MAST4R
New member
I am not sure how many people use the Massey et al. print offroad guides but I thought I would post an update. I have completed 110 of his trails in AZ, UT, and CO (and 1 in California!), so I think I am familiar with the entire series.
The Massey guides for California, Arizona, and Colorado used to be available in two versions: a big, thick comprehensive book, and a series of smaller, regional guides. Nowadays, only the regional guides remain in print. The Utah and Nevada guides were always regional (unless I am missing something).
The guides are great as they focus on offroadiang as getting out and seeing things. They do not focus on offroading as "let's beat up on a truck." This means that there are plenty of dirt roads, many easy, quite a few moderate, and only a few difficult 4x4 trails per guide. There are zero very difficult or hardcore trails per guide.
So why this post?
1/ These guides are great but now OLD. The California ones seem to be up to 20 years old. The AZ and CO guides seem to be 13-15 yo. While they remain in print, there are no new editions. There are new reprints. While the reprints may seem somewhat recent (like 2014), the information is not (like 2006-7). This example is from the SW Colorado guide.
2a/ Dirt roads (trails rated 1-2 in the guides) and easy trails (rated 3) remain generally the same as described as they tend to be decently maintained with some regularity. However, some can be closed or altered.
3/ Moderate trails (4-5) and difficult trails (6-7) can change dramatically year-to-year and definitely so over a decade or more. There are many 4-5 Massey trails that would now be rated 6-7. On a rare occasion, you can find a 6 that has been graded to a 2, such as Edwards Peak near Phoenix. The exceptions are the few trails found in national parks and monuments as they are maintained to the same standard over time, so Elephant Hill or the White Rim Road can change seasonally but are then returned to the usual standard (7 and 4, respectively). Similarly, trails maintained by other entities, like Broken Arrow can be very consistent over time. Others are maintained once in a blue moon.
In sum, I love the Peter Massey guides and continue to use them. But they are no longer reliable guides. Just yesterday we found that one trail has been closed, the second was rerouted and not nearly as smooth as the guide suggests, and we never found the third. I am not sure if it was closed or the entry area completely altered.
I find it best to combine the Massey guides with the Charlie Wells guides, which are updated about every 5 years. The former have a lot more dirt roads and easy trails while the latter offer a lot better selection and much more reliable information about the moderate and difficult ones.
The Massey guides for California, Arizona, and Colorado used to be available in two versions: a big, thick comprehensive book, and a series of smaller, regional guides. Nowadays, only the regional guides remain in print. The Utah and Nevada guides were always regional (unless I am missing something).
The guides are great as they focus on offroadiang as getting out and seeing things. They do not focus on offroading as "let's beat up on a truck." This means that there are plenty of dirt roads, many easy, quite a few moderate, and only a few difficult 4x4 trails per guide. There are zero very difficult or hardcore trails per guide.
So why this post?
1/ These guides are great but now OLD. The California ones seem to be up to 20 years old. The AZ and CO guides seem to be 13-15 yo. While they remain in print, there are no new editions. There are new reprints. While the reprints may seem somewhat recent (like 2014), the information is not (like 2006-7). This example is from the SW Colorado guide.
2a/ Dirt roads (trails rated 1-2 in the guides) and easy trails (rated 3) remain generally the same as described as they tend to be decently maintained with some regularity. However, some can be closed or altered.
3/ Moderate trails (4-5) and difficult trails (6-7) can change dramatically year-to-year and definitely so over a decade or more. There are many 4-5 Massey trails that would now be rated 6-7. On a rare occasion, you can find a 6 that has been graded to a 2, such as Edwards Peak near Phoenix. The exceptions are the few trails found in national parks and monuments as they are maintained to the same standard over time, so Elephant Hill or the White Rim Road can change seasonally but are then returned to the usual standard (7 and 4, respectively). Similarly, trails maintained by other entities, like Broken Arrow can be very consistent over time. Others are maintained once in a blue moon.
In sum, I love the Peter Massey guides and continue to use them. But they are no longer reliable guides. Just yesterday we found that one trail has been closed, the second was rerouted and not nearly as smooth as the guide suggests, and we never found the third. I am not sure if it was closed or the entry area completely altered.
I find it best to combine the Massey guides with the Charlie Wells guides, which are updated about every 5 years. The former have a lot more dirt roads and easy trails while the latter offer a lot better selection and much more reliable information about the moderate and difficult ones.
Last edited:
