Scenic Driving Arizona: Including the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Sedona, and Saguaro National Park [4 ed.] 1493070541, 9781493070541

Table of contents :
Contents
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1: Kaibab Plateau–North Rim Parkway
2: Grand Canyon South Rim Scenic Drive
3: Navajo-­Hopi Scenic Drive
4: Canyon de Chelly National Monument Scenic Drives
5: Kayenta–Monument Valley Scenic Road
6: San Francisco Peaks Scenic Road
7: Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monuments Scenic Drive
8: Oak Creek Canyon Scenic Drive
9: Perkinsville Road Scenic Drive
10: Petrified Forest National Park Scenic Drive
11: Coronado Trail Scenic Byway
12: White Mountains Scenic Road
13: Mogollon Rim Road Scenic Drive
14: Salt River Canyon Scenic Drive
15: Swift Trail Parkway
16: Apache Trail Scenic Byway
17: Pinal Pioneer Parkway
18: Sky Island Scenic Byway
19: Gates Pass–Saguaro National Park Scenic Drive
20: Willcox to Chiricahua Scenic Drive
21: Patagonia-­Sonoita Scenic Road
22: Historic Route 66 Back Country Byway
23: Hualapai Mountain Road Scenic Drive
24: Lake Havasu Scenic Drive
25: Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Scenic Drives
Index

Citation preview

Scenic Driving Series

FOURTH ED ITION

SCENIC DRIVING

ARIZONA Including the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Sedona, and Saguaro National Park

S T E WA R T M . G R E E N

Essex, Connecticut

An imprint of Globe Pequot, the trade division of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Blvd., Ste. 200 Lanham, MD 20706 www​.rowman​.com Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK Copyright © 2023 by the Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. Photography by Stewart M. Green, unless otherwise noted All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information available Library of Congress Cataloging-­in-­Publication Data Names: Green, Stewart M., author. Title: Scenic driving Arizona : including the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Sedona, and Saguaro National Park / Stewart M. Green. Description: Fourth edition. | Essex, Connecticut : Globe Pequot, [2023] | Series: Scenic Driving | Includes index. Identifiers: LCCN 2023004948 (print) | LCCN 2023004949 (ebook) | ISBN 9781493070541 (paperback) | ISBN 9781493070558 (epub) Subjects: LCSH: Automobile travel—Arizona—Guidebooks. | Arizona—Guidebooks. | LCGFT: Guidebooks. Classification: LCC F809.3 .G737 2023 (print) | LCC F809.3 (ebook) | DDC 917.910454—dc23/ eng/20230216 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023004948 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023004949 The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/ NISO Z39.48-1992.

Contents

Map Legend  vi About the Author  vii Acknowledgments viii Introduction ix

The Scenic Drives 1 Kaibab Plateau–North Rim Parkway: Jacob Lake to Grand Canyon North Rim  1 2 Grand Canyon South Rim Scenic Drive: Cameron to Grand Canyon Village  9 3 Navajo-­Hopi Scenic Drive: Window Rock to Tuba City  17 4 Canyon de Chelly National Monument Scenic Drives: South Rim and North Rim Drives  29 5 Kayenta–Monument Valley Scenic Road: Kayenta to Monument Valley  41 6 San Francisco Peaks Scenic Road: Flagstaff to Valle  51 7 Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monuments Scenic Drive: Sunset Crater–Wupatki Loop Road  61 8 Oak Creek Canyon Scenic Drive: Flagstaff to Sedona  71 9 Perkinsville Road Scenic Drive: Williams to Jerome  80 10 Petrified Forest National Park Scenic Drive: Painted Desert to Rainbow Forest  89 11 Coronado Trail Scenic Byway: Springerville to Morenci  100 12 White Mountains Scenic Road: Springerville to Hondah  112 13 Mogollon Rim Road Scenic Drive: Forest Road 300  120 14 Salt River Canyon Scenic Drive: Globe to Show Low  129

15 Swift Trail Parkway: Swift Trail to Riggs Flat Lake  139 16 Apache Trail Scenic Byway: Apache Junction to Roosevelt Dam  148 17 Pinal Pioneer Parkway: Oracle Junction to Florence  160 18 Sky Island Scenic Byway: Mount Lemmon Highway to Mount Lemmon Ski Valley  169 19 Gates Pass–Saguaro National Park Scenic Drive: Tucson Mountain Park to Saguaro National Park  181 20 Willcox to Chiricahua Scenic Drive: Willcox to Chiricahua National Monument  190 21 Patagonia-­Sonoita Scenic Road: Interstate 10 to Nogales  200 22 Historic Route 66 Back Country Byway: Kingman to Golden Shores  211 23 Hualapai Mountain Road Scenic Drive: Kingman to Hualapai Mountain Park  221 24 Lake Havasu Scenic Drive: Parker to Interstate 40  229 25 Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Scenic Drives: Puerto Blanco and Ajo Mountain Drives  238 Index 251

iv   C O NTE NTS

NEVADA

COLORADO

Overview

U TA H

5 15

1

191

Kayenta 67

160

89

Chinle

4

2 3

93

Kingman

40

8

C A L I F O R NI A

9

Lake Havasu City

93

191 40

Flagstaff

23

22

7

6

77

13

ALT

89

10

Holbrook

87

260

Show Low 17

95

12

14 191 87

10

88

95

Phoenix

60 16

Globe

17

8

Yuma

11

60

24

Safford

79

85

15 18

25

Tucson

19

NE W ME X I C O

64

191

Willcox 10

20

19 21

MEXICO Gulf of California 0 0

5

100 Kilometers 5

100 Miles

Map Legend Interstate Highway/ Featured Interstate Highway

15

/

15

US Highway/ Featured US Highway

89

/

89

State Highway/ Featured State Highway

67

/

67

Paved State/County Route/ Featured Paved State/County Route

109

/

109

Trail Bridge

Point of Interest

Campground

Route Number

Crater

Small State Park, Wilderness or Natural Area

Falls

Ski Area

Lodge

Spring

Museum Pass

) (

Visitor, Interpretive Center

Picnic Area

Mountain, Peak, or Butte River, Creek, or Drainage Intermittent Stream Lake or Reservoir State Line International Border National Park/Monument National Forest Wilderness Area Indian Reservation Mountain Park/Refuge/Primitive Area

Deseret Peak 11,031 ft.

1

About the Author

Writer and photographer Stewart M. Green travels the world working on projects for Globe Pequot, Falcon Guides, Every Adventure Publishing, and other publications. Stewart has written and photographed many books for Falcon Guides and Globe Pequot, including Rock Climbing Colorado, Rock Climbing Utah, Rock Climbing New England, Scenic Driving California’s Pacific Coast, Scenic Driving Arizona, Rock Climbing Europe, Best Climbs Moab, Hiking Waterfalls Colorado, Rock Art: The Meanings and Myths Behind Ancient Ruins in the Southwest and Beyond, Climbing Pikes Peak: A Hiker’s Guide to the Peak, and Scenic Driving New England. He has over 45 years of experience as a photographer and is a leading climbing photographer. His work appears in many catalogs, advertisements, and national publications.

vii

Acknowledgments

This book has its origins in the many trips I took to Arizona as a boy. My family often traveled and camped at the Grand Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, Monument Valley, Hopiland, the vast Navajo Reservation, and Petrified Forest. For that I’m grateful. I still return to Arizona on pilgrimages to explore its amazing landscapes. As a photographer I never tire of its beauty and wonder; as a naturalist I enjoy its diversity; as a traveler I rejoice in its soul. Aldo Leopold, in A Sand County Almanac, noted that recreational development is “not a job of building roads into lovely country, but of building receptivity into the . . . human mind.” Scenic Driving Arizona helps build that receptivity by interpreting and sensitizing travelers to Arizona’s geography, natural history, geology, and history. Thanks to Globe Pequot for producing this stunning new edition of Scenic Driving Arizona, which was originally published as Arizona Scenic Drives in 1992. Many thanks to acquisitions editor Greta Schmitz, production editor Jehanne ­Schweitzer, and the rest of Globe Pequot’s staff for editing and producing this book. I appreciate the time and expertise of various National Park, National Forest, and Bureau of Land Management rangers and employees in reviewing parts of the manuscript. Many thanks to my good friend Jim Waugh and his wife White, now of Prescott, for his broad knowledge of Arizona places and for being a great hiking and climbing partner. Many thanks to Martha Morris for love, support, and driving Arizona highways with me over the years. Lastly, muchas gracias to my children Ian and Aubrey. You’re the best!

viii

Introduction

A

rizona. There’s magic in that word. It conjures up images: ancient Native American cities huddled on the edge of red rock mesas; deep canyons filled with immense silences; sandstone ramparts suffused with the rising sun’s golden glow; armies of strange, candelabra-­shaped cacti that march across stony bajadas. It’s a powerful landscape—one with an ethereal, timeless beauty, one that gets inside you and won’t let go. Arizona, then, begins with the land. It dominates the state, dictating where its cities are built, its rivers flow, and its highways run. It is a land of extreme contrasts and diversity: sere desert plains and lush spring-­fed gardens, lofty snowcapped peaks and gorges chiseled by flash floods, windswept sand dunes and grassy prairies dotted with grazing cattle. Arizona, with 113,510 square miles, is divided by geographers into two main physiographic regions—the Colorado Plateau and the Basin and Range Province. The Mogollon Rim, a third transition zone between those two regions, is often considered a separate geographic province. The Colorado Plateau, encompassing the upper two-­fifths of the state, is a rugged land of sweeping sagebrush plains, towering cliffs, and deep canyons. Barebones sandstone, rubbed raw by swirling winds and quick thunderstorm runoff, characterizes the plateau. Much of Arizona’s grandest scenery, including the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and Canyon de Chelly, is sculpted from the plateau’s colorful sandstone stratum. Each sandstone formation—Kaibab, Coconino, Moenkopi, Chinle, Wingate, Kayenta, Navajo, De Chelly, and others—tells a different story, its mute layers testimony to the earth’s ceaseless changes. Here hides evidence of emerald tides washing on ancient beaches, meandering rivers that uncoiled across forested deltas, vast dune fields shaped by prehistoric winds, and long-­extinct life that dominated lost worlds. Volcanic peaks, like the San Francisco Peaks, dot the plateau. The Basin and Range Province, spreading across southern and western Arizona, is just that—a region of broad basins flanked by ragged mountain ranges that tower above the desert like sky islands. This area, characterized by myriad species of cacti, houses Arizona’s largest cities, rich agricultural lands, and untouched swaths of pristine Sonoran Desert at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, and Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.

ix

The Mogollon Rim divides the Colorado Plateau from the Basin and Range, winding for over 200 miles across the state’s midsection like a twisted spine. The rim is a series of great escarpments and mountain ranges, including the volcanic White Mountains and the gaudy sandstone cliffs at Oak Creek Canyon. The rim also forms a transition zone between the two provinces with plants and animals from each mingling in a biological melting pot.

Arizona Wildlife and Recreation Arizona’s diverse topography harbors equally diverse plant and animal communities. Desert shrub, including saguaro cactus, creosote, sagebrush, and saltbush, covers 40 percent of the state. Conifer forests, including the world’s largest ponderosa pine forest on the Mogollon Rim, coat 10 percent of the state, and piñon pine, juniper, and oak woodlands spread over 25 percent of Arizona. Grasslands make up the remaining 25 percent. A large variety of animals and birds from the Rocky Mountain, Great Basin, and northern Mexican ecological communities live here, including black bear, desert bighorn sheep, rare Sonoran pronghorn, coati, javelina, and mountain lion. The state’s habitats shelter 13 species of rattlesnakes; Gila monsters; tropical birds, including the rare coppery-­tailed trogon and thick-­billed parrot; the 6-foot-­long Colorado squawfish; and the tiny, endangered desert pupfish, a minnow that survives water temperatures in excess of 100 degrees but no longer has any naturally occurring populations in Arizona due to loss of habitat and the introduction of predatory fish. Arizona offers a breathtaking selection of scenic attractions, historic points of interest, awesome scenery, and adventuresome recreation. The state boasts 22 national parklands, including famed Grand Canyon National Park, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Coronado National Memorial, Old Spanish National Historic Trail, and Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Six national forests and 21 Native American reservations, including the almost-9-million-­acre Navajo Nation, spread across Arizona. River rafters thrill to the nation’s premier whitewater on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. Anglers and boaters find watery playgrounds, like Lake Roosevelt and Lake Havasu, scattered across the state. Rock climbers discover vertical challenges on Mount Lemmon’s sunbaked granite and sandstone spires around Sedona. Winter’s snowy backcountry attracts downhill skiers, Nordic skiers, and snowmobilers. Thousands of miles of trails, including the 800-mile Arizona National Scenic Trail, back roads, and highways lace Arizona, many following ancient Native American paths, pioneer wagon roads, and emigration routes.

x    I NTR O D U CTI O N

Driving Arizona’s Scenic Roads Scenic Driving Arizona allows travelers to explore and discover Arizona’s unique spirit of place. More than 1,200 miles of paved and unpaved roads and highways on 25 different scenic drives introduce visitors and residents alike to the diversity and wonder that is Arizona. The scenic drives showcase Arizona’s beauty, sampling its famous wonders and finding its hidden corners. These Arizona highways cross lava flows at Sunset Crater, traverse the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, pass Hopi villages perched on mesa tops, twist along the historic Coronado Trail, explore the cactus gardens and jagged mountains at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, and climb the lofty sky islands of Mount Graham and Mount Lemmon. Travelers find waterfalls, Anasazi petroglyphs, ghost towns, abandoned gold mines, petrified logs, dormant volcanoes, wind-­ ruffled pine forests, and stately stands of saguaro. The 25 scenic drives highlighted here are not by any stretch of the imagination the only scenic drives in Arizona. Almost every stretch of blacktop has some redeeming quality or feature. Some readers may disagree with the selections, feeling an exceptional drive was omitted. And they’re right. Few of these selections are classified as backroads—most are paved two-­lane highways. After you’ve driven these roads, there are others that beckon, leading to secret, off-­the-­beaten-­track places. It’s best you discover them yourself. These adventurous backroads include the Ruby Road, Bradshaw Mountain Road, Peach Springs Canyon Road, the Mount Trumbull Loop Road, El Camino del Diablo, Schnebly Hill Road, and State Route 288 through Pleasant Valley. These roads are rough, unpaved, and may require four-­wheel-­drive vehicles. Be prepared when driving Arizona’s scenic highways. Make sure your vehicle is in good working condition. It’s a good idea to top off the gas tank before setting out. Know your vehicle and its limits. Above all, use common sense. Don’t enter washes with running water. Watch for blind curves, steep grades, narrow roads, and slick gravel surfaces. Pull well off the highway for views and sightseeing. Stay on designated roads. Off-­road driving on fragile desert soils can leave irreparable damage. Summer temperatures in the desert regularly climb above 100 degrees. Carry plenty of water for yourself and your car. Five gallons is not too much. Many of the drives cross public land. Respect private property, livestock fences, and mining claims. Federal laws protect all archaeological and historic antiquities on public land, including Native American ruins, rock art sites, and artifacts; fossilized bone and wood; and historic sites. Put out all campfires. Try to camp at previously used sites—it minimizes impact. And pack out trash. The best roads are those that lead you on, that give you that urge to keep going, to see what is around the next bend. Follow Arizona’s highways, and watch

I NTRODUCTION    xi

the landscape reveal itself in snatches. Mountain ranges rise and recede, canyon depths yawn beyond the guardrail. The spirit lifts as the road rises. Go and immerse yourself in Arizona. It will amaze and astound you. The land will get inside you, and it won’t let go.

xii    I NTR O D U CTI O N

1 Kaibab Plateau–North Rim Parkway Jacob Lake to Grand Canyon North Rim General description: A 44-mile-­long, paved scenic drive that traverses the forested Kaibab Plateau to Bright Angel Point on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Special attractions: Grand Canyon

National Park, Point Imperial, Cape Royal, Bright Angel Point, Kaibab Plateau, Arizona Trail, scenic views, trails, campground, picnic areas, wildlife, interpretive signs and programs, Kaibab National Forest. Location: Northern Arizona. The drive

starts at Jacob Lake on US 89A (GPS: 36.713657, -112.215439) about 30 miles east of Fredonia and 80 miles west of Page. The out-­and-­back drive ends at the North Rim Visitor Center (GPS: 36.198373, -112.052315), Grand Canyon Lodge, and Bright Angel Point Trailhead. Drive route numbers and names: Arizona

Highway 67, Kaibab Plateau–North Rim Parkway. Travel season: Mid-­May through Nov, weather permitting. The North Rim facilities, including lodges and campgrounds, close in late Oct, with the park remaining open for

day use until Dec 1 or when snow closes the road. Camping: The National Park Service’s North Rim Campground (GPS: 36.210312, -112.060494) has 87 sites and is open mid-­May to mid-­Oct. Reservations are mandatory; make reservations at recreation​ .gov. DeMotte Park and Jacob Lake Campgrounds are in Kaibab National Forest north of the park. Both are open mid-­May to mid-­Oct, and half of the sites are on a first-­ come, first-­served basis. Kaibab National Forest allows dispersed camping in the forest. Stop at Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center in Jacob Lake for info and regulations. Services: North Rim services include show-

ers, laundry, groceries, gas, lodging, and restaurants. Limited services, including lodging, dining, and gas, in Jacob Lake. Nearby attractions: Marble Canyon, Lake Powell, Antelope Canyon, Lees Ferry, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, Pipe Spring National Monument, Zion National Park, Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park (Utah), Arizona Strip.

The Drive Arizona Highway 67 traverses south from Jacob Lake across the high, lonely Kaibab Plateau, traveling through stately ponderosa pine forests, past groves of quaking aspen, and over wide grassy meadows splotched with summer wildflowers. John Wesley Powell, floating with a company of men down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon in 1869, wrote that the Kaibab Plateau “is covered with a beautiful forest, and in the forest charming parks are found. . . . In winter deep snows lie here, but the plateau has four months of the sweetest summer man

1

Kaibab Plateau–North Rim Parkway Jacob Lake Campground

ARI Z O NA 89A

Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center

HO

Jacob Lake

USE VA L R O C K L EY

KAI B L AT AB P ON

E AU

67

M

AR

BL

E

CA

NY

KAIBAB NATIONAL FOREST

422

Demotte Park

NAVAJO NATION

KAIBAB PLATEAU Point Imperial 8,803 ft. Cape Royal Road

Point Sublime

Vista Encantado

North Rim Campground Bright Angel Point 8,255 ft.

Walhalla Plateau

Roosevelt Point

EL

CA

NY

ON

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK

HT

AN

G

Walhalla Overlook

IG BR

0 0

5

Woton’s Throne 7,633 ft.

Co lor ad o

10 Kilometers 5

Mount Hayden 8,382 ft.

