Arizona · Trail 601

Railroad Grade

Railroad Grade Trail is a 18.7 miles trail in Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, Arizona. The Forest Service rates it trail class 4, highly developed. It is open to hiking, horse and pack stock and mountain biking.

Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests official page carries current alerts and closure orders.

Map

One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.

One end34.0542, -109.5682 · Directions ↗
Other end33.8844, -109.4294 · Directions ↗

The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start.

The trail

Length18.7 miles
Trail class4, highly developed
Typeland trail
Surfacenative material
Typical grade12-20 percent
Typical tread width18-24 inches
Motor vehiclesClosed to all motorized use year-round
AccessibilityEvaluated and does not meet accessibility guidelines
Trail numbers601
ForestApache-Sitgreaves National Forests (unit 0301)
StatesArizona
Detail publishedmanagement level, with uses

Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Railroad Grade Trail20°30°40°50°60°January: 2.02 inches of precipitationFebruary: 2.76 inches of precipitationMarch: 2.30 inches of precipitationApril: 0.95 inches of precipitationMay: 0.73 inches of precipitationJune: 0.87 inches of precipitationJuly: 4.65 inches of precipitationAugust: 3.96 inches of precipitationSeptember: 2.33 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.59 inches of precipitationNovember: 1.67 inches of precipitationDecember: 2.85 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 26.7°F averageFebruary: 28.4°F averageMarch: 33.3°F averageApril: 39.2°F averageMay: 46.5°F averageJune: 54.1°F averageJuly: 57.7°F averageAugust: 56.2°F averageSeptember: 52.4°F averageOctober: 43.3°F averageNovember: 35.9°F averageDecember: 28.2°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 in5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Sunrise Mtn, 3 miles from the trail midpoint at 9,370 feet, station USC00028326 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 27 inches a year.

Allowed uses

HikingAllowed year-round
Horse and pack stockAllowed year-round
Mountain bikingAllowed year-round

A use is listed when the Forest Service records it as managed, accepted or discouraged on any segment. Discouraged still means legal. Uses marked restricted are left out. Where the forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map, that map governs motorized use.

Trailheads

No season published
0 mi
No season published
0.1 mi

Distance is from the point to the nearest part of the trail line. Season text is what the forest wrote and is often a season name rather than a date.

Camping nearby

Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.

Explore

Reference

Questions people ask

How long is the Railroad Grade Trail?

18.7 miles, the sum of the 1 segment the Forest Service records under this name in Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the Railroad Grade Trail?

hiking, horse and pack stock and mountain biking. The trail is closed to motor vehicles year-round.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Where does the Railroad Grade Trail start?

The line begins at 34.0542, -109.5682 and ends at 33.8844, -109.4294. The nearest recorded trailhead is Lightning Ridge Trailhead, 0 miles from the line. The record does not say which end is the usual start.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the Railroad Grade Trail in a wilderness area?

No. The trail line does not cross any polygon in the National Wilderness Preservation System layer.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Where can I camp near the Railroad Grade Trail?

Gabaldon Horse Camp (0.2 mi), Winn (0.8 mi) and Cutthroat (1.1 mi) are within five miles of the trail. Site counts and booking links are on Campsite Atlas.

Source: Campsite Atlas

How developed is the Railroad Grade Trail?

Trail class 4, which the Forest Service describes as highly developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

How steep and how wide is the Railroad Grade Trail?

The typical grade is 12-20 percent. The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the Railroad Grade Trail accessible?

No. The Forest Service evaluated it and found it does not meet its accessibility guidelines.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the Railroad Grade Trail?

Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, Forest Service unit 0301. The trail is in Arizona.

Source: Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests official page

Source

This page is built from 1 segment named RAILROAD GRADE in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0301. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed September 17, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.