Bulldog Canyon

Bulldog Canyon is a 34,000-acre motorized permit zone in the Sonoran desert of the Goldfield Mountains, on the Mesa Ranger District of the Tonto National Forest. It is about an hour from Phoenix and about 20 miles of routes are open. Every open route is full-vehicle width, so this is two-track and rocky desert road riding rather than singletrack. Expect loose rock, washes, and ledgy sections, shared with side-by-sides and jeeps. Riders who want tight singletrack will be disappointed; riders who want a close-to-town desert ride with saguaro scenery will not be.

Getting there

There are five access points: Blue Point, Usery, Wolverine, Hackamore, and Dutchman. Blue Point (off Bush Highway) and Usery (off Usery Pass Road) are the ones with unlocked gates as of the Forest Service's latest page update; the gates no longer have lock combinations, but close them behind you so horses stay off the highway. Dutchman is the main access from SR 88 (the Apache Trail), and Wolverine and Hackamore are southern entrances.

The coordinates on this page are for the Usery OHV Staging Area. To reach it, head north on Ellsworth Road until it becomes Usery Pass Road, pass Usery Mountain Regional Park, and look for the pull-out on your right about 1.6 miles later, just after a curve. It is small: room for 10 to 15 trucks with trailers, or 20 to 30 cars. Portable toilets are there; there is no potable water. Blue Point is smaller still, at 5 to 10 rigs with trailers.

Fees, permits, and rules

Parking at the staging areas is free, but any motorized vehicle riding in the zone needs a Tonto National Forest OHV permit bought from Recreation.gov (the ranger district office no longer sells them). Options are a 3-day permit for $10, a 6-month permit for $60, or an annual permit for $80. At least one rider per vehicle must hold a permit in their own name as it appears on their driver's license. Youth under 16 do not need their own permit but must ride with a guardian who has one. One permit covers all four Tonto NF OHV permit zones.

Stay on designated routes; driving off-road is prohibited on the Tonto. The Forest Service also points riders to Arizona rules: a state OHV decal, a spark arrestor and muffler, headlight, taillight, a license plate, a rearview mirror, and helmet and eye protection. Staging areas are day-use only with no campfires or overnight camping. Camping in the zone is prohibited within one mile of each gate (two miles from the Blue Point gate), with a 14-day limit in 30 days beyond that.

When to ride

The zone is open year-round, subject to severe weather and forest closure orders. Summer heat in the low desert (elevations of roughly 1,500 to 2,500 feet) makes the cooler months the practical riding season, and fire restrictions can apply in dry periods, so check the Tonto alerts page before you go. Call the Mesa Ranger District at (480) 610-3300 for current conditions.