10 Miles

Ri ve r

Cape Royal 7,865 ft.

Vishnu Temple 7,529 ft.

Jupiter Temple

Hikers at a viewpoint below the Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.

has ever known.” This pleasant, paved, 44-mile-­long drive, designated a National Scenic Byway in 1998, ends at Grand Canyon Lodge near Bright Angel Point on the brink of the North Rim at Grand Canyon National Park. The spectacular view south from 8,161-foot Bright Angel Point is one of the best in the park. The highway opens by mid-­May after winter’s last snow has melted away. The lodges and campground in the park close by the end of October, although the road remains open for day use until the end of November or when snowstorms close it. With elevations ranging between 8,000 and 9,000 feet, expect cool temperatures on the Kaibab Plateau and canyon rim. Daily high temperatures fluctuate between the 40s and 70s, and frosty temperatures chill the night, even in summer. Watch for thunderstorms filled with monsoon moisture on July and August afternoons. Winters are cold and severe. Intrepid visitors venturing in on Nordic skis or snowmobiles should prepare for subfreezing temperatures and frequent snowstorms. The long distance from Jacob Lake, coupled with snowfall that regularly exceeds 25 feet, makes plowing the highway prohibitively expensive and impractical.

Jacob Lake The scenic drive begins in Jacob Lake at the junction of US 89A and AZ 67. Jacob Hamblin, a Mormon explorer, lent his name to shallow Jacob Lake. During the

KAI BAB PLATEAU–NORTH R I M PAR KWAY    3

1850s through the 1870s, he poked around northern Arizona, looking for town sites for prospective Mormon settlements. Hamblin, also a missionary among the Hopi and Diné, negotiated several treaties with local Native Americans. Jacob Lake, at 7,900 feet, is a junction stopover that offers gas, groceries, lodging, and a restaurant at the Jacob Lake Inn. Next door to the inn is the Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center, a must-­stop for info on camping, hiking, and exploring in the surrounding 1.6-million-­acre Kaibab National Forest, which includes part of the largest contiguous ponderosa pine forest in the United States. Nearby is Jacob Lake Campground, a 51-site national forest campground. The family-­friendly, mile-­long Kai-­vav-­vi Natural Trail (#34), beginning in the campground, explores the ponderosa pine woodland with interpretive signs about plants, trees, wildlife, and forest ecology. Kaibab Camper Village, a private RV campground, is a quarter mile south of Jacob Lake on FR 461. Head south on the highway from Jacob Lake through a winding asphalt corridor that slices across a dense forest of tall ponderosa pines. Occasional groves of white-­barked quaking aspen and grassy pocket meadows border the highway. The drive, called the Kaibab Plateau–North Rim Parkway, is also an Arizona State Scenic Byway. Paralleling much of the highway is the Kaibab Plateau Trail, a segment of the Arizona National Scenic Trail, an 800-mile footpath that follows Arizona’s mountainous spine from Mexico to the Utah border. The road also follows a five-­day stagecoach route that early Grand Canyon visitors took to the North Rim.

The Kaibab Plateau The Kaibab Plateau, a great uplifted monocline called Kaibab, or “mountain lying down,” by the Piute tribe, is capped by the gray-­white Kaibab limestone along the rim of the Grand Canyon. The limestone, full of tiny marine fossils, was deposited 270 million years ago in a warm, shallow sea along the west coast of Pangea, a supercontinent made up of today’s continents. Few streams or lakes appear atop the Kaibab Plateau because of poor surface drainage. Most water percolates underground and then flows through passageways before bursting forth as giant springs, like Thunder River and Roaring Springs below the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The canyon’s North Rim rises 1,000 feet higher than the Coconino Plateau and the South Rim. The North Rim, less than 10 miles from its southern counterpart, embraces different ecosystems and plant communities in its Canadian life zone. The North Rim receives 28 inches of precipitation annually, twice the amount deposited on the South Rim. Two distinct coniferous forests—the ponderosa pine near Jacob Lake and the higher Engelmann spruce, white fir, and Douglas

4   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

Grassy Lake sits beside the scenic drive on the North Rim.

fir forest farther south—characterize the wooded landscape along the scenic drive as it traverses the plateau. However, not all of the forest along the drive is green and serene. The Warm Fire, sparked by lightning on June 8, 2006, torched much of the forest along the drive, including old-­growth, 800-year-­old trees. The blaze, lightly managed by the US Forest Service to lessen the forest’s fuel load, burned about 19,000 acres in two and a half weeks before gusty winds blew the wildfire into a raging inferno that eventually decimated almost 59,000 acres of forest that is changed for centuries. The fire jumped the highway, closing the only paved road to the North Rim and trapping hundreds of park visitors and staff. Firefighters led caravans of vehicles on backroads to escape the fire’s fury. Wildfire wasn’t done with altering the plateau’s forest. The Mangum Fire, starting on June 8, 2020, burned 71,450 acres. Its ignition source is unknown but thought to be human caused. After the Warm Fire, the forest began the process of regeneration with aspen groves, native plants, and wildflowers colonizing the land among toppled burned trees. The plateau still teems with a diversity of plant and animal life. Wildflowers—goldenrod, sunflower, aster, columbine, and Kaibab paintbrush—carpet roadside meadows in summer. Autumn brings the flutter of aspen leaves falling to the ground like freshly minted gold coins. Animals, including more than 50 mammal species and 90 bird species, inhabit the forest. DeMotte Park, just before the park boundary, and other grassy areas are good places to spot mule

KAI BAB PLATEAU–NORTH R I M PAR KWAY    5

deer, Merriam’s turkey, blue grouse, occasional mountain lions, and the Kaibab squirrel. The Kaibab squirrel is the plateau’s most famous resident. It is closely related to the Abert squirrel on the South Rim; in fact, they were once the same species. Over time, the deep abyss of the Grand Canyon separated the two species, both of which rely on the ponderosa pine as a year-­round food source. The squirrels, trapped in their respective forests on opposite rims, evolved into different species with different characteristics. The Kaibab squirrel lives only on the Kaibab Plateau and nearby Mount Trumbull. A walk in the woods along the drive usually yields a squirrel sighting. Look for a large, handsome squirrel with a dark body and magnificent white tail. DeMotte Park, a large meadow rimmed by forest, lies 25 miles south of Jacob Lake. A Forest Service campground is west of the highway. A roadside stop also offers the Kaibab Lodge and restaurant, a gas station, tire repair, groceries, and an ATM. Forest Road 422 heads west from here, leading to branch dirt roads that dead-­end at several remote, spectacular Grand Canyon overlooks, including Fire Point, Timp Point, Parissawampitts Point, and Crazy Jug Point. Forest Roads 610 and 611 head east from the drive south of DeMotte Park, leading to airy viewpoints that overlook Marble Canyon and the Vermillion Cliffs. Check at the national forest info station in Jacob Lake for road conditions. Four-­ wheel-­drive vehicles with a tow strap are necessary. The roads are impassable after heavy rain.

The North Rim From DeMotte Park, the drive continues south for 5.4 miles to the North Entrance Station for Grand Canyon National Park (GPS: 36.334840, -112.116467). The highway heads across Upper Little Park, a long meadow flanked by tall spruce and fir trees, and then winds down shallow Thompson Canyon, passing lush forests and humpbacked ridges. The road makes an abrupt bowknot bend, passes the North Rim Campground, and ends at a parking lot by the North Rim Visitor Center and the historic Grand Canyon Lodge on a narrow peninsula that juts south to the canyon’s rim. Before heading out to explore the rimrock views, stop at the center to get acquainted with the Grand Canyon’s lengthy geologic story, its diverse wildlife, and fascinating human history. Afterwards, start at a log shelter by the visitor center parking lot and take a short, 0.5-mile walk on a paved trail that leads south across a narrow ridge separating two canyons, The Transept to the west and Roaring Springs Canyon on the Cliffs frame a Grand Canyon view from the trail to Bright Angel Point on the North Rim. 6   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

east, to 8,148-foot Bright Angel Point (GPS: 36.193500, -112.048657). This airy overlook is a fitting end to a great Arizona road trip. It is a mild shock to step from the serene, shadowy forest to the brink of the arid, dazzling Grand Canyon. Sharp cliffs stairstep down from the rim, ending in boulder-­choked canyons and rounded platforms, before more cliffs drop away to the hidden Colorado River. Buttes, spires, buttresses, amphitheaters, temples, mesas, and gargoyles—all painted in a stone rainbow of color—fill the abyss. Blocky Brahma Temple and pointed Zoroaster Temple soar dramatically above deep Bright Angel Canyon beyond the overlook. Ten miles across the void stretches the South Rim and the Coconino Plateau, and beyond tower the sacred San Francisco Peaks, the eroded remnants of a mighty stratovolcano. Facilities and services on the North Rim, besides camping, include lodging, dining, tours, interpretive talks and hikes, showers, trail rides, a general store, laundromat, and gasoline. The dirt roads that lead to remote overlooks make good mountain bike adventures. Many excellent hiking trails, including the 10-mile Widforss Trail, thread along the canyon rim. The 14-mile-­long North Kaibab Trail drops 5,850 feet down to the Colorado River below Phantom Ranch and then climbs 4,860 feet up the Bright Angel Trail to the South Rim for a rugged 21-mile wilderness trek. To drive to the South Rim from the North Rim requires a 220-mile highway journey. For more canyon views, take an excellent side trip east on the Cape Royal Road (GPS: 36.228289, -112.059331) from north of Bright Angel Point and drive 8 miles to 8,803-foot Point Imperial (GPS: 36.278967, -111.977661), the highest point on either rim, for views of rocky Mount Hayden poised above the upper Grand Canyon. Then continue south for 20 miles—passing Vista Encantada, Roosevelt Point (GPS: 36.217904, -111.952409), and Walhalla Overlook (GPS: 36.132415, -111.941745)—to 7,865-foot Cape Royal (parking lot GPS: 36.122252, -111.949459) and scenic views of the eastern Grand Canyon. The paved, level Cape Royal Trail offers an easy 0.8-mile hike to an overlook with gorgeous views across the canyon to Desert View on the South Rim.

8   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

2 Grand Canyon South Rim Scenic Drive Cameron to Grand Canyon Village General description: A 57-mile-­long paved drive that climbs from Cameron up the eastern flank of the Kaibab Plateau to Grand Canyon National Park. The drive follows the canyon’s South Rim past many overlooks to Grand Canyon Village. Special attractions: Grand Canyon

National Park, Visitor Center, Mather Point, Bright Angel Trail, Yaki Point, Grandview Point, Navajo Point, Desert Tower Watchtower, Little Colorado River Gorge, camping, hiking, scenic views, interpretive programs, Kaibab National Forest. Location: North-­central Arizona. The drive

begins at a roundabout at the junction of US 89 and AZ 64 at Cameron (GPS: 35.855129, -111.425222), 52 miles north of Flagstaff, and ends at Grand Canyon Village on the canyon’s South Rim (visitor center GPS: 36.058329, -112.108326). Drive route numbers and names: Arizona

Highway 64. Travel season: Year-­round. Snows can be heavy along the rim road, but the road is plowed and sanded. Camping: Mather Campground, with 327 sites in seven loops, is at Grand Canyon

Village; 55 sites are tents only. Dec through Feb, Mather Campground operates on a first-­come, first-­served basis. Showers and laundry are at Camper Services at campground entrance. Desert View Campground, 32 miles west of Cameron at the park’s east entrance, has 49 sites. Reservations are necessary Mar through Nov; make reservations at recreation​.gov. The USFS Ten-­X Campground, 2 miles south of Tusayan, is open mid-­May through Sept. Kaibab National Forest allows dispersed camping; campers must be at least 0.25 mile away from AZ 64. Grand Canyon Camper Village, a commercial campground, is 7 miles south of Grand Canyon Village at Tusayan. Services: All services at Grand Canyon

Village and Flagstaff. Gas and groceries at Desert View. Limited services, including gas and lodging, in Cameron. Nearby attractions: Grand Canyon North Rim, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, Navajo Reservation, Hopi Reservation, San Francisco Peaks, Sunset Crater National Monument, Wupatki National Monument, Marble Canyon, Flagstaff attractions.

The Drive Arizona Highway 64, a 57-mile-­long route between Cameron and Grand Canyon Village, parallels the spectacular Little Colorado River Gorge and the awesome South Rim of 1,217,262-acre Grand Canyon National Park. The scenic route traverses one of Arizona’s best landscapes and offers superlative views of peaks, plateaus, and a deep canyon chiseled by the Colorado River. This land casts a special spell on travelers. Under the summer sun, visitors experience a sense of limitless

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Evening light fills the Grand Canyon from the South Rim Scenic Drive.

space on the canyon’s rocky rim. Distant mirages shimmer and dance in the dry heat on the distant Marble Platform to the northeast. Cloud shadows trail across the sweeping edge of the Coconino Plateau. And the Grand Canyon stuns the first-­time viewer into silence. Its buttes, temples, escarpments, cliffs, buttresses, and chasms march across the horizon in varying shades of red. The mile-­deep Grand Canyon surprises and intrigues visitors. Naturalist Joseph Wood Krutch wrote, “At first glance the spectacle seems too strange to be real. Because one has never seen anything like it, because one has nothing to compare it with, it stuns the eye but cannot really hold the attention. . . . For a time, it is too much like a scale model or an optical illusion.” President Teddy Roosevelt called it “the one great sight which every American . . . should see.” Naturalist John Burroughs said the canyon was “the world’s most wonderful spectacle, ever changing, alive with a million moods.” But not all visitors have been so entranced by the canyon’s spectacle. After his 1858 exploration, US Army Lieutenant Joseph Ives deemed the region “altogether worthless. . . . Ours has been the first, and will doubtless be the last, party of whites to visit this profitless locality . . . intended by nature to be forever unvisited and undisturbed.” Besides being a natural wonder of the world, International Dark Sky Park, and World Heritage Site, the Grand Canyon is a place of superlative facts. The national park, which does not include the entire Colorado River Canyon, spreads over 1,904 square miles, larger than Rhode Island’s 1,212 square miles. The

G RAN D CANYON SOUTH R I M SCE N IC DR IVE    11

canyon averages 10 miles wide but ranges in width from 600 feet in Marble Canyon to 18 miles at several spots. The Colorado River dashes 278 miles through Grand Canyon National Park and, with a gradient of 7 feet per mile, averages 300 feet wide and 40 feet deep. The park protects a diversity of wildlife, including 450 bird species, 91 mammal species, 58 reptiles and amphibians, and numerous endangered species like the California condor, humpbacked chub, and desert tortoise. Grand Canyon National Park was the 13th-­most-­visited national parkland in 2021 with 4.5 million visitors and the 4th-­most-­visited national park. The scenic drive is open year-­round. Summer visitors can expect daily highs between 70 and 90 degrees. Nights are cool. Heavy thunderstorms regularly occur in July and August on the South Rim. Autumn brings cool, dry days, with highs between 50 and 70. Winters are usually cold and windy with snowfall along the high rim, while the desert around Cameron receives little snow. The road is plowed and maintained during the winter. Spring offers cool and often windy weather.

Cameron to the Little Colorado River Gorge The drive begins on the Navajo Nation 2 miles south of Cameron on US 89 or 52 miles north of Flagstaff by turning west onto AZ 64 at a roundabout. Cameron, at 4,200 feet, was named for Ralph Cameron, a trail builder and miner in the region and one of Arizona’s first senators. Originally a trading post for the Navajos, Cameron was first called Tanner’s Crossing after Mormon pioneer Seth Tanner. The old Mormon Trail crossed the Little Colorado River north of the town, one of the few safe hardrock passages across the treacherous quicksand riverbed. The road rolls west over the Moenkopi Formation, its chocolate-­colored layers of sandstone, mudstone, and shale broken into shallow canyons and ridges. Deposited during the Lower Triassic epoch in the Mesozoic Era some 240 million years ago, the Moenkopi was a wide mudflat over which a sea advanced and retreated. The formation is well known for dinosaur tracks, with many in the Cameron area left by the four-­legged Chirotherium. These animals, distantly related to crocodiles, made five-­fingered footprints that look like bear or ape tracks in mud. The drive’s first 19 miles crosses open terrain on the Navajo Reservation dotted with occasional hogans nestled among pale rock outcrops, and sheep and goats browsing on sparse grass. After 6 miles, the highway swings under Coconino Point and the spectacular East Kaibab Monocline, an uplift that forms the Coconino Plateau on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and the Kaibab Plateau on the canyon’s North Rim. A The hazy Grand Canyon stretches west from a skeletal tree at Desert View. G RAN D CANYON SOUTH R I M SCE N IC DR IVE    13

monocline is a fold that connects flat-­lying rocks at an upper level with flat-­lying rocks at a lower level. The sharply dipping rock layers here nosedive about 2,000 feet from the Coconino Plateau above to the highway. The route runs northwest under the towering escarpment and reaches the gorge of the Little Colorado River after 9 miles. The Little Colorado, called Tol Chaco, or “red water,” by the Diné, begins high on 11,470-foot Mount Baldy in eastern Arizona’s White Mountains and twists 338 miles to its confluence with the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. The ruddy river, draining over 26,000 square miles, usually runs intermittently or not at all, except after punishing summer thunderstorms or heavy spring runoff. A turn at 9.5 miles leads right on a short road to Little Colorado River Gorge Navajo Tribal Park. At road’s end is a parking lot, stalls with vendors selling souvenirs and jewelry made by Diné artisans, and two overlooks that offer dramatic views of the twisting Little Colorado River Gorge below. Carved over 1,000 feet deep into the flat Marble Platform, the empty chasm falls steeply from Kaibab limestone cliffs that line the canyon rim. Below drop massive walls of Coconino sandstone, and below that runs the thin, braided thread of muddy river water. Stand on the canyon rim and a deafening silence filters up from the depths, a silence born of time and the flowing river. Be cautious on the gorge rim and watch children. A per-­person day-­use fee is charged to visit the park. Past the overlook the road begins climbing the flank of the East Kaibab Monocline to the top of the Coconino Plateau. The Little Colorado Gorge and the tawny Marble Platform spread out beyond the rising highway. After a couple of miles, the road enters a scrubby piñon pine and juniper woodland and Kaibab National Forest. Eight miles later the road enters Grand Canyon National Park, passes the Desert View Entrance Station, and arrives at 7,360-foot Desert View Point, the easternmost overlook on the canyon’s South Rim. Besides stellar canyon views, the point is popular for the historic Desert View Watchtower, a 70-foot stone tower perched on the lip of the Grand Canyon. Built in 1932, the Watchtower, a National Historic Landmark, was designed by architect Mary Colter, who drew inspiration from the Ancestral Puebloan ruins at Mesa Verde and Hovenweep. Services available at Desert View include restrooms, an outdoor visitor center, gas, groceries, a restaurant, a trading post, and a 49-site campground.

