Are there any ghost towns worth exploring? I only have a stock Jeep Wrangler and would prefer to not break an axle or get AZ pin striping, but I don't mind hiking a ways either. Last weekend the spousal unit and I went exploring up on Mingus mtn. and found the hang gliding pad and other great scenery. I need to get out of the house and do something this weekend or I am going to go more crazier.

There are some "ruins" out in the Florence area. The Coke Ovens are easily accessed

if you hike to them from Cochran. The Martinez Cabin and the Ajax Mine ruins are in the area as well.

Cochran used to be a town with a train station and Post Office but nothing left but

concrete pads last time I was there.

Coke Ovens

There are.. there are also lots of old mines and cabins you can drive to as well.. like stated above..  Some, all you will find is a foundation or foundations though.

If you want to drive out south of Tucson there is a very well preserved ghost town called Ruby and another called Oro Blanco... it’s very close to the border.. in the general area there is also a mine called the anaconda where they filmed that old but very good western called Hombre.

Off of 17 north like you are going to Prescott there is a semi ghost town called crown king and another called bumblebee

I agree, the Cochran bee hive coke ovens are worth the drive to see

Two guns between Flagstaff and Winslow is a fun day trip. You can go down into the Apache Death cave, just watch your step and take a few headlamps. It's an abandoned KOA and Zoo so its interesting to say the least.

Also google Ruby Az Ghost Town. They claim it's the most well preserved ghost town in the country, partly because it's so remote. It's only 4 or 5 miles from the Mexico border, you get there by way of Tucson, but be prepared for a 2 hour dirt road drive to reach it. Its well worth the drive if you plan to camp near by, but may be extreme for a day trip.

My wife and I went to Swansea out of Parker/Bouse last weekend, (Cherokee Trailhawk) 45 miles on dirt, and completely alone, totally worth it( https://www.blm.gov/visit/search-details/274876/1 ). Also did the Harquahala Mtn road, Salome Rd and the 10,  I ran out of talent  near the top, but real fun ( https://azoffroading.com/arizona-trails/harquahala-mountain/ ) We also a few weeks ago ran out Alamo Rd to Chicken Springs to the 93 at Wikieup, if you are in Phoenix you can do it backwards...Might be too far out West for a day trip depending.

https://www.ghosttowns.com/states/az/az.html

If you're up near Kingman, there is the Gold King Mansion. Check out this link
https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/arizona/az-abandoned-mansion/

Imagine camping out there with the kids.

Fort Bowie is pretty great

little hike and some easy short dirt roads

I don't have any pictures that cover the site but it's impressive

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These are not really ghost towns, but fun, interesting trails in your neighborhood.  Both of these trails outside of Sedona

The Outlaw Trail is easy, fun, scenic, and stopping at the Honanki Ruins is worth it.

Oak Creek Homestead is another fun and scenic trail.  Funtreks has it rated as difficult, but my stock 4Runner made with no issues.  At the end of the trail near Oak Creek are ruins of an old stone cabin.  

If you ever make to Cochise county there are China Camp, Abril mine, Council Rocks, Gleeson (easy drive), Sunnyside, Fairbank (easy drive), Presidio Santa Cruz de Terrenate, Charleston (easy drive).

Oh crap, that's like 30 miles from me. I will have to check that out. Thanks.

Hope you didn’t own a red Jeep and a butt load of kids.

STRANDED MOTORISTS: MOSS WASH, HUALAPAI MOUNTAINS

Monday (5/18) afternoon, the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue received a call from a party who had been four-wheeling to the Gold King Mansion off the Moss Mine Wash in their UTV. They had come across a party of eight (32-year-old male, 26-year-old female, two 10-year-old kids, one 7-year-old kid, two 5-year-old kids, and one 4-year-old kid) that had been stranded since sometime on Sunday (5/17) and spent the night in their vehicle. They had water, but were given snacks from the four-wheelers. As the four-wheelers traveled down the wash, they were able to put in a call for help once they had cell service. Search and rescue was activated and a four-wheel team went in and brought them back to the Command Post. Search and Rescue wants to remind everyone to know the limitations or capabilities of your vehicle, pack plenty of supplies and to not travel alone. Great job by everyone involved!

I'm sorry, but 8 in that jeep?

Not me the OP. Holy crap that is a lot of kids in a small jeep, if they wer eolder they could have all pushed it out.

Facebook posts indicate the operator high centered it at night due to his inability to spot a safe approach. I see signs of very little attempt at recovering the vehicle himself?  No other damage was mentioned. I’d be jacking that bitch up and getting rocks under the wheels to avoid the choir of whining women that was no doubt going on.

It sounds like the start of a crappy horror movie. Hipster couple with a mountain of kids break down while camping. Tragedy strikes and the family truckster becomes stuck. The family takes refuge in an old abandoned mansion for shelter...

Jeep Division of Fiat-Chrysler has dumbed down most of their models.  Any more, they produce only one traditional 4x4, and that's the Wrangler.  The remainder seem to be variations of street-oriented passenger SUVs.  Some of them are based on the Fiat 500 chassis.  They use a transverse mounted engine and not all of them are set up with four wheel drive, meaning that they are front wheel drive only.  But the name plate still says "Jeep."  Even if the transverse engine setup is equipped with four wheel drive, or sometimes all wheel drive, it's a weird setup.  (Just because there are a zillion of them on the road made by Jeep, Chrysler, GM, Ford and so on does not make the setup any less weird.  They seem OK for good roads.)  

There's the equivalent of a Power Take-Off (PTO) that comes off the front wheel drive transaxle.  That PTO serves the purpose of a transfer case and runs a light duty drive shaft to the rear axle.  Apart from using a lot of moving parts, the weird setup works OK.  But it seems to be used on light duty vehicles with low ground clearance, like the red one that got stuck.

Where did they put the ten people in that tiny vehicle?  

I'm a traditionalist.  I have owned a full-size Jeep Cherokee with a 4 speed transmission that had a compound low first gear.  I also owned a full-size Wagoneer that had an automatic transmission and low range transfer case.  Both used conventional 4x4 systems.  On the job, I've driven a large variety from CJ-7s to a Dodge diesel 3500 4x4 dually with a six speed.  My Cherokee was a good rock crawler.  It's hard to tell from the picture, but I would have driven across that crossing very carefully and possibly asked the passengers to walk, just to be safe.

LOL  not me. Theres a whole lot of WTF there. 8 people? Not enough food?

I was always taught to not put myself in a situation that I am not equipped nor prepared to get out of by myself.

Late to the party...

Swansea is NE of Bouse and is a great site to visit....ruins of the powerplant and lota of remnants of buildings..

Cleator on the way up to Crown King has a lot of ruins.  Trail takes off of there and within 1/4 mile is a mill site...

Reymert Smelter is north of Mineral Mountain near Florence Junction with the ruins of a blast furnace.  Lots of footings as well...

Ghost town of Mineral Park is along the road by the opwn pit mine of the same name., North of Kingman. A few. barely standing cabins are there.

The old jail for Pearce still stands as does some adobe walls of the hotel and other buildings in the area.  Those.are in the foothills of the Dragoon Mountains where Cochise was captured.  SE of Tucson near Gleeson...