last time you did it.

[00:18:52]If you're curious about how long it took us to get through, it was 4 hours almost to the minute and that even included the winching episode and a few breaks. It's time for interviews.

[00:19:06]>> Well, I I'd say uh who are you and what are you driving? But there are only two of us today. But >> I'm driving a Segway. Oh, wait. This one.

[00:19:13]>> Oh, wait. They're both black.

[00:19:15]>> Yeah. Uh, that is a 23. This is a 23.

[00:19:19]Oh, but wait. That has a 25 motor in it.

[00:19:22]>> How'd that happen?

[00:19:25]>> Well, after today's ride, I should have a new motor.

[00:19:28]>> Well, maybe a belt.

[00:19:30]>> Yeah, I was smelling belt today. But it was a good ride. I did things today that I've never done before. Boulder hopping, rock crawling, splashing in the water.

[00:19:43]Uh, >> anchor point for Ed >> slamming the ground or slamming the bottom of my vehicle onto rocks. Yeah.

[00:19:51]Yeah. I'm probably going to need a new suspension after today.

[00:19:54]>> So, would you say that was an eight out of 10?

[00:19:58]>> Eight out of 10. Definitely. Nine out of 10. Probably, but eight definitely eight out of 10.

[00:20:05]That was both fun, exhausting, and I don't want to do it again for quite some time.

[00:20:09]>> No, no.

[00:20:10]>> Thanks to my friend Gary, the Canadian with the 50-inch Can-Am. I'm going to explain something here to make life easier for everybody. I spend a lot of time working on my description that's right below uh the video. If you're on a computer, this is super easy. It might be more difficult on other devices, but on your computer screen in a web browser, it shows you dot dot more under the description, which expands out the description and everything below, which has links to things like where to get permits, where to buy certain things that I'm talking about, and a whole lot more, including descriptions on the trail. Turn left here, turn right there.

[00:20:48]I hope this helped.