Desert View to Grand Canyon Village Desert View forms a good introduction to the Grand Canyon for travelers. The

views are immense and spectacular, some of the best in the national park. The Marble Platform spreads east, fading into the distant Hopi Mesas and Black Mesa,

14   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

Desert View Watchtower overlooks the upper Grand Canyon on the South Rim drive.

and to the northeast towers Shinumo Alter and the rounded dome of Navajo Mountain. Northward the Colorado River runs down precipitous Marble Gorge from Lake Powell, lined with tiers of cliffs towering above the river. Below the rimrock, empty space fills the canyon abyss, a mighty statement to the relentless power of the river. The Grand Canyon, one of the world’s greatest examples of erosion, is an open geologic book that documents almost half of the earth’s history—nearly two billion years—in its horizontal rock pages. In each different rock layer lies evidence of the constantly changing earth—the uplift and erosion of mountain ranges; the land’s inundation by vast seas; great sand dunes spread by gusty winds, volcanoes belching ash and lava flows; and the grand evolution of life itself. Beyond Desert View, the scenic drive follows the 23-mile-­long East Rim Drive, also called Desert View Drive, to Grand Canyon Village in the heart of the national park. The drive passes six major overlooks that offer tremendous views into the canyon. Four picnic areas and five unmarked pullouts that access remote rim views also scatter along the road. The Tanner, Hance, Grandview, and South Kaibab Trails all begin along the drive and descend steeply into the mile-­deep canyon. Head west on the two-­lane road, dipping and weaving through shallow washes and grassy glades, and passing scrubby piñon pine and juniper woodlands and ponderosa pine forests. Tusayan Ruin, an Ancestral Puebloan village occupied

G RAN D CANYON SOUTH R I M SCE N IC DR IVE    15

about 1185 CE, is about 3 miles west of Desert View. A museum by the site displays exhibits on the ancient peoples that lived in the canyon area. Each of the overlooks along the road offers differing views of the canyon, its rock layers, and sandstone architecture. Desert View Point, reached by a 0.25mile trail, leads to a view of the Colorado River making a big sweeping turn to the west. The highest overlook on the South Rim, 7,461-foot Navajo Point (mile marker 264), is just west of the Watchtower. It yields views of the shining Colorado River to the north and northwest across the gorge. Lipan Point (mile marker 263) offers views of Hance Rapid far below and the Unkar Delta, once home to early Ancestral Puebloan people. Moran Point (mile marker 258), named for 19th-­ century landscape painter Thomas Moran, boasts a view of geologic variety with the canyon’s three main rock groups below, including the ancient basement rocks, the Grand Canyon Supergroup, and the upper sedimentary layers dating from the Paleozoic era. Popular Grandview Point (mile marker 251), reached by a short side road, gives panoramic views of the canyon, including the distant North Rim, from a fenced overlook jutting from the rim on a rock peninsula. More overlooks to the west are Duck on a Rock (mile marker 246), Yaki Point, Pipe Creek Vista (mile marker 242), Mather Point near the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, and Yavapai Point by the Geology Museum. The scenic drive ends at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, the park headquarters, and Grand Canyon Village. All visitor services are here, including food, restaurants, showers, park information, lodging, and 327-site Mather Campground. The last overlook before the village is Mather Point. Only one-­fourth of the entire Grand Canyon can be seen here. The popular point is named for Stephen Mather, the first director of the National Park Service in 1916. For more South Rim views and adventures, take the 8-mile West Rim Drive west of the village to Hermits Rest at the road’s end. Because of congestion, the Park Service closes Hermit Road to private vehicles from March 1 through November 30. Take the free Hermit (Red Route) Shuttle Bus along the 7-mile road, stopping at the nine designated overlooks along the route to Hermit Point. The road is open to private vehicles in December, January, and February. Alternatively, ditch the car and shuttle and hike the 7.8-mile Canyon Rim Trail, paralleling the road to Hermits Rest.

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3 Navajo-­Hopi Scenic Drive Window Rock to Tuba City General description: A 154-mile-­long paved highway in northeastern Arizona that traverses the Navajo and Hopi reservations between Window Rock, capital of the Navajo Nation, and Tuba City. Special attractions: Window Rock Tribal

of AZ 264 and US 160 in Tuba City (GPS: 36.119323, -111.229153). Drive route numbers and names: Arizona

Highway 264. Travel season: Year-­round. Summer and

fall are the best times. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer. Winters are cold but generally dry.

Park, Navajo Nation Museum, Kinlichee Navajo Tribal Park, Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site, Hopi Reservation, Walpi, Second Mesa, Hopi Cultural Center, Third Mesa, Coal Mine Canyon, sightseeing, scenic views.

Camping: No campgrounds along the highway. The only camping on the Hopi Reservation is at the Hopi Cultural Center.

Location: Northeastern Arizona. Arizona

Services: All services in Window Rock,

Highway 264 begins at Window Rock near the New Mexico border and runs across the Navajo and Hopi reservations to Tuba City, east of the Grand Canyon. Start the drive at the junction of AZ 264 and Tribal Route 12 in Window Rock (GPS: 35.663449, -109.057028). End the drive at the junction

Ganado, Keams Canyon, Hopi Mesas, and Tuba City. Nearby attractions: Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Petrified Forest National Park, Navajo National Monument, Grand Canyon National Park.

The Drive Arizona Highway 264 stretches 154 miles across both the vast 17,544,500-acre Navajo Nation and the ancient homeland of the Hopi people in northeastern Arizona. This scenic drive traverses an arid, lonely land that unfolds like a giant Diné blanket patterned with rock-­rimmed mesas, wide dusty valleys, painted badlands, and sculptured sandstone buttes. The long landscape is rich in history and prehistory, with ancient villages, sacred mountains, and a historic 19th-­century trading post. The highway crosses the heart of Dinétah, the traditional homeland of the Diné and the West Virginia–sized Navajo Nation that sprawls across parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Navajo land is both beautiful and severe with its rigorous climate and austere landscapes. It is a place that gives a sense of identity and a system of values to its inhabitants—the Diné, the Native people also called the Navajo. The Navajo Nation, larger than 10 US states, is the largest area reserved for Native people in the United States. Designated as the Navajo Indian

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The scenic drive follows AZ 264 over the three Hopi Mesas.

Reservation in an 1868 treaty, the name was changed to the Navajo Nation in 1969. The area became a self-­governing nation in 1972. The Navajo Tribal Council rejected changing the name to Diné, the traditional name meaning “the people.” Most tribal members use both terms interchangeably. The name Navajo derives from the Tewa word navahu’u, which means “farm fields in the valley.” The Spanish called them Apaches de Nabajó, later shortened simply to Navajo. The Navajo Nation government, including the Navajo Nation Council, is in Window Rock at the start of the scenic drive. When the Diné were first created, according to mythology, their land was marked by four sacred mountains in the four directions: Blanca Peak or Tsisnaasjini, the White Shell Mountain to the east in southern Colorado; Mount Taylor or Tsoodzil, the Turquoise or Blue Bead Mountain to the south in New Mexico; San Francisco Mountain or Doko’oosliid, the Yellow Abalone Shell Mountain in the west above Flagstaff; and Hesperus Peak or Dibé Nitsaa, Obsidian Mountain, the holy peak of the north in southwest Colorado. The Diné were semi-­nomadic wanderers, relatives of the Canadian Athapascans and the Apache, who arrived in the Southwest between 1300 and 1500 CE. They learned pottery, agriculture, and weaving from their Puebloan neighbors and later became skilled horsemen and shepherds, with sheep obtained from the Spanish.

NAVAJO -­H OPI SCE N IC DR IVE    19

The scenic drive is open year-­round. Summer and autumn are the best times to drive the highway. Summer days are often hot, with highs reaching 100 degrees, but temperatures are usually more moderate. Expect afternoon thunderstorms, especially in July and August. Autumn brings clear, warm days and chilly nights. Winters are cold and often snowy. Spring days range from cold to warm with wind and occasional snowfalls. The gravel side roads often become muddy and impassable after snow or rain.

Window Rock and Hubbell Trading Post The drive begins west of the New Mexico border in Window Rock, the capital and administrative center of the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Council House, shaped like a giant ceremonial hogan, is the meeting place of elected tribal delegates who govern the reservation. The town, at 6,750 feet high, also boasts the Navajo Zoological Park and the Navajo Nation Museum, which introduces Diné culture and history. Nearby are Tse Bonito and Window Rock tribal parks. Complete services—including gas, shopping, restaurants, lodging, and camping—are in Window Rock. Before heading out on the scenic highway, go north on Tribal Route 12 to a right turn on Window Rock Boulevard. Follow the road and signs northeast past Navajo Nation government buildings, including the offices of the president and vice president and the Navajo Nation Council Chambers, to a large parking lot at Window Rock Navajo Tribal Park and Veteran’s Memorial (GPS: 35.680904, -109.049250). Window Rock, or Tségháhoodzání, meaning “perforated rock” in Navajo, dominates this small park. The circular window, chiseled into tilted Entrada sandstone, is a pothole-­style arch that formed when water slowly eroded a pothole that eventually breached the cliff below. The park also has a veteran’s memorial to honor Navajo soldiers, including the famed Code Talkers in World War II, and a circular path oriented to the four directions and their sacred colors—black, yellow, blue, and white. Head west from Window Rock on AZ 264, climbing the sloping apron of the Defiance Plateau, and after 9 miles reach a 7,750-foot pass atop the ponderosa pine–covered tableland. Heading west the blacktop traverses the dipping western slope of the Defiance Plateau, a 100-mile-­long anticline that parallels the New Mexico border. As the road descends, it enters a thick piñon pine and juniper forest that slowly changes into a broad sagebrush-­coated plateau. After 20.6 miles, turn right and drive north on Tribal Route 9301 for a couple of miles to Kinlichee Ruin, or “Red House,” an Ancestral Puebloan site and Window Rock, located in the town of Window Rock, is the sandstone symbol of the Navajo Nation. 20   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

A traditional hogan at Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site along the Navajo-­ Hopi Scenic Drive.

Navajo tribal park (GPS: 35.750016, -109.420162), and park off the road at a circular pullout. While called a tribal park, the site has no amenities and little signage. Do not confuse the Kinlichee site, derived from the Navajo kin dah lichi’i, with the village of Kinlichee on the north side of Kinlichee Creek. Overlooking the creek to the north, the ruins scatter across a low bluff east of Road 9301 before its junction with Road C423. Explore the site on a rough path, passing small ruins with low walls to a larger, excavated pueblo site protected by a deteriorating shed roof. The pueblo, occupied in the 1000s CE, had at least 75 rooms and two kivas. Almost 20 miles from the Defiance Plateau summit and 29 miles from the drive’s start, the highway enters Ganado, a small town named for Ganado Mucho, or “Many Cattle,” a Navajo chief who befriended trader John Lorenzo Hubbell. Just west of Ganado, among rustling cottonwoods along dry Pueblo Colorado Wash, hides Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site (928-755-3475), Arizona’s most famous trading post, on the south side of the highway (GPS: 35.709401, -109.558355). The trading post, still open for business, offers a glimpse back to the time when this was still raw, unsettled country. The post, established by Hubbell in 1876, did a brisk business with the Navajos, selling calico, yarn, dye, axes, tools, wagons, harnesses, food, and other essentials. Calico cost 10 cents a yard, a pound of coffee was 25 cents, a 100-pound sack of flour cost $5.50, and a Stetson hat was a mere $4.50. The post was built in a

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hacienda style, forming a large square, with stables, a barn, corrals, warehouses, an office, the store, and a guest hogan for visiting Navajos. Hubbell, one of the first traders to see the commercial possibilities of Navajo art, encouraged local silversmiths and weavers to trade their work. The site, operated by the National Park Service, has a visitor center and gift shop and offers tours of the trading post and Hubbell House. Weavers and silversmiths often demonstrate their craft in the visitor center. Hours for the park, open year-­round, are 8:30 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. from mid-­May to mid-­October, with the gate closing promptly at closing time. Call ahead for winter hours.

Beautiful Valley to Keams Canyon West of Ganado the highway enters the southern edge of Beautiful Valley, a broad valley shaped by Chinle Wash between high mesas. After 34 miles, the drive intersects US 191, which runs north to Canyon de Chelly and the Utah border, at a large roundabout. Keep straight and continue west along the southern fringe of Beautiful Valley. Look north for expansive views of the wooded Chuska Mountains and Black Mesa. After a few miles, the highway crosses high sagebrush-­ covered mesas before dropping into scenic Steamboat Canyon. Sandstone cliffs line the canyon walls above grazing cattle and horses and octagonal hogans. Steamboat Rock lies midway through the canyon, the prow of a sandstone ship in a sea of sage beside the highway (GPS: 35.754393, -109.837494). Beyond Steamboat Canyon, the highway dips across Steamboat Wash. Look north to White Rock and Eagle Rock, twin buttes rising above the wide canyon floor. The drive continues west, rolling over mesa tops and crossing broad valleys to boulder-­choked canyons. After 72 miles the road drops sharply into Keams Canyon (GPS: 35.812591, -110.201442), a cliff-­lined box canyon that drains northwest. The town and canyon were named for trader Thomas Keam, who established a trading post here in 1872. The town, lying at 6,185 feet, is one of the easternmost Hopi settlements. The abandoned ruins of Awat’ovi lie almost 8 miles south of Keams Canyon on the southwestern edge of Antelope Mesa above dry Jeddito Wash. A large pueblo, covering 23 acres, was built in the early 1300s and became a leading Hopi village that was occupied until its complete destruction in late 1700. Spanish Franciscan padres first built a mission, San Bernardo de Aguatubi, over a kiva, an underground ceremonial structure, at Awat’ovi in 1629 to convert the Hopi to Christianity. Fearful that the new religion would damage their culture and beliefs, the Hopi destroyed the church and murdered its friars during the Pueblo Revolt in 1680. The mission was reestablished but again destroyed in 1700.

NAVAJO -­H OPI SCE N IC DR IVE    23

Simmering conflict between Hopi traditionalists and new Christian converts at Awat’ovi led to reprisals from other Hopi villages. An army of warriors marched on the pueblo, reaching it in the early morning when the village men were in the kivas preparing for a ritual. The warriors pulled up the ladders, trapping the men, and threw burning bundles into the kivas, killing everyone inside them. Next the attackers slaughtered more people at the church, leaving bodies scattered on the ground, including skulls shattered by stone weapons. The remaining women and children were marched off, but a disagreement about what to do with the captives led to another massacre at a site called Skeleton Mound. The few remaining captives were dispersed among the other Hopi villages. The Awat’ovi massacre, one of the largest in Southwestern history, is difficult to explain and paradoxical. The reasons why it occurred are lost to time and will never be fully known. The Awat’ovi Ruins, a National Historic Landmark, is closed to visitation by the public. The drive heads west on AZ 264 from Keams Canyon down a widening canyon rimmed by broken cliff bands. After a few miles, the highway crosses Keams Canyon Wash and reaches the southeastern side of long, skinny First Mesa. The Hopi villages spread across three lofty mesas that reach southwest from Black Mesa to the north. The ancient towns, perched on the edge of these mesa citadels, have been inhabited for centuries by the Hopi. The village of Old Oraibi, continuously occupied since 1100, is the oldest inhabited town in America.

The Hopi Tribe and Hopi Cultural Center The Hopi, never conquered by Spanish or Anglo cultures, are a proud, traditional people descended from the Ancestral Puebloans that flourished in the Southwest for at least 2,000 years. The Hopi Tribe, a self-­governing sovereign nation, spreads across their ancestral homeland on 1,542,306 acres in northeastern Arizona. The Hopi Tribal Council sets tribal policies and enacts laws, but each village has an autonomous government that makes local decisions. Before visiting the Hopi mesas and villages, drive to Second Mesa and stop at the Hopi Cultural Center (928-734-2401 or 928-734-2402) on the north side of AZ 264 (GPS: 35.844006, -110.529230). The center provides information on visiting Hopiland and the villages, helps set up guided tours, and has a hotel, restaurant with traditional Hopi food, and gift shop with art and craftwork, including jewelry and kachinas. The center is normally open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. but is often closed. Call ahead to make sure it is open before stopping. Use respect when visiting the Hopi villages and lands by respecting people’s privacy and by abiding by the rules and restrictions in each village. Photography, drawing, and recording are forbidden in the villages, particularly during religious

24   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

ceremonies. No alcohol is allowed on the Hopi Reservation. It is not served in restaurants or sold in stores, and it is illegal to transport it onto the reservation. Do not enter any home, building, or structure without permission. Follow a Leave No Trace ethic by leaving nothing behind and taking nothing with you. Visiting the mesas and villages is only by guided tours; the Hopi Cultural Center can provide a list of guides. Travel only on main highways. All off-­highway travel by ATV, motorcycle, or 4WD vehicle is prohibited without a Hopi guide. Most ceremonies and dances occur between the winter solstice and when crops are harvested in late summer. During the dances the Hopi summon benevolent spirits, the Kachinas, from their homes in the San Francisco Peaks 75 miles to the west to bring rain for growing crops, prosperity, and harmony. Information on dances, including dates and locations, is available at the Hopi Cultural Center. There is no set calendar for tribal events, so contact the center or the community development office for each village to find out what ceremonies are open to the public.

First Mesa Nine of the 12 Hopi villages sit atop three mesas—First Mesa, Second Mesa, and Third Mesa. An exception is Polacca, below First Mesa on the west side of Polacca Wash and the highway. Walpi on First Mesa is the best village to visit with its old architecture, and it is one of the few villages to offer tours. Call the First Mesa Consolidated Village office (928-737-2670) to set up a guided tour. After 83.5 miles, reach First Mesa by turning into Polacca at a signed turn to Walpi (GPS: 35.837691, -110.377990) and climbing a mile west up a spur road to a parking area atop First Mesa. Three villages—Hano, Sichomovi, and Walpi— straddle the narrow, rock-­rimmed mesa top. Hano and Sichomovi are almost indistinguishable, sitting alongside each other. Hano, however, is not a Hopi village but rather a Tewa settlement transplanted from the Rio Grande region after the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. The Tewa have kept their own language and ceremonies through the ensuing centuries. Walpi, the most picturesque Hopi village, perches on the slender tip of First Mesa almost 600 feet above the dry, windswept washes below. Tiers of sandstone cliffs line the mesa’s edges, and jumbled boulders spill down steep talus slopes. The site offers marvelous views across Hopiland. On a sunny day, the dry land stretches away from Walpi—the sacred San Francisco Peaks pierce the southwest horizon, and to the south tower black volcanic buttes. Approaching Walpi from Sichomovi, the mesa neck narrows to only 15 feet. This traditional village, without running water or electricity, has been inhabited since the late 1600s when the villagers moved to the defensible mesa top as protection against Spanish reprisals

NAVAJO -­H OPI SCE N IC DR IVE    25

after the Pueblo Revolt. Visitors are welcome to browse through Walpi on a tour, but photography, tape and video recording, and sketching are prohibited.

