ATR - Camp Wood Racing History
Camp Wood is a former U.S. Cavalry post in Arizona's Prescott National Forest, named for Captain Wood, that was an active military camp during the territorial days and served as a hub for a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp, lumber mill, and post office during the 1930s. While the original military post is gone, the area remains a remote location offering dispersed camping and recreational trails, situated within a landscape that also includes the historically significant 7 Up Ranch and surrounding ranches that still operate today.
The off-road racing history of Camp Wood began in the mid-1970s when the Arizona Desert Racing Association started holding an annual event there through the 1980s. As is the case today, that race was considered one of the toughest on the schedule.
In the early 2000s, the Prescott National Forest (PNF) established the Sheridan Mountain Smith Mesa OHV trail system in the Camp Wood area. The Arizona Trail Riders (ATR) began riding the trails, and it soon became a favorite spot for camping and riding. In 2004, ATR thought the location and trail system would make for a great race and started mapping the trails and planning an event. The first ATR/AMRA race at Camp Wood was scheduled for 2005; however, a lawsuit filed against the Forest Service at the last minute resulted in the cancellation of the club's PNF permit. Instead, ATR held an event at MM4 that was nicknamed “Camp Wash” as homage to what should have been.
On April 29th and 30th, 2006, ATR held the first ATR/AMRA race at Camp Wood. This was a completely unknown trail system for the AMRA racers, as nobody had ridden the Sheridan Mountain Smith Mesa trail system at the time due to its remote location. When preregistration closed, 157 AMRA racers had signed up for the event, with the final count reaching around 200. When the dust settled, Steve Hengeveld took the win, and everyone, while smiling, had newfound respect for the area and its now infamous rocky trails. Being a hare scramble format, the PNF found out that meant high speeds on the forest roads. The PNF suggested building chicanes at various points on the roads to slow down the racers. The ATR suggested changing the race to an enduro format to slow things down and using more of the trail system to mitigate trail damage. The PNF was very receptive to ATR’s ideas, and in the end, their response was “Heck yeah!” and the 2007 Sheridan Mountain Showdown Enduro was born.
ATR would like to say “Thank You” to AMRA, PNF, all the AMRA racers, and our Sponsors who have made the trek to Camp Wood over the years. Your support and encouragement in keeping us racing at Camp Wood have kept our enthusiasm high, even during challenging times. We are proud to have our place in the long history of Camp Wood, AZ.
Don Hood
Arizona Trail Riders
