Snowed In Near Flagstaff
1 / 9
We left Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood and headed north toward Flagstaff, trading red rock and creekside scenery for higher elevation and colder weather. We were aiming to boondock near Marshall Lake, southeast of Flagstaff. Heading north on I-17, there were two ways to get there: continue all the way to Flagstaff and loop back south, or peel off early onto Route 213 and take backroads and forest roads much farther south of town. The forecast called for one to two inches of snow, and we hoped to arrive before the snow started accumulating. Nothing alarming, or so it seemed.
Snow starting to fall on Forestry Road
1 / 7
As soon as Danny took the exit onto Route 213, I questioned the choice. I would have preferred staying on the interstate as long as possible. Backroads and snow don’t usually make things easier. At that point, though, it was only lightly raining, so we kept going. Not long after, the pavement turned to dirt. Then the rain turned to snow. At first it was light, but it didn’t stay that way. The farther we went, the heavier it came down, and soon we were driving into areas where snow was already sticking. The road stopped being flat and began to roll, with small hills and dips that made traction feel less certain. I was officially uneasy. Danny pressed on, carefully.
After creeping along dirt roads in steadily accumulating snow, it was clear this wasn’t smart. Continuing toward Marshall Lake didn’t feel worth the risk. The immediate problem was turning around. With a camper in tow, there was no easy place to pivot, so we carefully backed down the road for a stretch until we finally found a wide enough spot to get turned around safely.
Once we were facing the other direction again, we still needed a place to actually pull off and park for the night. We eased along, scanning for a usable clearing as the snow continued to fall. Eventually, we found a spot where we could get off the road and stop long enough to reassess.
We were fine for the moment, but the questions came quickly. How much more snow was coming? What would happen when it melted and the dirt roads turned to mud? Would we even be able to get back out? It was already obvious this was more than the one to two inches we’d planned for.
We decided to retreat toward the interstate while we still could. Once we reached I-17, we didn’t push our luck. Snow was still steadily falling. We drove a few miles on slick roads before pulling off again and tucking ourselves away on forestry land with the interstate in sight.
That night, temperatures dipped into the 20s. Thankfully, we had a propane furnace to keep us warm. By morning, we’d picked up roughly six to eight inches of snow, confirming we’d made the right call not staying on forestry roads.
One week earlier, we’d been dealing with 100-plus-degree heat in Tucson. Now we were parked in the snow, watching flakes pile up. Not what we expected, but very much part of life on the road.
After creeping along dirt roads in steadily accumulating snow, it was clear this wasn’t smart. Continuing toward Marshall Lake didn’t feel worth the risk. The immediate problem was turning around. With a camper in tow, there was no easy place to pivot, so we carefully backed down the road for a stretch until we finally found a wide enough spot to get turned around safely.
Once we were facing the other direction again, we still needed a place to actually pull off and park for the night. We eased along, scanning for a usable clearing as the snow continued to fall. Eventually, we found a spot where we could get off the road and stop long enough to reassess.
We were fine for the moment, but the questions came quickly. How much more snow was coming? What would happen when it melted and the dirt roads turned to mud? Would we even be able to get back out? It was already obvious this was more than the one to two inches we’d planned for.
We decided to retreat toward the interstate while we still could. Once we reached I-17, we didn’t push our luck. Snow was still steadily falling. We drove a few miles on slick roads before pulling off again and tucking ourselves away on forestry land with the interstate in sight.
That night, temperatures dipped into the 20s. Thankfully, we had a propane furnace to keep us warm. By morning, we’d picked up roughly six to eight inches of snow, confirming we’d made the right call not staying on forestry roads.
One week earlier, we’d been dealing with 100-plus-degree heat in Tucson. Now we were parked in the snow, watching flakes pile up. Not what we expected, but very much part of life on the road.