Second Mesa The highway runs southwest across a wide valley to the town of Second Mesa and a junction with AZ 87 (GPS: 35.792752, -110.497166), which runs south to Winslow and I-40, after 92 miles. Second Mesa, the center of Hopi tourism, has two fingers that poke south from the mesa’s northern bulk. Three villages—Shongopavi, Sipaulovi, and Mishongnovi—are on Second Mesa’s fingers. Reach Sipaulovi and Mishongnovi on the mesa top directly north of the junction with AZ 87 on a paved spur road that climbs steeply from AZ 264, passing a sandstone pinnacle called Corn Rock. Shongopavi, the largest Second Mesa village with over 700 residents, is reached by continuing west on AZ 264 for another 5 miles, climbing the east flank of the mesa. Shongopavi, one of the first pueblos established on the mesas, is home to the Hopi Cultural Center. Second Mesa is known for its artisans who create traditional textiles, wicker plaques or flat baskets, and jewelry. The drive heads northwest across the mesa top and then descends the northern flank of Second Mesa and crosses Oraibi Wash, its sandy banks lined with cottonwood, tamarisk, and Russian olive trees. On the west side of the wash at

The Hopi village of Sipaulovi perches on the southern edge of the Second Mesa above the Navajo-­Hopi Scenic Drive. 26   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

102 miles is Kykotsmovi, the headquarters for the Hopi Tribal Council (GPS: 35.876067, -110.607673). The town was founded by Christian converts and Hopis from Oraibi who had cooperated with the US government.

Third Mesa The highway climbs abruptly up the southeastern edge of Third Mesa, passing the small Old Orchard Picnic Ground on the right. Third Mesa, far from the Anglo influence of Keams Canyon, houses the most traditional Hopi. On the flat mesa top at 105 miles, reach a left turn to Old Oraibi (GPS: 35.880872, -110.644374). Old Oraibi clings to the southeastern edge of Third Mesa, its worn cluster of stone houses huddled on the mesa’s rimrock. The village, North America’s oldest continuously inhabited town, dates to the 1100s. That was when the Hopi ancestors still lived in Mesa Verde’s cliff dwellings and farmed the fertile lands around Sunset Crater. Oraibi, at the turn of the 20th century, housed almost 1,000 Hopi. Dissension between traditional and progressive Hopi led to a split, with those wanting to retain the old customs and remain isolated from Anglo culture leaving and establishing Hotevilla and Bacavi, the two other villages on Third Mesa, in 1906 and 1909. Ask at the Hopi Cultural Center on Second Mesa to set up a guided tour of Old Oraibi. Hotevilla, the most traditional and conservative Hopi village, was founded in 1906 after splitting from Oraibi. Village leader Yukiuma, head of the Fire Clan, refused to send children to the new government school at Keams Canyon. The US cavalry arrested Hotevilla’s leaders, forcibly removed the village children, and sent them to school. Oraibi and Hotevilla have maintained the split to the present day. Bacavi, across the highway from Hotevilla, was established in 1909 after several Hotevilla families moved back to Oraibi but left because of smoldering resentment and witchcraft accusations. The three villages on Third Mesa are often closed to visitors. Respect their privacy and traditions. From Old Oraibi, the highway runs north alongside the southwestern edge of the mesa, then bends north passing turnoffs for Hotevilla and Bacavi at mile 108 before dropping down a steep canyon on the western flank of Third Mesa. A pullout allows views of Hotevilla on the mesa rim to the west. Below are terraced gardens irrigated with springwater.

Across the Moenkopi Plateau The drive continues northwest across sandy Dinnebito Wash and then bends west across a flat, dusty plain. After 120 miles, gently ascend south onto Howell Mesa, a wide flatland edged by eroded badlands, and make a wide U-­turn around the head

NAVAJO -­H OPI SCE N IC DR IVE    27

of Ha Ho No Geh Canyon. From here to Tuba City, 30 miles to the northwest, the land is a high, barren steppe, broken by scattered grass, sagebrush clumps, rock outcrops, and scrubby juniper trees. The sky dominates the Moenkopi Plateau, with wispy cirrus clouds high overhead or thunderstorms trailing curtains of rain across distant mesas. This uniform stretch of road has a wonderful feeling of space, timelessness, and freedom. As the highway crosses the Moenkopi Plateau, look for an unmarked turnoff at 159 miles on the right for Coal Mine Mesa (GPS: 36.007932, -111.057186). Drive north on Tribal Route 6751 for 0.4 mile and bear right, passing a windmill, for 0.3 mile to an old picnic area and a dramatic overlook above the south end of Coal Mine Canyon. This gorgeous canyon, hidden from the nearby highway, is a colorful badlands seamed with horizontal bands of black coal, colorful stripes of primary colors—red, yellow, and white—and a maze of hoodoos and pinnacles. Both the Hopi and Diné have long mined the soft bituminous coal found in this land of few trees. Other unmarked roads leave the highway and go to two tributaries of the main canyon to the east of the main branch. Before hiking here, obtain an on-­line backcountry permit from Navajo Parks and Recreation (navajonation​ parks​.org/permits/backcountry-­hiking-­camping). A couple of miles down Coal Mine Canyon is a dramatic white, twin-­ summitted spire called The Ghost, the specter of an Oraibi woman who fell to her death from the cliffs in 1872 and still stalks the canyon on moonlit nights. Hopi legend says that her white, diaphanous figure lingers in a side canyon near the overlook. The scientific explanation is that the ghost is a phosphorescent pinnacle that releases vapors into the night that create the shimmering apparition. The drive continues west across the plateau, then swings north and drops down to Moenkopi, the westernmost Hopi village at mile 153. Moenkopi, meaning “Place of Running Water,” was founded by Chief Tuba, or Tooya, of Oraibi in 1870 so that Third Mesa farmers could irrigate their fields with water from year-­ round springs. The Hopi would often run the 62 miles from Oraibi to Moenkopi to tend their beans, squash, and maize. The village, with green fields and fruit trees, is on the Navajo Nation. The highway and scenic drive end a couple miles later at its junction with US 160 in Tuba City. The town, now an administrative and trading center for local Navajo, was founded in 1878 by Mormon farmers. Tuba City offers amenities for travelers, including gas, lodging, groceries, and restaurants. In October visitors enjoy the Western Navajo Fair with a rodeo, arts and crafts, and dances. From Tuba City, head west on US 160 to the Grand Canyon South Rim Scenic Drive (Drive 2) or east to the Kayenta–Monument Valley Scenic Road (Drive 5).

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4 Canyon de Chelly National Monument Scenic Drives South Rim and North Rim Drives General description: Two Navajo tribal highways, totaling 43 road miles, follow the lofty rimrock of Canyon de Chelly and Canyon del Muerto in Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Special attractions: Canyon de Chelly

National Monument, Tseyi’ Dine’ Heritage Area, Ancestral Puebloan ruins, Tsegi Overlook, Junction Overlook, White House Overlook, Sliding House Overlook, Face Rock Overlook, Spider Rock Overlook, Antelope House Overlook, Mummy Cave Overlook, Massacre Cave Overlook, scenic views, rock art sites. Location: Northeastern Arizona. The

drives begin at the Canyon de Chelly National Monument Welcome Center (GPS: 36.153027, -109.539139) east of US 191 in Chinle. To reach the start, go east from the signed intersection of US 191 and Navajo Route 7 in Chinle (GPS: 36.160388, -109.583109) on Route 7 for 2.7 miles to the welcome center on the right. Continue 360 feet from the center to a Y-­junction with Navajo Route 64/North Rim Drive to the left and Navajo Route 7/ South Rim Drive to the right. The monument welcome center is open daily, except

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Drive route numbers and names: Navajo

Route 64/North Rim Drive, Navajo Route 7/South Rim Drive. Travel season: Year-­round. Spring, summer, and fall are pleasant, with summer highs in the 90s. Winters are cold but usually dry. Camping: Cottonwood Campground, near monument headquarters, is operated by Navajo Parks and Recreation (928674-2106). With about 90 first-­come, first-­served sites, the campground is open year-­round. Avoid leaving valuables in unattended campsites. For a rustic experience, stay at Spider Rock Campground (928781-2016) about 10 miles west of the welcome center on Navajo Route 7. The campground has 30 sites as well as Navajo hogans. Services: All services in Chinle. The Thun-

derbird Lodge is next to the campground. Nearby attractions: Navajo Reservation,

Four Corners Monument, Window Rock, Hopi Reservation, Navajo National Monument, Monument Valley, Shiprock, Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site.

The Drive The Canyon de Chelly rimrock drives follow two Navajo tribal highways along the lofty cliff edges of Canyon del Muerto and Canyon de Chelly in Canyon de Chelly National Monument. The two paved routes, totaling 43 miles, stop at spectacular viewpoints above the canyon, offering vistas of streaked sandstone walls, Ancestral Puebloan ruins, and Navajo hogans and fields in the canyon below. The name

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Chelly is a Spanish corruption of the Navajo word Tsegi or Tséyiʼ, meaning “rock canyon.” Pronounce the words in English as “de SHAY.” Canyon de Chelly National Monument, an 83,840-acre parkland on the Defiance Plateau, is jointly administered by the National Park Service and the Navajo Nation, which owns the land. Travel in the monument is limited to the two rim drives and a short trail to respect the privacy of the Diné still living in the canyons and to protect the fragile ruins. Visitors who want a closer look at the canyons and ruins can hire Navajo guides through the Navajo Parks and Recreation Department to hike, horseback ride, or four-­wheel up the canyons. Find a listing of approved tour guides at the NPRD office at Cottonwood Campground (928674-2106). Contact companies directly for prices, reservations, and availability. Thunderbird Lodge (928-674-5842), near the campground, offers half- and full-­ day trips. The rim drives are open year-­round, with each season bringing a distinctive mood to the canyons. In spring, snowmelt from the Chuska Mountains floods Rio de Chelly, and wildflowers bloom atop the canyon rims. Summers are pleasant, with daily highs in the 90s and afternoon thunderstorms in July and August. Autumn is an ideal time to visit the monument. Gold-­leaved cottonwoods along the dry washes and clear expanses of blue sky brighten October’s cool days. Winters are chilly, with highs climbing to the 40s. Chinle averages 6 inches of snow each winter, but it lingers only on north-­facing slopes. Both rim drives begin at the monument welcome center (928-674-5500) east of Chinle. The center introduces visitors to Canyon de Chelly National Monument, with displays on the area’s archaeology, human history, geology, and natural history. Free ranger-­led hikes and talks happen throughout the summer; check at the welcome center for a schedule. A hogan, the traditional east-­facing Navajo home, sits south of the center. Navajos use hogans, circular domed structures made of mud and logs, not only for everyday living but for ceremonial uses as well. Most Navajo families still have a hogan beside their modern house. Hogans, used by the Navajos who farm on the well-­watered bottomlands of Canyon de Chelly, scatter across the canyon floor. Cottonwood Campground, administered by the Navajo Parks and Recreation Department as part of the Tseyi’ Dine’ Heritage Area, spreads south of the welcome center. This year-­round campground has restrooms, tables, a dump station, and water. Visitors also can stay at the historic Thunderbird Lodge south of the campground. The lodge was originally a trading post built in 1902 by Sam Day. It later expanded into a hotel to accommodate tourists who flocked to marvel at the cliff dwellings and canyons.

CANYON DE CH E LLY NATIONAL MON U M E NT SCE N IC DR IVES    31

The Ancestral Puebloans and the Navajo The monument’s four canyons—Canyon de Chelly, Canyon del Muerto, Black Rock Canyon, and Monument Canyon—sheltered and nourished the Ancestral Puebloan people for over a thousand years and later served as a mountain stronghold for the Navajos in their fight against the Spanish and the American governments. The Basketmakers, the area’s first permanent residents, left their trademark basketry and the remains of semi-­subterranean, circular pithouses in the canyons beginning about 350 CE. Over the following centuries the Basketmakers adopted new ideas—hunting with a bow and arrow; cultivating corn, beans, and squash; crafting pottery; and building aboveground pueblos—that created a prosperous culture that reached a zenith in Canyon de Chelly by 1100 CE. Over the next 200 years, the Ancestral Puebloans flourished here, building large communal houses nestled below the cliffs. Then, in the 13th century, they departed this homeland, leaving their once-­bustling cities to owls, bats, and lizards. The abandonment of Canyon de Chelly and the Four Corners region was due to a prolonged drought coupled with resource depletion and farmland erosion. After abandonment, Canyon de Chelly lay empty for 400 years, until the late 1700s when a group calling themselves Diné, or “the people,” drifted into this red-­ rock country. These Athapascan-­speaking newcomers form today’s Navajo tribe. The Diné settled in the fertile canyons, grazing horses and sheep on the grassy meadows and using the remote canyons as a base for raiding nearby settlements, bringing the wrath of the US Army to bear. The controversial army officer, scout, and frontiersman Kit Carson was given the unenviable job of defeating the proud and spirited Navajos in 1863. In January 1864, his troops invaded Canyon de Chelly. Marching the length of the canyon, they destroyed everything in their path. Without food or shelter, the Navajos surrendered and were forced to do the “Long Walk,” marching 400 miles east in winter to Fort Sumner in New Mexico. For four years the 8,000 exiled Navajos lived on dry, treeless plains near Fort Sumner before the US government allowed them to return to their Arizona homeland. The scorched-­earth policy and the deaths of about 3,000 Navajo on the march and at the internment camp has led to these events being called the “Navajo holocaust.” For his role in these events, Carson has been reviled by Native Americans. To this day, the Navajos in the Canyon de Chelly area have not forgiven Kit Carson for terrorizing and killing the people in the canyons and destroying hogans, crops, and orchards, including thousands of prized peach trees. Towering sandstone cliffs line Canyon de Chelly, a bastion of Ancestral Puebloan ruins and Navajo culture. 32   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

South Rim Drive The South Rim Drive, following Navajo Route 7, begins at the welcome center. Head east to a junction with the North Rim Drive and keep right. The road makes a wide bend, passing tall cottonwoods and climbing onto bare slickrock studded with scattered junipers. The paved road climbs steadily up the gentle western slope of the humpbacked Defiance Plateau, a 100-mile-­long uplift that began rising about 50 million years ago. As the land slowly rose, meandering streams draining the Chuska Mountains to the east maintained their winding courses, incising these steep-­walled canyons in the plateau’s flank over the last three million years. The Rio de Chelly, a braided stream in spring and dry in late summer, twists down a deepening canyon left of the road and slickrock. Reach Tunnel Overlook (GPS: 36.142955, -109.516789) after 1.9 miles on the left side of the road. This is a good stop to examine the canyon’s rock formations. Look north down a shallow side draw to the main canyon. The main cliff-­forming rock is De Chelly sandstone, a formation deposited 230 million years ago as an immense field of sand dunes. The sandstone also forms the buttes and mesas of Monument Valley in northern Arizona. Some 50 million years later, the Shinarump conglomerate, a coarse erosion-­resistant layer, was deposited atop the De Chelly sandstone by sand- and gravel-­laden streams that drained surrounding highlands. Tsegi Overlook (GPS: 36.138888, -109.512135), 0.3 mile farther east at 2.2 miles, offers spacious views of the canyon from the rimrock. The creek, its shallow water gleaming in sunlight, swings across the wide canyon below, passing cottonwood groves and plowed fields. Occupied in the warmer months, the canyon farms grow corn and squash, and peaches and apples in orchards. Blade Rock, a narrow rock feature, juts into the stream. South of the overlook, small sand dunes nestle against rock outcrops. Continue east on bedrock to the next stop, Junction Overlook, at 3.6 miles. Go left on a short road to a circular turnaround and parking lot. Hike a concrete, wheelchair-­accessible trail to the stone-­walled overlook (GPS: 36.138277, -109.493454) and a spectacular view of the junction, or confluence, of Canyon de Chelly and its main tributary, Canyon del Muerto, Spanish for “Canyon of the Dead.” Discerning eyes can find, in a shallow cave in the far canyon wall, the well-­ preserved walls of 15-room Junction Ruin. Down canyon is First Ruin, a 10-room dwelling first described in 1882.

White House Ruin A spur road on the left at 5.1 miles leads north across the flat juniper-­clad rim to a large parking lot at White House Overlook (GPS: 36.130462, -109.477683). A

34   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

A Navajo horseman splashes through the creek near White House Ruin in Canyon de Chelly.

paved wheelchair-­accessible path goes 400 feet to a stone-­walled overlook. The vista from this viewpoint is thrilling, one of the best in the monument. Towering pink cliffs, streaked with black desert varnish and broken by cracks, ledges, and overhangs, hem in the twisting thread of Rio de Chelly. White House Ruin, nestled in a dark alcove above the cottonwoods, is dwarfed by the canyon’s monumental sandstone architecture. The White House Ruin Trail, a 2.5-mile round-­trip hike, descends 600 feet from the overlook, edging above cliffs, traversing petrified sand dunes, and passing through two tunnels to the canyon’s wide floor. The final trail section crosses the sandy creek bed to the pueblo ruin. The Ancestral Puebloans began building White House about 1045 CE, laying sandstone slabs and mud mortar. After completion, the walls were plastered, which further strengthened them. The site received its name from the white plaster adorning the upper walls. The pueblo’s lower section reached four stories high and contained 45 to 60 rooms and four kivas. A ladder accessed a higher alcove where 20 rooms and a granary were built. People lived here for almost 300 years, with the youngest tree ring dating from 1275 CE. This is the only self-­guided hike in the monument. The White House Ruin Overlook and Trail were temporarily closed in early 2020 because of increased vehicle break-­ins at the parking lot. Check at the welcome center or the park CANYON DE CH E LLY NATIONAL MON U M E NT SCE N IC DR IVES    35

website to see if the trail is open. Allow at least two hours to hike the trail, and carry water in summer.

Sliding Rock Ruin The drive continues east, slowly climbing through scattered piñon pine and juniper on dry, flat Tse Ho Tso Plateau south of the canyon to a turnoff on the left for Sliding Rock Overlook at 8.7 miles. Go left on Sliding House Overlook Road for 1.7 miles, edging along the rim of Wild Cherry Canyon, a tributary of Canyon de Chelly, before ending at a parking lot on a rock peninsula (GPS: 36.115053, -109.437964). A trail begins at the end of the parking lot and crosses bedrock to a canyon overlook after 450 feet. Continue on slickrock for another 150 feet to an overlook lined with stone walls and stunning canyon views. Sliding Rock Ruin, perched on a sloping sandstone ledge in a huge arching alcove, lies across the canyon. The Ancestral Puebloans built retaining walls to keep the pueblo from sliding into the canyon. A sign at the beginning of the trail warns: “700 Ft Sheer Cliff, Control Children and Pets.” After enjoying the view, return up the trail, drive back to Navajo Route 7, and turn left. Drive east to Spider Rock Campground (928-781-2016) on the left at 10.5 miles. Besides offering campsites, the Navajo host, Howard Smith, leads guided hikes, four-­wheel-­drive tours, moonlight hikes, and backcountry camping trips.

Face Rock and Spider Rock The last overlooks and the end of the South Rim Drive are Face Rock Overlook and Spider Rock Overlook on the south rim of Canyon de Chelly. Drive east from the campground and at 11.1 miles, turn left and drive north across the flat plateau for 0.8 mile to a Y-­junction. Keep left on the paved road and continue to Face Rock Overlook, 3.5 miles from Route 7. Walk 140 feet on a concrete, wheelchair-­ accessible trail to the brink of a 700-foot-­high cliff and the overlook, surrounded by a stone wall. Look across the canyon to a small ruin tucked on ledges below a towering open cave. Binoculars help to see the site and three others. Look up the canyon to the craggy visage of Face Rock, which, according to Navajo mythology, reports the names of bad children to Spider Woman. Head east on the drive’s last section, curving past a junction on the right to a parking lot at the road’s end for Spider Rock Overlook after 15.7 miles (GPS: 36.104088, -109.356612). From the parking lot’s north side, hike 0.2 mile on a wide concrete, wheelchair-­accessible trail to the overlook poised on the cliff edge above the junction of Monument Canyon on the right and 1,000-foot-­deep Canyon de Chelly. The overlook’s main attraction is Spider Rock, considered the world’s tallest free-­standing spire, towering 800 feet above the canyon floor. 36   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

Spider Rock, a sacred spire called Tse Na’ashje’ii by the Diné, is home to Na’ashje’ii Asdzaa, or Spider Woman, an important deity in the Navajo pantheon. Spider Woman descended from the sky to the top of Spider Rock and then spun a web to the ground. Legend says she lives in the crack between the pinnacle’s twin towers and comes out to capture misbehaving children and carry them to the top of Spider Rock, leaving their white bones to bleach in the sun. Spider Woman also taught the Diné how to weave. The paved South Rim Drive officially ends at Spider Rock. After viewing Spider Rock, return to Route 7 and follow it back to the welcome center and the drive’s starting point for a 31.7 round-­trip drive. Take a lunch break and then continue your steering-­wheel adventure on the North Rim Drive. Navajo Route 7, however, continues southeast toward Window Rock from the Spider Rock turnoff. Travel is not recommended on this road section since it is unpaved and unmaintained, and may be impassable after rain or snow. To see a last Ancestral Puebloan site, continue east on Route 70 from the Spider Rock turn for 4.8 miles to a couple of rough roads that lead to an overlook of Three Turkey Ruin (GPS: 36.0276, -109.4159), a well-­preserved cliff dwelling in Three Turkey Canyon south of Canyon de Chelly. The site is a Navajo Tribal Park. It is best to hire a Navajo guide for the excursion.

North Rim Drive The 21-mile-­long North Rim Drive, following Navajo Route 64, begins at the monument welcome center. Drive east from the center for 360 feet and reach a Y-­junction, then go left on North Rim Drive. The road crosses a bridge over Rio de Chelly and begins climbing slickrock benches on the western slope of the Defiance Plateau. After 3.2 miles, the road crosses a flat divide between Cottonwood Canyon on the right, a rough canyon that descends south to Canyon de Chelly, and a shallow rock tributary of Slim Canyon to the north. Here the road bends east and continues gently climbing with Slim Canyon on the left. The first turnoff, reached after 6.5 miles, leads to Ledge Ruin Overlook, which is now closed due to safety issues. The following information is included in hopes that the road and overlook will again open to visitation. From the parking area, a short trail winds over bedrock to a viewpoint on the north rim of Canyon del Muerto. A towering cliff shelters 30- to 50-room Ledge Ruin. The deep canyon, flanked by streaked walls, lies west of the overlook.

Antelope House, Tomb of the Weaver, and Navajo Fortress Continuing east, the drive reaches the turnoff to Antelope House Overlook at 7.7 miles on the right. Follow Antelope House Overlook Road for 2.1 miles to a large CANYON DE CH E LLY NATIONAL MON U M E NT SCE N IC DR IVES    37

parking area and a trailhead on its south end. A sign here reads “Take Valuables, Lock Your Car.” Hike southwest on the lollipop trail to a junction. Go right and continue down to Antelope House Overlook (GPS: 36.156400, -109.441831) at 0.2 mile on the rim of Canyon del Muerto. Sheer cliffs drop below the stonewalled overlook, and a sign warns to keep children under control. The dizzying view looks down on Antelope House Ruin, a large site tucked against an overhanging wall of salmon-­colored De Chelly sandstone that rears over the silent city. The site has been occupied for almost 1,500 years, with the remains of a pithouse dated to 693 CE beneath the pueblo ruins. Antelope House, built on the edge of a sharp canyon bend, still boasts walls that rise three stories and intact blocks of rooms and kivas, although the site has suffered extensive damage from flooding. The pueblo, with as many as 50 rooms, was abandoned by 1260, about 15 years before others in the canyon, probably due to erosion. Hire a Navajo guide to see the site up close from the canyon floor. The Diné call Antelope House Jadi’ Dayijeehi, or “Running Antelope,” for the stylish antelope painting on the cliff face beside the ruin. The painting was probably done by Navajo artist Dibe Yazhi (Little Sheep), who lived in the canyon in the 1830s. Other galleries of rock art created by both Ancestral Puebloans and Diné scatter across Canyon del Muerto’s cliffs. One of the most interesting sacred sites in Canyon del Muerto tucks into a small alcove near Antelope House—the famed Tomb of the Weaver, the grave of a flexed elderly man that was excavated in the 1920s, disturbing his millennia-­ long slumber. The crypt, enclosed by a stone wall on the front, contained the man, lying on his left side and wrapped in a blanket made from the breast down of golden eagles. Beneath the feather quilt was an immaculate cotton blanket, so white it appeared new, and below that was a gray cotton blanket. A single ear of corn lay on the man’s chest. Next to him was a digging stick, a thick bow, an arrow, and five small pots and four baskets containing cornmeal, shelled and husked corn, beans, piñon nuts, and salt. The entire burial site was packed with over 2 miles of cotton yarn skeins and a spindle whorl sat atop the cotton, leading to speculation that he was a respected weaver and tribal elder. May the Weaver rest in peace, wherever he now may lie. Continue the loop hike, following the trail over slabs to another stonewalled overlook perched above the junction of Canyon del Muerto and Black Rock Canyon at 0.3 mile (GPS: 36.155955, -109.440297). Rising above the junction is Tsélaa, the Navajo Fortress, a natural rock fort that sheltered Navajos from attack by Spanish and then American forces. The smooth-­walled, 700-foot-­high formation was climbed with notched logs that were pulled up so that the Diné could escape their pursuers. During the winter of 1863–64, American soldiers entered the canyon to round up the people for

38   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

the Long Walk. The Diné, however, had crafted a plan to shelter on the top of the rock. Men cut tall pines to climb blank rock sections, and women dried fruit and meat to store on the summit. Finally, the people—as many as 200 men, women, and children—climbed the fortress, using handholds chipped by the ancient ones and climbing the notched logs. Soon afterward, the cavalry arrived and thought it would be easy to outwait the Diné, but, ironically, they ran out of food before the people on the rock and left after three weeks. The Diné descended, happy to still be in their beloved canyon, but the soldiers soon returned to capture them. Now, aging logs still stand against the fortress and rock walls scatter across the summit. After enjoying the view, hike up the trail to the junction at 0.45 mile and continue to the trailhead for a half-­mile trek.

Mummy Cave Ruins and Massacre Cave Return to North Rim Drive and go right. Follow the road over high terrain and at 12.9 miles reach a turnoff on the right. Follow Mummy Cave Overlook Road for 0.6 mile to a Y-­junction and go right to Mummy Cave Ruins Overlook. Drive a mile to a parking lot and the trailhead (GPS: 36.228709, -109.361451) for the hike to the overlook. Hike the out-­and-­back, 0.3-mile trail to the viewpoint above Mummy Cave Ruins, perhaps the most beautiful ruin in the monument, to the northeast. The Mummy Cave dwelling, built on a rock pedestal beneath an arching, overhanging alcove, boasted over 70 rooms, making it the largest pueblo in the national monument. The ruins and the canyon were named for two human burials found weathering out of a trash mound, or midden, below the ruin during the 1880s. The Navajo name for the site is Tse’yaa Kini, or “House under the Rock.” Archaeologists say that Mummy Cave was one of the oldest continuously occupied sites in the Southwest, with habitation lasting over a thousand years from about 300 CE before it was abandoned in the 1300s. The first inhabitants were Basketmakers, an early phase of Ancestral Puebloan culture, who dug pithouses in the cave’s soft floor. Later the Ancestral Puebloans built the stone houses that still shelter in the cave. The site is divided between two caves. The eastern cave houses 55 rooms and four kivas, while the western cave contains 20 rooms that are accessed by a ledge with 15 rooms, including some of the monument’s best-­preserved ruins. A three-­story tower here still contains vigas, or wooden beams, for floors and ceilings as well as white plaster on its upper interior walls. After viewing Mummy Cave, return to the parking lot and drive a mile back to the junction with the main road. Go right and follow the paved drive northeast for 0.9 mile to a parking lot at Massacre Cave Overlook (GPS: 36.238471, -109.360125). A 0.4-mile, round-­trip trail runs from the parking lot trailhead to CANYON DE CH E LLY NATIONAL MON U M E NT SCE N IC DR IVES    39

three overlooks. The concrete trail is wheelchair-­accessible to the first two overlooks and continues on gravel and bedrock to the third viewpoint. The trail has two starts at the parking lot. Take the left one for the wheelchair ramp. Massacre Cave Overlook, the first one on the trail, offers a poignant and tragic story of genocide and the clash of Anglo and Native cultures. A shallow alcove below the canyon rim received its bloody name after a Spanish war party led by Lieutenant Antonio Narbona attacked Diné taking refuge on the boulder-­ strewn ledge in 1805. The Spanish had entered the canyon intent on taking Native people as “servants,” a polite euphemism for slaves. The Diné account of the slaughter says that most of the men were away hunting, leaving women, children, and elderly people sequestered in the cave for protection. Passing in the canyon below, the Spaniards discovered the hideout and launched an attack. Narbona later noted in his report to the governor of Santa Fe, “We succeeded after having battled all day long with the greatest ardor and effort, in taking [it] the morning after and that our arms had the result of ninety dead warriors, twenty-­five women and children, and as prisoners three warriors, eight women and twenty-­two boys and girls.” He substantiated his account with a package containing the ears of 84 warriors. The cave walls still bear marks where rifle shots from the rim near today’s overlook ricocheted off the sandstone. The killings gave the cave and the canyon its name—Canyon del Muerto, Canyon of Death. Continue hiking to an overlook of the canyon and the last viewpoint, which looks down on Yucca House Ruin, a small site hidden in a deep shelter cave. After mulling over the inhumanity of this killing field and casting prayers for the dead at Massacre Cave, return to the parking area and the end of the North Rim Drive. Return 1.5 miles north to Navajo Route 64, turn left, and drive southeast for 12.9 miles to the drive’s start at the welcome center. Alternatively, continue east on Route 64 for 12 miles, crossing sagebrush-­covered swales and low ridges coated with piñon pine and juniper, to Tsaile. From here, drive south along the Arizona and New Mexico border on scenic Route 12 to Window Rock, capital of the Navajo Nation.

40   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

5 Kayenta–Monument Valley Scenic Road Kayenta to Monument Valley General description: A 45-mile-­long drive that runs north from Kayenta to the Utah border and then makes a loop through scenic Monument Valley past sculpted sandstone buttes and cliffs.

through monumentvalleytribaltours​.com for this drive section.

Special attractions: Agathla Peak, Monu-

Travel season: Year-­round. The highway and dirt park roads are dry except after summer thunderstorms and winter snow. The roads may be impassable after rain or snow.

ment Valley Tribal Park, Left Mitten Butte, John Ford Overlook, Totem Pole, Artist Point, North Window, visitor center, scenic views, photography, 4WD tours. Location: Northeastern Arizona on the Navajo Reservation. Start the drive at the junction of US 160 and US 163 in Kayenta (GPS: 36.707844, -110.247302). Drive north on US 163 from Kayenta for 27 miles to a junction with Monument Valley Road just over the border in Utah. Go right on Monument Valley Road and drive 3.8 miles to a parking lot, Monument Valley View, and the tribal park visitor center (GPS: 36.982416, -110.112347). From here, drive the Tribal Park Loop or Valley Drive (Navajo Route 42), a rough dirt road that follows a loop for 14.6 miles through the formations east of the visitor center. Navajo guides can be hired at the visitor center or

Drive route numbers and names: US

Highway 163, Monument Valley Road, Navajo Route 42, Valley Drive.

Camping: The View Campground is near the visitor center in the tribal park. Make reservations at monumentvalleyview​.com or (435) 727-5802. Goulding’s Lodge, 5 miles north of the park, has RV sites, a campground, and cabins. Reserve at gouldings​ .com/monument-­valley-­rv-­campgrounds. Services: All services in Kayenta. Limited services, including dining and lodging, at the Monument Valley visitor center. Nearby attractions: Navajo National Monument, Four Corners, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Mesa Verde National Park, Hovenweep National Monument, Canyon of the Ancients National Monument, Mexican Hat, San Juan River, Bluff.

The Drive Northeastern Arizona is a rough land with sparse vegetation, sparser water, and a fierce temperature range. It’s a land of magnificent panoramas, turquoise skies, and a sandstone rainbow colored rust, orange, purple, and red ochre. The region, part of the vast Navajo Nation, is shaped by the most basic elements—the storm of sunlight from the cloudless sky; intermittent tributaries of the San Juan River to the north; and an abundance of bare sandstone eroded into bizarre and unusual spires, buttes, mesas, and canyons. The most majestic and surreal sandstone 41

Kayenta–Monument Valley Scenic Road ARIZONA

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West Mitten Butte 6,176 ft.

Monument Valley Tribal Park Mitchell Visitor Center Mesa 6,586 ft.

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East Mitten Butte 6,226 ft.

Merrick Butte

y D 6,206 ft. e riv

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Elephant Butte 5,981 ft.

EY

Spearhead Mesa 5,988 ft. Artist Point

Three Sisters 6,269 ft.

Totem Pole

163 W

MYSTERY VALLEY Boot Mesa 6,656 ft.

ET

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ES

HUNTS MESA A

Agathla Peak 7,096 ft.

Owl Rock 6,547 ft.

TYE N ES DE M

LITTLE

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Chaistla Butte 6,098 ft.

CO

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a Creek gun La Church Rock 5,862 ft.

Kayenta 160 0 0

2.5

5 Kilometers 2.5

5 Miles

sculptures are those scattered across Monument Valley, a 91,696-acre Navajo tribal park that straddles the Arizona and Utah border. This spectacular drive runs 27 miles north on US 163 from Kayenta and US 160 to the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park turnoff across the Utah border. From the junction, drive east for 3.7 miles to the park’s visitor center in Arizona and the start of a loop dirt road. An entry fee is charged per person per day to enter the tribal park. The toll booth hours at the park entrance are 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. during peak season. The scenic loop through the park is open from 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. during peak season and 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. from November through January. When visiting the tribal park, remember that you are a guest on the Navajo Nation and allowed only by permission of the tribe. Avoid taking photographs of people or events without permission. Act respectfully, especially at sacred sites, rock art sites, and other important places in the park. Do not remove any artifacts or other objects that you find—it is not only disrespectful but a violation of federal law. The paved highway is open year-­round, although summer thunderstorms and winter snowfalls may slicken the pavement. Expect summer temperatures at the 5,500-foot tribal park in the 90s, with thunderstorms on July and August afternoons. Spring days are often warm and windy, while autumn brings stable air, clear skies, and crisp days. Winter days are usually cold and windy, with highs in the 40s. Annual rainfall at the tribal park averages less than 9 inches.

Kayenta to Agathla Peak The scenic drive begins at the junction of US 160 and US 163 on the south side of Kayenta and heads north on US 163. Kayenta, a Navajo word meaning “natural game pit” or “bog hole,” spreads along Laguna Creek in a broad, dusty valley flanked on the south by the forested escarpment of Black Mesa and on the north by upturned Navajo sandstone beds on the edge of the Monument Upwarp. John and Louisa Wetherill established a trading post in Kayenta about 1910. Wetherill, along with his brothers in Mancos, Colorado, discovered and named many Ancestral Puebloan ruins, including those at Mesa Verde National Park and at Navajo National Monument west of Kayenta. Kayenta offers all services to travelers. After leaving the north edge of Kayenta at 2.6 miles, the highway crosses Laguna Creek, a thin, muddy ribbon in a deep arroyo, and bends northeast through the Comb Ridge. The ridge, a fold of rock layers on the southern fringe of the Monument Upwarp, trends northeast from Kayenta, lifting a serrated edge of salmon-­colored Navajo sandstone north to the San Juan River in southern Utah. The sandstone, featuring steep, cross-­bedded layers deposited as sand dunes over

KAYE NTA–MON U M E NT VALLEY SCE N IC ROAD    43

Agathla Peak, an eroded volcanic neck, rises prominently above the scenic drive north of Kayenta. Murray Foubister, Wikimedia Commons

200 million years ago, lies east of the drive. The Monument Upwarp, a broad, dome-­shaped anticline, reaches from the Comb Ridge north to Canyonlands National Park in Utah. Black Rock Standing, a 5,868-foot volcanic plug, rises east of the highway above Laguna Creek. After the highway climbs through the ridge, it drops onto barren Little Capitan Valley after 4 miles. The Navajo Buttes punctuate the broad valley east of the road. The buttes are diatremes, black necks of ancient volcanoes that scattered across the region during Tertiary times over 15 million years ago. The volcanoes themselves have eroded away, leaving only their resistant, basalt necks behind. Chaistla Butte, a prominent 6,098-foot plug, rises 400 feet above the flat valley east of the highway, and a large array of solar panels spreads across the valley floor to the west. Farther north towers Agathla Peak, a sharp 7,096-foot peak that lifts its rounded summit 1,200 feet above the scenic drive. Agathla Peak, formed during the Oligocene about 25 million years ago, has long been an outstanding landmark. Early Spanish explorers named it El Capitan, but it is now known by its Diné name Aghaałą, meaning “piles of wool.” The peak’s rough surface and surrounding piles of rock debris gave the unique name. Diné legend says a race of giants once lived on Agathla. They scraped hair off animal hides and allowed the wind to blow it around. The hair clung to plants and killed many animals, so the giants carefully piled up the hair at the peak’s base and covered the piles with rocks.

44   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

To see Agathla Peak, park in a large pullout on the right side of the highway after 9.1 miles (GPS: 36.825348, -110.238086). Owl Rock, a slender spire composed of Wingate sandstone atop a cone of colorful Chinle shale, rises west of the road. Past Agathla, the highway follows El Capitan Wash before turning northeast. A massive escarpment walled by rusty Wingate sandstone cliffs marches along the eastern edge of the Shonto Plateau west of the blacktop. Diné hogans and herds of sheep dot the desolate plain below.

Monument Valley After a few miles, the famed buttes and spires of Monument Valley come into view on the northeastern skyline. The angular rocks, composed of De Chelly sandstone, resemble a silent, stone city. The monuments can be described in the language of architecture, abounding with domes, cupolas, steeples, cathedrals, flying buttresses, and skyscrapers. Everywhere stretches a changing panorama of rock, sand, and sky, and an overwhelming landscape defined by form, line, and color. The great western novelist Willa Cather (1873–1947) described the scene: “From the flat red seas of sand rose great rock mesas, generally Gothic in outline, resembling vast cathedrals. They were not crowded together in disorder, but placed in wide spaces, long vistas between. This plain might once have been an enormous city, all the smaller quarters destroyed by time, only the public buildings left.” The sandstone monuments form textbook examples of erosion. The De Chelly sandstone has been dissected by the erosive power of water, leaving only mesas, buttes, and free-­standing towers. Monument Valley’s proximity to the San Juan River’s deeply incised gorge to the north allows tributaries, filled with rainwater, to drain north, removing eroded debris, boulders, and sand. Frost wedging along joints in the sandstone further shapes the grand monuments. Water freezes in cracks in the buttes, expanding and pushing the cracks apart until slabs break off and fall to talus slopes below. Water also weathers the soft siltstone of the Chinle Formation below the base of cliffs, leaving fractured rock slabs unsupported. Contrary to widespread belief, wind has little to do with the formation of the monuments. The road rolls across a sagebrush-­covered plain west of Monument Valley and after 23 miles from Kayenta, leaves Arizona and enters Utah. Past the state line, a right turn at a roundabout on Monument Valley Road/Navajo Route 42 heads 3.8 miles east to the Monument Valley Tribal Park Visitor Center. A turn west at the junction goes 2 miles to Goulding’s Lodge, with lodging, dining, a grocery store, a campground, and unobstructed views of Monument Valley. The lodge, originally a trading post established by Harry Goulding in 1923, offers Navajo-­led tours of Monument Valley, Mystery Valley, and other off-­the-­beaten

KAYE NTA–MON U M E NT VALLEY SCE N IC ROAD    45

track places. Goulding was instrumental in opening Monument Valley to the film industry. John Ford’s famed 1939 movie Stagecoach, starring John Wayne and Andy Devine, was filmed here. Later features include The Greatest Story Ever Told and Back to the Future III. Also at the road junction are a Navajo Welcome Center, several tour operators, an elementary school and high school, and Navajo food vendors.

Monument Valley Tribal Park Go right on Monument Valley Road and drive east. After a couple of miles, the paved road reenters Arizona and Monument Valley Tribal Park. The 91,696-acre park, straddling the border, was set aside by the Navajo Tribal Council in 1958. Pay the park entrance fee at a toll station and continue to the visitor center (GPS: 36.982416, -110.112347). The center offers exhibits, an arts and craft shop, the Haskenneini Restaurant, and an information desk. You can book tours here or get tour recommendations to explore the park with Navajo guides. Tours include the scenic route through the park, cultural tours, sunrise or sunset tours, photography tours, and overnight tours. On the north side of the center is Monument Valley View, an accessible viewpoint with stunning views north of the Mitten Buttes and other formations. Also, walk north on the paved trail from the visitor center to Taylor Rock, a double boulder that forms a perfect foreground to a backdrop of the Mitten Buttes. South of the visitor center is the View Hotel (435-727-5555; theviewcampground​.com). North of the center is the View’s RV and tent campground and rental cabins.

Valley Drive A dirt 14.6-mile scenic route, called Valley Drive, begins north of the visitor center and loops through the park, with several side roads to iconic overlooks. This loop is the only route that visitors can drive without a tour guide. The mileage for the loop itself totals 11.8 miles. The four side roads to viewpoints total 2.8 miles out and back. While parts of the loop road may be rough, sandy, and rocky, it is easily driven in most vehicles. Check at the visitor center to see if road conditions require a high-­clearance or four-­wheel-­drive vehicle after bad weather. No hiking or driving off the posted roads is allowed except with a guide. Allow two to three hours to leisurely drive the loop road and stop at the overlooks. Start Valley Drive by heading north from the visitor center and parking lot for 0.2 mile to a junction. Turn right on a dirt road and drive southeast, dropping Valley Drive passes Sentinel Mesa and West Mitten Butte in Monument Valley. KAYE NTA–MON U M E NT VALLEY SCE N IC ROAD    47

down a steep slope and dipping through washes east of Mitchell Butte’s long cliff escarpment. Look left for good views of West Mitten Butte, East Mitten Butte, and square 6,206-foot Merrick Butte. After crossing a wide, sandy wash, the road swings through low hills between Mitchell Mesa and the western point of Elephant Butte, and after 3.6 miles reaches a junction, informally called Camel Butte Point, with the return loop road. Mitchell Mesa and Merrick Butte were named for two prospectors—Ernest Mitchell and James Merrick—that were killed, probably by Paiutes, in the late 1860s near their namesake monoliths.

John Ford Overlook and the Totem Pole Go right or west at the junction on a side road and drive 0.3 miles to a parking area at road’s end for John Ford Overlook (GPS: 36.954446, -110.087414), a famous viewpoint named for director John Ford. Much of his classic film Stagecoach, released in 1939 and winner of two Academy Awards, was filmed in Monument Valley, and its landscape came to represent the American West of the imagination. It also launched the career of John Wayne from a B-­list actor to a movie star. Besides walking to the overlook to view the surrounding monuments, travelers can have their photograph taken on a Navajo steed on the point, taste Navajo flatbread at Linda’s Fry Bread Stand, and buy jewelry, ceramics, and crafts from Navajo artisans. Lastly, look southwest to the Three Sisters, three thin pinnacles at the southern tip of Mitchell Mesa. Return to the junction and turn right on Valley Drive. Head south along the western edge of Rain God Mesa and reach The Hub, another junction 4.8 miles from the visitor center. Guided tours go right here on a sandy track past Thunderbird Mesa, Saddle Rock, and Submarine Rock to lofty Hunts Mesa. Continue the loop by bending east below Rain God Mesa’s towering cliffs and arrive at a junction with a side road on the right at 5.7 miles. Go right for 0.1 mile to a marvelous view of the Totem Pole (GPS: 36.936504, -110.061533), a frail 400-foot-­high spire that soars over sand dunes beyond the viewpoint. The Totem Pole is considered the tallest and skinniest sandstone tower in the United States, if not the world. The slender vertical shaft, topped by a flat sky island summit, is barely 25 feet wide and sits atop a talus pedestal. The Totem Pole—one of the Yei Bi Chei, or Fire Dancers, a row of spires that resemble Navajo dancers who appear on the last night of the winter ceremony called the Night Way—is composed of De Chelly sandstone, a dense 235-million-­year-­old sandstone that was deposited as ancient sand dunes. While technically off-­limits to climbers, the Totem Pole has seen many ascents since it was first climbed by a team of Californians in 1957. The spire’s fifth ascent was during the filming of The Eiger Sanction in 1974 by climbers and riggers Eric Bjørnstad and Ken Wyrick. The film was about a former assassin, art 48   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

professor, and climber, played by Clint Eastwood, who is recruited to “sanction” a bad guy in the Swiss Alps. Eastwood’s character trains for the sanction—a revenge killing—by climbing the Totem Pole.

Artist Point and North Window Return to the main road, turn right, and drive 0.1 mile to the next junction. Go right on a dirt road for 0.3 mile to a huge stone block called The Cube below the southern tip of Spearhead Mesa. An overlook here yields more spectacular views of the Totem Pole. Return to the road and turn right. Drive north below Spearhead Mesa’s west-­facing cliffs to a Y-­junction after 6.9 miles from the visitor center. Go right and continue north for 0.3 mile to Artist Point (GPS: 36.957466, -110.059261), one of Monument Valley’s best overlooks. Look north across a dry, undulating plain to Merrick and East Mitten Buttes, and beyond to King-­on-­His-­ Throne, Stagecoach, Bear and Rabbit, and Castle Rock. The best light for photos

The Three Sisters rise beyond a hogan, a traditional eight-­sided Navajo house. KAYE NTA–MON U M E NT VALLEY SCE N IC ROAD    49

Sandstone buttes, including Merrick Butte, Castle Rock, The Rabbit, and King-­on-­His-­ Throne, scatter like sculptures from North Window.

from the point is in the morning. Artist Point is less busy than other overlooks, providing a tranquil experience. Go back south for 0.3 mile to the Y-­junction and keep right on the main loop road. Drive west for 0.8 mile, skirting the southern edge of Cly Butte, then turn north at the next junction and head north for 0.4 mile to North Window (GPS: 36.957141, -110.072746). North Window, offering another iconic view, is a 900-foot-­wide gap between the northern tip of Cly Butte on the right and the southeastern point of Elephant Butte on the left. Walk past Navajo jewelry stalls to a short trail that leads to an overlook and views north of buttes and mesas. Finish the drive by returning south to the junction and turning right on the main road. Pass The Thumb, a prominent freestanding pinnacle on the right, and the tall southern face of 5,847-foot Elephant Butte. After a half mile, reach the first junction, Camel Butte Point, and turn right. Drive 3.6 miles northwest back to the visitor center and retrace the roads back to Kayenta and the end of another perfect Arizona day.

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6 San Francisco Peaks Scenic Road Flagstaff to Valle General description: This 51-mile-­long drive, a designated Arizona Scenic Road, passes through thick forests, open meadowlands, and sagebrush flats on the western slope of the San Francisco Peaks. Special attractions: San Francisco Peaks,

Kachina Peaks Wilderness Area, Kendrick Mountain Wilderness Area, Coconino National Forest, Flagstaff attractions, Museum of Northern Arizona, Fairfield Snow Bowl, Flagstaff Nordic Center, camping, hiking, cross-­country skiing, scenic views. Location: Central Arizona. US Highway

180 runs northwest from Flagstaff and I-40 to Valle. The Grand Canyon lies 30 miles north of Valle. Start the drive at the junction of US 89/Old Santa Fe (I-40 Business Loop) and US 180/Humphreys Street in downtown Flagstaff (GPS: 35.198319, -111.651358). The drive ends at Grand Canyon Junction in Valle, the junction of AZ 64 and US 180 (GPS: 35.652098, -112.139365).

Drive route numbers and names: US

Highway 180. Travel season: Year-­round. The highway

is generally dry in spring, summer, and fall. Expect heavy thunderstorms in July and Aug. Winters are snowy, and the road can be icy or snow packed. Carry chains, a shovel, and warm clothes in winter. Camping: Kendrick Park Campground, with five sites, is 22 miles north of Flagstaff on US 180. Dispersed primitive camping in Coconino National Forest on side roads off the highway. Camping at Bonito Campground by Sunset Crater and in the national forest southeast of Flagstaff. Services: All services in Flagstaff. Limited

services in Valle. Nearby attractions: Grand Canyon

National Park, Sunset Crater National Monument, Wupatki National Monument, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Oak Creek Canyon, Navajo Reservation, Little Colorado River Gorge Navajo Tribal Park.

The Drive The official San Francisco Peaks Scenic Road travels 31 miles from milepost 224 to milepost 255, but this scenic drive adds another 20 miles from Flagstaff to US 180’s junction with AZ 64. This 51-mile drive runs northwest from Flagstaff around the wooded western flank of sacred San Francisco Mountain, locally called the San Francisco Peaks, passing many small volcanoes before crossing onto the broad Kaibab Plateau and quietly ending at Valle at the road’s junction with AZ 64. The road offers access to Arizona Snowbowl, the state’s oldest and best ski area, and the Kachina Peaks Wilderness Area, a preserved wildland that embraces Arizona’s highest peaks and the state’s only alpine vegetation zone. The drive also

51

San Francisco Peaks Scenic Road ARI Z O NA

KAIBAB NATIONAL FOREST 180

Valle

Red Mountain 7,965 ft.

64

COCONINO NATIONAL FOREST

Slate Mountain 8,215 ft.

Saddle Mountain 8,800 ft.

Kendrick Park

KAIBAB NATIONAL FOREST

White Hills

Kendrick Peak 10,418 ft.

418 Humphreys Peak 12,633 12,663 ft.

180

Agassiz Peak 12,356 ft.

Arizona Snowbowl

516

Williams 40

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5

COCONINO NATIONAL FOREST

10 Kilometers 5

RV AT O

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Flagstaff

KAIBAB NATIONAL FOREST

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KACHINA PEAKS WILDERNESS AREA

10 Miles

17

89

offers a scenic route through high forests to the Kaibab Plateau and the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Summer and fall are the best times to travel the scenic road. The days are warm, with highs between 70 and 90 degrees. Thick pine forests broken by aspen groves and flower-­strewn meadows border the drive. The high mountains attract stormy weather and average about 30 inches of precipitation annually. Expect afternoon thunderstorms, laden with monsoon moisture, in July and August. Spring brings pleasant days but sometimes cool and blustery weather. Winter muffles the high country with a blanket of snow and the highway can be icy and snow packed. Plan accordingly by carrying chains, a shovel, and warm clothes.

Flagstaff Flagstaff, northern Arizona’s largest city, nestles against the southern slopes of

San Francisco Mountain. After Thomas F. McMillan homesteaded the area in 1876, a group of Boston settlers camped nearby and on July 4, the centennial of the United States, stripped a tall ponderosa pine of its branches and tied a 37-star American flag onto the giant flagstaff, giving the new town its name. After the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad arrived in 1882, Flagstaff prospered as a center for lumbering and ranching, and later as the jumping-­off point for tourists to visit the Grand Canyon. Begin in downtown Flagstaff at the junction of US 89/Old Santa Fe (I-40 Business Loop) and US 180/Humphreys Street. Head north on signed US 180 on Humphreys Street for 0.6 mile to an intersection with Fort Valley Road. Go left on it and follow US 180 northwest. After 1.9 miles, reach a right turn to the Pioneer Museum (928-774-6272), an interesting museum run by the Arizona Historical Society and housed in a 1908 hospital built with volcanic rock from Mount Elden. Inside are displays of Flagstaff’s colorful pioneer history, including a 1929 logging locomotive, old farm equipment, a 1913 Model T, and a vintage hospital operating room. Continue up the drive for another mile to a left turn for the Museum of Northern Arizona (928-774-5213), one of America’s best regional museums. Spread across a 200acre campus, the museum honors the Southwest’s geology, natural history, archeology, Native American cultures, and art with superb displays in nine galleries in the main exhibit hall. The museum, founded in 1928, also offers a gift shop, bookstore, and over 450 programs annually. The highway continues northwest, passing a subdivision, leaving Flagstaff, and climbing through a ponderosa pine forest and open meadows. At 4.6 miles the drive passes a right turn to Fort Valley Trailhead, the starting point for a multiuse trail system for hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians. Reach Humphreys

SAN FRANCISCO PEAKS SCE N IC ROAD    53

Peak Lookout at 6.3 miles. Turn right into a parking lot with a marvelous view north to the San Francisco Peaks and 12,633-foot Humphreys Peak, Arizona’s highest mountain. The road bends left and 7.2 miles from the drive’s start, reaches Snowbowl Road (FR 516) on the right. For downhill skiing in winter or a summer alpine adventure, turn right on the road and drive about 7 miles up the paved road on the mountain’s west side to the Arizona Snowbowl (928-779-1951), the state’s premier ski area. The Snowbowl opened in 1938 on steep west- and northwest-­ facing slopes. The area offers 777 skiable acres from the 9,200-foot base to the 11,500-foot top elevation, with a 2,300-foot drop, highest in Arizona; 55 runs and three terrain parks; and an average snowfall of 260 inches a year. A proposed expansion of the ski resort was contested by Native American tribes, including the Hopi, who believe the peaks are the sacred home of the Kachinas. Despite lawsuits filed by the Hopi and Diné tribes, expansion was allowed in 1980. Later petitions reached the Supreme Court in 2009 but were denied, allowing further expansion and the use of reclaimed sewage water to make snow for the ski area. In summer, visitors ride a gondola to the top of the ski area for spacious views. For those who would rather hike to Arizona’s rooftop, the 11-mile round-­trip Humphreys Peak Trail (#151) begins at the ski area and climbs to thin air on the summit of Humphreys Peak. To reach the trailhead, follow Snowbowl Road for 7.4 miles to the Humphreys Peak Trailhead at the northern end of the lower parking lot (GPS: 35.331135, -111.711617). The trail heads northeast and then switchbacks up wooded slopes to timberline and a few windswept bristlecone pines to a high saddle between 12,356-foot Agassiz Peak to the south and Humphreys Peak to the north. The trail scrambles along the airy ridge above timberline to the sky summit, where breathtaking 360-degree views stretch in the four directions from the rocky mountaintop. The Grand Canyon and the forested Kaibab Plateau straddle the northern skyline; the rounded dome of Navajo Mountain pokes above the horizon 125 miles to the northeast; Dinétah, the arid Navajo homeland, unrolls a tawny tapestry to the east; to the southeast glimmer the snowcapped summits of the distant White Mountains on the Mogollon Rim. Be prepared for alpine weather conditions when hiking. Severe lightning storms occur in July and August, so get an early start and be off the summit and high ridges by noon. Hikers must stay on designated trails above timberline to protect the fragile alpine tundra. The 1,200acre tundra zone atop the mountains, the only tundra ecosystem in Arizona, has been isolated from other alpine plants long enough that several unique species have evolved in the land above the trees. Heavy foot traffic imperils their survival, October brings aspen gold to mountain slopes on the San Francisco Peaks Scenic Road. 54   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

which led to the closure of Mount Agassiz and a ban on indiscriminate, off-­trail hiking.

The San Francisco Peaks San Francisco Mountain is the centerpiece of the San Francisco Volcanic Field, a

2-million-­acre area covered with lava flows and more than 400 cinder cones. The mountain, a cluster of four peaks—Humphreys Peak, Agassiz Peak, Fremont Peak, and Doyle Peak—was once a massive, symmetrical stratovolcano that looked like Japan’s Mount Fujiyama. The volcano grew from eruptions that began 2.8 million years ago and ended about 200,000 years ago. Geologists estimate the mountain’s height reached 15,600 feet. Later, a violent sideways explosion blasted out the mountain’s northeast side and formed its present shape. Glaciation later smoothed the mountain’s rough contours. The volcanic field is still active. Sunset Crater, on the field’s eastern edge in Sunset Crater National Monument, erupted a scant 1,000 years ago. The San Francisco Peaks are sacred to the Hopi and Diné as well as 11 other Native American tribes, who have long lived in the surrounding drylands below the mountains. The Hopi call them Nuvatukya’ovi, or “Place of Snow on the Very Top,” and believe they are the home of the Kachinas and the source of rain for crops. The Diné named them Dok’o’sliid, or “Sacred Mountain of the West,” and say they were fastened to the earth by a sunbeam. The mountain’s Spanish name, San Francisco, or “Saint Francis,” was given by Franciscan padres who explored through here in 1629. Because of their religious significance and unique biological communities, the San Francisco Peaks were preserved in the 18,960-acre Kachina Peaks Wilderness Area in 1984.

Kendrick Park, Slate Mountain, and Red Mountain Continue the scenic drive by following US 180 north from the Snowbowl Road turnoff across the western slope of the San Francisco Peaks, passing through thick stands of ponderosa pine. Occasional groves of quaking aspen and grassy meadows scatter along the roadside. Arizona leaf peepers flock here during the first two weeks of October to gawk at the state’s most colorful autumn display when golden aspens cascade down mountainsides. The Arizona Nordic Village (928-220-0550), 16.4 miles from Flagstaff at mile marker 232, offers over 40 kilometers of groomed cross-­country ski trails through Kendrick Peak rims the western skyline above the Kendrick Park Watchable Wildlife Trail. 56   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

pines and aspens for beginner to expert Nordic skiers. Snowshoers and fat-­tire bikers have separate dedicated trails. Overnight accommodations include backcountry yurts and cabins. Skinny ski season runs from mid-­December to March, snow permitting. The highway bends northeast from the ski center, passes along the edge of 9,170-foot-­high Hochdeffer Hills, and reaches 2,000-acre Kendrick Park, a broad, grassy valley dotted with grazing cattle, and a left turn to the trailhead for the Kendrick Park Watchable Wildlife Trail at 19.8 miles. Two trails begin at the parking lot, exploring the boundary between grassland and forest. A short 0.25-mile trail is paved for wheelchair access, while the longer 1.5-mile trail is wide, flat, and easy. Keep a watchful eye for wildlife in the woodland and the broad grassland, including mule deer, coyote, mountain lion, black bear, elk, Merriam’s turkey, and herds of fleet-­footed pronghorn, the second-­fastest mammal in the world. On the north side of Kendrick Park, about 22 miles from Flagstaff, is Kendrick Cabin, a historic stone and wood cabin built in the 1960s as a US Forest Service fire guard station. Rent the cabin from the Forest Service from mid-­April through mid-­November; call 928-526-0866 for reservations. Kendrick Mountain Wilderness Area, dominated by 10,418-foot Kendrick Mountain, rises west of the park. The drive bends northwest, traveling across old lava flows and passing Slate Mountain and Red Mountain, two small extinct volcanoes. To climb Slate Mountain, turn left at 28.2 miles and follow FR 191 for about 2 miles to the trailhead (GPS: 35.485798, -111.836162). The 2.4-mile Slate Mountain Trail (#128) follows an old jeep track to the mountain’s 8,215-foot summit. To climb Red Mountain, which formed about 740,000 years ago, continue northwest on the highway to 31.2 miles from the drive’s start and turn left on FR 9023V. Drive a short distance to the trailhead for the Red Mountain Trail (#159). The easy 1.5-mile trail ascends the mountain’s east slope, following a dry streambed, to a final steep section surmounted by a 6-foot ladder. Erosion has carved the inside of this small cinder cone, leaving a maze of narrow canyons and gullies. Continue to the 7,965-foot summit on a trail up the cone’s southeast flank. Both peaks offer marvelous views of the San Francisco Peaks and the surrounding volcanic field. Past Red Mountain the highway begins losing elevation. It leaves the cool ponderosa forest behind and enters a piñon pine and juniper woodland. The road crosses progressively older lava flows, coated with grass, sagebrush, and lichen, before dropping onto the undulating Coconino Plateau. The plateau surface, forming the South Rim of the Grand Canyon 30 miles to the north, is floored by Kaibab limestone. Moving away from the mountains the climate dries and warms, and a sagebrush savannah dominates the landscape. The San Francisco Peaks Eroded cliffs and hoodoos hide in a volcanic valley at Red Mountain Geological Area. SAN FRANCISCO PEAKS SCE N IC ROAD    59

tower beyond the highway to the southeast, their snowy summits glimmering like alabaster towers in the blaze of sunlight. After 51 miles, the highway joins AZ 64 at Grand Canyon Junction in Valle. The hamlet boasts Valle Airport west of the junction; Raptor Ranch, a Flintstones-­themed attraction; a hotel; and gas stations. For more steering-­wheel adventure, turn north here and follow AZ 64 to Grand Canyon National Park and take the Grand Canyon South Rim Scenic Drive east to Cameron (Drive 2). To return to Flagstaff, head south on AZ 64 for 28 miles and then drive 30 miles east on I-40.

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7 Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monuments Scenic Drive Sunset Crater–Wupatki Loop Road General description: This 35-mile-­long

Drive route numbers and names: Forest

loop drive passes a spectacular volcanoscape at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and explores ancient Ancestral Puebloan and Sinagua ruins and archeological sites at Wupatki National Monument.

Road 545, Sunset Crater–Wupatki Loop Road.

Special attractions: Sunset Crater Volcano

National Monument, Lava Flow Trail (ADA accessible), Lava’s Edge Trail, Lenox Crater Trail, Wupatki National Monument, cinder cones, lava flows, visitor centers, interpretive events and hikes, trails, picnic areas, archeological ruins, scenic views. Location: North-­central Arizona. The drive

begins on US 89 10 miles north of Flagstaff with a turn east on FR 545 signed “Sunset Crater Volcano Wupatki Natl Monument” (GPS: 35.372420, -111.575321). The drive ends on US 89 25 miles north of Flagstaff (GPS: 35.574828, -111.530723). The Park Service notes on the Wupatki website that GPS units are unreliable in the area, with people directed to the administrative offices or to rough 4WD roads. Do not drive these unpaved roads unless you are in a high-­clearance 4WD vehicle.

Travel season: Open year-­round but subject to temporary closure during winter storms. Camping: Bonita Campground, before the Sunset Crater Entrance Station, has 44 sites. The campground, administered by Coconino National Forest, is open mid-­May through mid-­Oct, with 22 first-­come, first-­ served sites and 22 reserved sites. Make reservations at recreation​.gov. No backcountry camping allowed at Sunset Crater or Wupatki National Monuments. More campgrounds are in Flagstaff and Coconino National Forest. Services: All services in Flagstaff. Nearby attractions: Grand Canyon National Park, San Francisco Peaks, Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff attractions, Navajo Reservation, Little Colorado River Gorge, Grand Falls of the Little Colorado River, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona, Meteor Crater.

The Drive The Sunset Crater–Wupatki Road makes a 35-mile-­long loop drive through a recent volcanic field at 3,040-acre Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and past the ruined villages of Native Americans who lived here over a thousand years ago in 35,422-acre Wupatki National Monument. This is a land of distant

61

Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monuments Scenic Drive A RIZ O NA

lorado Riv e r Co le

Li tt

Lomaki Ruin

Citadel Ruin

WUPATKI NATIONAL MONUMENT

Antelope Prairie

Wukoki Ruin

Doney Mountain 5,589 ft.

Doney Mountain Picnic Area Wupatki Ruin Wupatki Visitor Center

COCONINO NATIONAL FOREST

89

545

La

va

Painted Desert Vista

Fl

O’Leary Peak 8,916 ft.

ow

STRAWBERRY CRATER WILDERNESS AREA

Bonito Campground

Visitor Center

Sunset Crater 8,039 ft.

Haywire Crater

Black Bottom Crater

Stewart Crater

SUNSET CRATER NATIONAL MONUMENT

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2.5

5 Kilometers 2.5

5 Miles

vistas and dry sunlight, of summer lightning and rain veils over distant mesas and mountains, of ponderosa pine forests and sun-­hammered sagebrush flats. The scenic drive connects with US 89 at both its north and south ends. The Sunset Crater entrance is 10 miles north of Flagstaff. The Wupatki turnoff is 25 miles north of Flagstaff. The paved road, open year-­round, has frequent pullovers and light traffic. Summer visitors to Sunset Crater, at 7,000 feet, can expect mild temperatures, with highs ranging from the 70s to the 90s. Wupatki, at 4,800 feet, is hot in summer, with highs frequently above 100 degrees. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in the drive’s higher elevations during July and August. Winters are cold with snow at Sunset Crater, while Wupatki’s winters are warmer and drier. Sunset Crater averages 22 inches of annual precipitation. Wupatki is drier, with slightly more than 8 inches falling each year.

Bonita Park The drive begins at the junction of US 89 and Sunset Crater–Wupatki Loop Road (FR 545) about 10 miles north of Flagstaff. For the first 3 miles, the paved road drops east through an open ponderosa pine forest into spacious Bonito Park, a wide sagebrush- and grass-­covered clearing rimmed with ponderosa pines. Westward towers San Francisco Mountain, locally called the San Francisco Peaks, the remains of a massive stratovolcano that rose higher than 15,000 feet before its collapse about 400,000 years ago. Geologists say the peaks formed after a violent sideways explosion, like the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, blasted out the volcano’s northeast flank, forming an area now called the Inner Basin. The tallest mountain in the San Francisco Peaks is 12,633-foot Humphreys Peak, Arizona’s highest point. The San Francisco Peaks are the nucleus of the San Francisco Volcanic Field, an 1,800-square-­mile area covered with ashfall, lava flows, and over 600 volcanoes that mostly formed basalt cinder cones. Active over the last six million years, the field is still considered active, with the last eruption occurring at Sunset Crater about 1,000 years ago. On the northeast edge of Bonito Park at 1.7 miles, the road passes a junction on the left with FR 545A, which leads 0.3 mile to the O’Leary Peak Trailhead. The 5.1-mile trail, following a closed forest road, passes the Bonito Lava Flow and then gains almost 2,000 feet up the east flank of O’Leary Peak, a lava-­dome volcano, to its 8,916-foot west summit and spectacular views of the San Francisco Peaks and Sunset Crater. Continue east for another 0.1 miles to a left turn on FR 545F into Bonito Campground, a Coconino National Forest campground with 44 sites. The

SU NSET CRATE R AN D WU PATKI NATIONAL MON U M E NTS SCE N IC DR IVE    63

Sunset Crater Visitor Center sits on the south side of the road at 1.9 miles

(GPS: 35.369089, -111.543392). Open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., the center provides educational displays about the monument’s unique geology and natural history, offers interpretive programs, and helps you plan hikes and volcanic explorations. Although the visitor center, with cedar shingles on its exterior walls, was spared in the destructive Tunnel Fire in April 2022, the wildfire, pushed by strong, gusty winds, swept across the national monument in a few hours. The fire burned both grasslands and forest in a patchwork fashion, jumping over the center and adjacent employee housing but torching outbuildings, park vehicles, equipment, wooden posts for guardrails, and other park infrastructure. The mosaic burn pattern allowed many trees to be singed rather than scorched.

Sunset Crater and the Cinder Hills The road continues southeast and enters the national monument after 2.6 miles at the southwest edge of the Bonito Lava Flow and the base of Lenox Crater. Continue along the base of Lenox Crater to a parking pullover on the left side of the road (GPS: 35.363639, -111.522988). The Lenox Crater Trail, a 1.6-mile round-­ trip hike, starts on the south side of the road and swings up the flank of the cinder cone to an interpretive sign on top and views of the San Francisco Peaks, Sunset Crater, and the lava flow. Bring water in summer. The A’a Trail, a 0.25-mile path, starts on the north edge of the pullout and makes an easy circuit through a field of A’a lava, a rough, clinky lava that formed as the Bonito Lava Field rapidly cooled. Continue driving 3.5 miles and turn right into a parking lot on a tongue on the southern edge of the lava flow (GPS: 35.363165, -111.518245). The mile-­ long Lava Flow Trail, a loop hike starting by the restrooms on the lot’s east side, explores the rough lava flow to the western slope of Sunset Crater. The first trail section is a paved 0.25-mile lollipop loop that is ADA accessible for wheelchairs and strollers. Another accessible paved trail starts on the lot’s south side and runs southeast for 0.15 mile to a viewpoint. Sunset Crater, rising 1,125 feet above its base, dominates the view and forms the centerpiece of the national monument. Tree ring dating suggests that the 8,039-foot cinder cone, the youngest volcano in the San Francisco Volcanic Field, began erupting about 1065 CE. Geologists speculate that the eruption began with a 7-mile “curtain of lava” that spewed from a long fissure, and then sustained eruptions grew the cone to its present height. Three lava flows, including the Bonito flow, spread 7 miles from the cone and covered 3 square miles. Hikers are not allowed to climb Sunset Crater. A trail up the cone was closed in 1973 after severe erosion caused by thousands of hikers formed 3-foot-­deep ruts in loose cinders.

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Sunset Crater, gleaming red in the setting sun, rises 1,125 feet above the scenic drive. The volcano, now extinct, last erupted around 1075.

Sunset Crater, named for the red spatter on its crest, was the reason the national monument was created in 1930. In the late 1920s a Hollywood film company proposed blowing up part of the volcano to simulate an eruption for a film called Avalanche, based on a Zane Grey story, but Harold Colton, one of the founders of the Museum of Northern Arizona, heard about the scheme and petitioned President Herbert Hoover to protect it in perpetuity as a national monument. The drive swings along the northern base of Sunset Crater and traverses through the Cinder Hills, a somber black landscape studded with scattered ponderosa pines. The pines find moisture by spreading their roots out below the ground’s surface. This shallow root system makes them vulnerable to blowdown by high winds. Other plants growing on the cinders and lava include quaking aspen, Apache plume, mullein, rabbitbrush, red gilia, Indian paintbrush, and pink penstemon, a flower unique to the San Francisco Volcanic Field. At 5.4 miles take a right turn and drive to the Cinder Hills Overlook for views across the barren, black hills (GPS: 35.371497, -111.490116). Past the overlook, the drive leaves the national monument and bends northeast down Kana’a Wash. For a side trip to Grand Falls, one of the Navajo Nation’s natural wonders, take a right turn at 7 miles on FR 244 (GPS: 35.370045, -111.468570). Follow the dirt road for 10.7 miles to a left turn on Leupp Road/ FR 419. Drive 5.9 miles to a left turn on Tribal Route 70, which is followed for 8.9 miles to Grand Falls, a dramatic 185-foot-­high waterfall on the Little Colorado River. The muddy falls formed when lava from Merriam Crater blocked the river channel. The river usually flows only in spring and after torrential thunderstorms. Depending on road conditions, a high-­clearance 4WD vehicle may be necessary to reach the falls.

SU NSET CRATE R AN D WU PATKI NATIONAL MON U M E NTS SCE N IC DR IVE    65

Painted Desert Vista Reach Painted Desert Vista about 9 miles from the drive’s start (GPS: 35.390704, -111.431670). The wide view here encompasses the colorful strata of the Painted Desert and the vast valley of the Little Colorado River. Beyond, to the east, rise the distant Hopi Mesas, and on the northern horizon bulges rounded Navajo Mountain. The eroded badlands of the Painted Desert are famed for the red-, purple-, gray-, and blue-­tinted Chinle Formation and a wealth of dinosaur trackways found in the chocolate-­colored Moenkopi sandstone. Besides views, the viewpoint offers picnic tables and toilets. Northeast of Painted Desert Vista spreads the 10,743-acre Strawberry Crater Wilderness Area with a cinder cone, lava flows, and a short trail up the north slope of 6,526-foot Strawberry Crater from FR 545. Across the road is Kana’a Lava Flow and Black Bottom Crater. As the road descends northward, the land becomes drier. A piñon pine and juniper woodland replaces the ponderosa pine forest. As the drive swings below Woodhouse Mesa and enters Wupatki National Monument, a Great Basin desert scrub habitat replaces the piñon and juniper trees. This arid landscape is characterized by the gray sheen of sagebrush. Another common shrub is four-­wing saltbush, a browse plant used by Native Americans as a flour ground from its dried seeds. Other plants include yucca, Mormon tea, snakeweed, globe mallow, jimson weed, and Peeble’s bluestar, a rare flower found only in the Little Colorado River valley.

Wupatki National Monument After 18.7 miles the road bumps over a cattle guard (GPS: 35.495955, -111.355066) and enters Wupatki National Monument. The parkland protects over 2,500 archaeological sites left by at least two different Native American cultures that inhabited the area—the Ancestral Puebloan and the Sinagua. The Ancestral Puebloans, formerly called the Anasazi, built many pueblos in the northern part of the monument, including Lomaki and Crack-­in-­the-­Rock, and created most of the rock art panels that record their passing. Modern Puebloan groups including the Hopi and Zuni consider the Wupatki people as their ancestors. Remember that it is illegal to pick up or keep any archeological relic, including potshards and arrowheads, that you find at Wupatki National Monument. Entry into the monument’s backcountry is by permit only. Unguided hikers must stay on established trails at Wupatki, Wukoki, Citadel, and Lomaki ruins and pets are not allowed on trails. The visitor center offers exhibits detailing the monument’s archaeology and natural history. The Sinagua, a Spanish term for “without water,” moved into the area after the violent explosions at Sunset Crater in the late 1000s CE forced them from their

66   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

farmlands in the fertile valleys around the volcano. After the eruption they found that beans, corn, and squash flourished in areas that were previously too dry for farming. The thin ash layer deposited from the eruptions provided a mulch that reduced the evaporation rate of the area’s meager rainfall. This new fertility of the Little Colorado River region set off a land rush, drawing Native peoples from diverse cultural traditions. From the late 1000s to 1200 CE, the Wupatki area flourished as a cultural crossroads. As many as 4,000 people inhabited the area, sharing new farming and construction methods, learning pottery and basketry techniques, trading goods carried up from Mexico, and intermarrying. But by 1200 CE the building and boom ended, and the area was abandoned by 1250, probably because of ash dispersal, depleted natural resources, and a severe drought that began in 1215.

Wukoki and Wupatki Ruins The first ruin is Wukoki, a well-­preserved masonry pueblo perched atop an island of Moenkopi sandstone. Turn right on paved Wukoki Road and drive 2.5 miles to a parking lot and turnaround with a vault toilet (GPS: 35.529681, -111.328551). An easy, 0.2-mile, round-­trip walk heads north on a trail to the site and circles around it. Return to the main road and go right to the Wupatki Visitor Center (928-679-2365; GPS: 35.520251, -111.371599) on the left at 21 miles. The visitor center makes a great stop, with educational exhibits and a bookstore. The 0.5-mile, round-­trip Wupatki Pueblo Trail begins on the north side of the visitor center and goes northwest to the monument’s largest ruin, Wupatki, a Hopi word that means “tall house.” The three-­story pueblo contained 104 rooms and housed about 100 people. Occupied for less than 50 years, it was built in the late 1100s but abandoned by 1225 CE. The pueblo sits near Wupatki Spring on the eastern rim of Deadman Wash, a dry canyon that drains northeast to the Little Colorado River. One of the site’s most interesting features is a ball court, an oval masonry ring that indicates cultural connections with southern Arizona and Mexico. Next to the court is a natural blowhole. The underlying Kaibab limestone here is full of fissures that create a natural barometer. Air blows out of the hole with considerable force when the belowground air pressure is greater than that above­ ground. The easy trail is wheelchair accessible to an overlook. From Wupatki, drive northwest across Deadman Wash and the broad Wupatki Basin before climbing south around 5,589-foot Doney Mountain, a volcanic crater. The peak is named for homesteader Ben Doney, who scoured the Wupatki country for the Lost Padre Mine. A good hike is a 1-mile, round-­trip trek up the Doney Mountain Trail from Doney Picnic Area (GPS: 35.531693, -111.404752), 5 miles from the visitor center in Coconino National Forest on the mountain’s west side. The trail ends atop the mountain’s 5,512-foot south summit. SU NSET CRATE R AN D WU PATKI NATIONAL MON U M E NTS SCE N IC DR IVE    67

Sunset light reddens Wupatki Ruin on the Sunset Crater–Wuptaki National Monuments Scenic Drive.

Continuing west, the drive crosses Antelope Prairie, a rolling grassland studded with occasional junipers. An archaeological survey here yielded 90 to 100 sites per square mile. Alert visitors see fleet-­footed pronghorn grazing on the open grasslands, as well as blacktail jackrabbits, coyotes, bobcats, red-­tailed hawks, and soaring turkey vultures.

Citadel and Lomaki Ruins Near the end of the drive sit the Citadel, Nalakihu, and Lomaki Ruins. About 10 miles west of the visitor center, a parking lot and trailhead on the left (GPS: 35.566267, -111.470501) accesses Citadel and Nalakihu. Citadel Ruin, built atop a lava-­rimmed butte, is an impressive site. The two-­story pueblo contained about 30 rooms and commanded an eagle’s view across the surrounding countryside. Below the ruin are farming terraces and Citadel Sink, a 173-foot-­deep natural sinkhole in Kaibab limestone. Nalakihu, a Hopi word meaning “house outside of the village,” is a smaller pueblo near the parking lot. Reach Citadel on an easy, 0.5-mile, round-­trip walk. The first trail section to the far side of Nalakihu is wheelchair accessible. Wupatki, the largest ruin along the scenic drive, boasted over 100 rooms during its heyday in the 1200s. SU NSET CRATE R AN D WU PATKI NATIONAL MON U M E NTS SCE N IC DR IVE    69

Continue 0.3 mile up the road to a right turn on a short spur that leads 0.4 mile to a parking lot and trailhead for Lomaki Ruin (GPS: 35.576721, -111.469250), the last stop on the scenic drive. Lomaki, Hopi for “beautiful house,” lies at the end of a 0.25-mile trail. This two-­story, nine-­room village is well preserved. Other small ruins, like the Box Canyon Pueblos, scatter along rocky headlands nearby, holding their secrets and mysteries under the fallen rubble of 10 centuries. The drive continues west over grassland, offering fine views south to the San Francisco Peaks, rounded cinder cones to the west, and the sere Little Colorado River basin dipping to the northeast. The drive ends on US 89. Go left and drive 25 miles south to the start of the scenic drive and Flagstaff.

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8 Oak Creek Canyon Scenic Drive Flagstaff to Sedona General description: A 27-mile-­long paved scenic route that descends from Flagstaff through spectacular Oak Creek Canyon to the red rock country at Sedona.

Travel season: Year-­round. Spring, summer, and autumn are the best seasons. Winters can be cold and snowy in the upper canyon.

Special attractions: Coconino National

Camping: Three Coconino National Forest campgrounds—Pine Flat (56 sites), Cave Spring (84 sites), and Manzanita (18 sites)—are open spring through fall. Make reservations at recreation​.gov. Private RV campgrounds in Sedona and Flagstaff.

Forest, Oak Creek Canyon Recreation Area, Oak Creek Canyon Natural Area, Slide Rock State Park, Oak Creek Vista, West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon, scenic views, camping, trails, swimming, nature study, rock climbing.

Services: All services in Flagstaff and

Location: Central Arizona. The drive, fol-

Sedona.

lowing US 89A, begins 2 miles south of Flagstaff and I-40 at exit 337 on I-17 (GPS: 35.139888, -111.685658). Sedona, the southern terminus of the Oak Creek Canyon Scenic Drive, is 120 miles north of Phoenix and 15 miles north of I-17 via AZ 179. End the drive on the northern edge of Sedona at the junction of US 89A and Jordan Road (GPS: 34.869855, -111.760878).

Nearby attractions: Flagstaff, Museum of

Northern Arizona, Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Mogollon Rim, Tuzigoot National Monument, Montezuma Castle National Monument, Fort Verde State Historic Park, Jerome, Munds Mountain Wilderness Area, Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Area, Schnebly Hill Road, Devil’s Bridge.

Drive route numbers and names: US

Highway 89A, Oak Creek Canyon Scenic Drive.

The Drive The 27-mile-­long Oak Creek Canyon Scenic Drive drops abruptly from the expansive ponderosa pine forest near Flagstaff into slender Oak Creek Canyon before ending in the red rock country around Sedona. This spectacular drive, one of Arizona’s best, offers sweeping views of the Mogollon Rim and San Francisco Peaks, intimate glimpses into leafy grottos in the canyon, tumbling Oak Creek, soaring sandstone cliffs, and gaudy autumn colors. The Oak Creek Canyon drive, a designated Arizona Scenic Road since 1984, spans over 2,000 feet of elevation between Flagstaff and Sedona. Such a dramatic

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Oak Creek Canyon Scenic Drive Flagstaff

A RIZONA

40

17

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2.5

0

5 Kilometers 2.5

5 Miles

89A

We st

Fo rk Oak Creek Oak Creek Vista

Pine Flat Campground Cave Spring Campground Bootlegger Picnic Area East Pocket Knob 7,196 ft. Banjo Bill Picnic Site

Call of the Canyon Picnic Site

Slide Rock State Park Manzanita Campground

Vultee Arch Encinoso Picnic Ground

k Creek Oa

Wilson Mountain 7,122 ft.

17 Indian Point

Midgley Bridge

Grasshopper Point Day Use Area

Sedona 179

Mund’s Mountain 6,834 ft.

elevation difference in a short distance creates a jumbled mosaic of climates and an astonishing number of ecological communities. The dense pine forest atop the rim and the canyon’s upper reaches are cool and moist. The scrubby woodland near Sedona is dry and dusty. Cacti, yucca, and chaparral grow on warm, south-­facing slopes, whereas a hundred yards around the bend in shaded alcoves are thriving Douglas firs and ferns. Oak Creek Canyon forms a transition zone between the Colorado Plateau to the north and the Sonoran Desert to the south, with plants from both areas mingling together. The canyon’s elevation variations produce markedly different climates along the drive. The upper elevations are cool, with temperatures in the 70s and 80s in summer. Summer temperatures in the canyon are pleasant, with highs rarely climbing above 100 degrees. The frigid, spring-­fed creek is always nearby to offer relief on hot days. Autumn brings cool, clear days and colorful foliage in late October. Winters can be cold and snowy.

Flagstaff to Oak Creek Vista The drive, following US 89A, begins 2 miles south of Flagstaff at exit 337 on I-17. After exiting the interstate, go south at the second roundabout. The first 8 miles of highway travel south through a thick ponderosa pine forest that coats the undulating Coconino Plateau. This ponderosa pine forest, the world’s largest, stretches along the northern edge of the Mogollon Rim from the New Mexico border to west of the San Francisco Peaks. The ponderosa pine, the largest conifer in the southern Rocky Mountains, reaches a maximum height of 150 feet, with trunks up to 4 feet in diameter. The pine forests are clean and open, with a sparse understory of plants growing beneath the trees, since the trees have a complex and efficient root system that leaves scant moisture for competing plants. Fallen pine needles also make the forest soil too acidic for most other plants. After 8.9 miles the highway reaches Oak Creek Vista, a spectacular overlook at 6,407 feet perched above upper Oak Creek Canyon on the lip of the Mogollon Rim, the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau. The narrow floor of the canyon lies almost 2,000 feet below the rim. Western novelist Zane Grey described the view from the overlook in his novel Call of the Canyon: “The very forest-­fringed earth seemed to have opened into a deep abyss, ribbed by red rock walls and choked by steep mats of green timber.” Turn left on a signed road and park in a long lot north of the overlook (GPS: 35.029932, -111.733500). Restrooms and information, including a Forest Service information station (open seasonally), are at the southeast edge of the parking lot. A 0.3-mile loop trail begins here, looping past a couple of viewpoints on a wide, paved path to the main overlook on the canyon rim, and then returning north on

OAK CR E E K CANYON SCE N IC DR IVE    73

a dirt trail to the parking lot. Besides offering breathtaking views, Oak Creek Vista also hosts Native American artists and artisans who show and sell authentic arts and crafts, including pottery, jewelry, and sculptures. Native Americans for Community Action, Inc. (NACA) partners with Coconino National Forest to oversee the artists and vendors at this site. Oak Creek Vista is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in summer and 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in winter. Check with Coconino National Forest (928-203-2900) for updated hours. The overlook above Oak Creek Canyon is a perfect place to discover the canyon’s geologic story. The rock formations, deposited horizontally like a layer cake, are the same ones exposed below the rim of the Grand Canyon. The lowest and oldest layer on the canyon floor is the 600-foot-­thick Supai Formation, a 280-million-­year-­old deposit of sediments washed from the ancestral Rocky Mountains onto a wide floodplain. Above the Supai is the Hermit Formation, a 300-foot layer deposited as conglomerate and sandstone, and the Schnebly Hill Formation, the dark red sandstone that forms the famous rock formations around Sedona. The formation and the town were named for Sedona Schnebly (1877–1950), an early pioneer who founded the town’s first general store and served as a Sunday School teacher. Higher is the thick, cliff-­forming Coconino sandstone, preserving a vast field of ancient sand dunes from 265 million years ago. Streams later deposited the white 262-million-­year-­old Toroweap sandstone atop the dunes. Above is Kaibab limestone, laid down in a shallow sea about 255 million years ago. The canyon is rimmed by erosion-­resistant lava that flowed from the nearby San Francisco Peaks about six million years ago. Oak Creek Canyon, excavated by time and running water fed by year-­round springs and snowmelt, follows an old fault zone southward to Sedona. The west canyon rim is faulted higher than the east.

Down Oak Creek Canyon The drive plunges south from Oak Creek Vista, switchbacking steeply for 2 miles and losing 1,500 feet to the canyon floor at Sterling Spring, one of Oak Creek’s year-­round water sources. After crossing a bridge over Pumphouse Wash at the bottom of the switchbacks, park at a small pullout on the right for the Pumphouse Wash Trailhead. For a backcountry experience, hike northeast along the creek in Pumphouse Wash through the cliff-­walled gorge, wading through deep pools and scrambling over rounded boulders for 2.6 miles to its junction with James Canyon. The hike follows the creek, since there is no official trail. Use caution when hiking and avoid the canyon during spring snowmelt and in the summer monsoon season. Oak Creek pools beneath towering sandstone cliffs. OAK CR E E K CANYON SCE N IC DR IVE    75

Upper Oak Creek Canyon is filled with towering ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, quaking aspen, maple, and occasional spruce, all trees more at home in the higher mountains to the north. The drive passes Pine Flat Campground at 12.1 miles and Cave Spring Campground at 13 miles. Both offer shady campsites with water, tables, and restrooms by the creek and road. The highway twists down Oak Creek Canyon, winding alongside the creek’s sparkling water as it tumbles over worn boulders and squeezes between tall sandstone cliffs streaked with desert varnish. At 14 miles the road passes Call of the Canyon Picnic Site, a day-­use area with tables, toilets, and access to West Fork Trailhead. The site is named for Zane Grey’s sentimental novel that takes place in Oak Creek Canyon. While Grey’s prose can be hard to read now, his descriptions of the landscape still ring true, including a passage where the book’s heroine first visits the canyon: “The great cliffs turned gold, the creek changed to glancing silver, the green of trees vividly freshened, and in the clefts rays of sunlight burned into the blue shadows. Carley had never gazed upon a scene like this.” The 1923 silent movie Call of the Canyon was partially filmed at nearby Mayhew Lodge, a rustic hotel that operated from the late 1800s until 1968. Later the Forest Service purchased the buildings and placed them on the National Register of Historic Places. Now the lodge, which burned in 1980, is a crumpled ruin. The West Fork of Oak Creek Trail (#108), perhaps the canyon’s best hike, begins at the picnic area and follows the deep canyon of the twisting West Fork for 3.2 miles. The trail passes between high cliffs, splashes across pools, and threads through open sandstone tunnels like those in Zion’s famous Subway. The trail, marked by posts every half mile, crosses the creek at least a dozen times before reaching the turnaround point. Intrepid hikers can continue west for 11 more miles, eventually climbing onto the Mogollon Rim at FR 231, a rough track that leads back to civilization.

Slide Rock State Park The highway continues south to Bootlegger Picnic Area at 15.7 miles. This day-­use area offers tables, toilets, hiking trails, swimming holes, and superb bird-­ watching along the creek. Farther south, the drive passes a resort, Banjo Bill Picnic Site, and Halfway Picnic Area, a creekside lunch spot between towering canyon walls. At 16.3 miles is the turnoff to popular 43-acre Slide Rock State Park (928282-3034). The 43-acre parkland, established in 1987 to keep the site from being loved to death, is the most popular swimming and splashing area in Oak Creek Canyon. The creek dashes down a shallow, slippery trough worn into the bedrock sandstone. Summer bathers cavort in the cool water here on hot days, slip-­sliding

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Pointed Dome, Moose’s Butte, and the Teapot tower above the Oak Creek Canyon Scenic Drive.

down the algae-­slickened sandstone to a lower pool. To protect this unique area, the state park has many rules to follow. Admission is by vehicle only, with no walk-­ins or drop-­offs allowed. Entrance fees are charged by the vehicle for up to four adults, with higher rates in summer and lower rates in the off-­season. Summer hours from the Friday before Memorial Day to Labor Day are 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; call the park or check the website (azstateparks​.com/slide-­rock) for hours during the rest of the year. The swim area closes an hour before the park shuts down, and the last entry is an hour before then. No glass bottles, camping, or pets by the creek. Besides the water chute, the park also offers hiking trails, picnic tables, wildlife watching, and a Junior Ranger program for kids.

Grasshopper Point to Sedona Farther downcanyon at 18.4 miles is Manzanita Campground, an intimate area on the left sandwiched between Oak Creek and the highway. Continue south past Encinoso Picnic Area and the village of Indian Gardens to signed Grasshopper Point on the left at 22.3 miles. Exit the highway, pass an entrance station (fee is charged), and descend a short road to a paved parking lot at Grasshopper Point Day Use Area (GPS: 34.887303, -111.731405). Below the lot, Oak Creek makes a wide bend through a shallow cliff-­lined canyon, creating deep, peaceful pools and

OAK CR E E K CANYON SCE N IC DR IVE    77

the canyon’s second-­most-­popular swimming hole. Follow a short trail down to the creek and the pool. Daredevils jump off a ledge on the east side of the creek into the pool, but cliff-­diving is discouraged since the depth of the pool varies and ankle-­breaking rocks lurk underwater. Also, the water can be very cold, especially in early summer. The site offers picnic tables, vault toilets, and access to three trails—Allens Bend, Casner Canyon, and Huckaby. The area is open daily from 9:00 a.m. until dusk. Contact the Red Rock Ranger District (928-203-2900) for information. Continue south for another half mile to the Midgley Bridge Observation Site, a picnic area, and the trailhead for three major trails (GPS: 34.885571, -111.741576). The 200-foot-­long, steel-­arch bridge spans Wilson Canyon, a side tributary of Oak Creek Canyon. The bridge, dedicated in 1939, was Route 79’s last link to connect Phoenix to Flagstaff. The landmark bridge is named for local businessman and rancher W. W. Midgley. For views of the bridge and canyon,

The historic Midgley Bridge, built in the late 1930s, spans Wilson Canyon. 78   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

descend rocky Huckaby Trail to an overlook below the bridge. The parking lot, a fee area, has a vault toilet and interpretive signs. Red Rock–Secret Mountain Wilderness Area, a spectacular region of high mesas, cliffs, and deep canyons, borders Oak Creek Canyon on the west. Several trails explore west from the highway and Midgley Bridge. One of the best is the 5.5-mile Wilson Mountain Trail, a National Recreation Trail, which climbs 2,300 feet from the bridge to the peak’s 7,076-foot summit. Other trails are the Huckaby Trail and Wilson Canyon Trail. Wilson Mountain, Canyon, and Trail were named for Richard Wilson, a hunter who tracked a grizzly bear up the canyon that bears his name. Nine days later, his body was found mauled by the bear. The scenic drive ends at Sedona, an arts colony and resort community set amid the spectacular red rock country of lower Oak Creek Canyon. Other scenic drives explore the area around Sedona. One of the best is AZ 179, the Red Rock Scenic Byway, which travels south for 15 miles from Sedona, past Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte, and the Chapel of the Holy Cross to I-17. For a rough road experience, put your vehicle in four-­wheel drive and follow Schnebly Hill Road east from Sedona to the Mogollon Rim and unbelievable views of this sculptured sandstone land.

OAK CR E E K CANYON SCE N IC DR IVE    79

9 Perkinsville Road Scenic Drive Williams to Jerome General description: A 49-mile-­long paved and dirt road that runs south from Williams across the pine-­covered Mogollon Rim, drops into the scenic Verde River Valley, and climbs an old railroad grade to the historic mining camp of Jerome. Special attractions: Williams, Bill Williams

Mountain, White Horse Lake, Sycamore Point, Sycamore Wilderness Area, Perkinsville, Verde River, Jerome, Prescott National Forest, scenic views, camping, trails, wildlife. Location: Central Arizona. Begin the drive

in Williams off I-40. Start at the junction of West Route 66/Bill Williams Avenue (one-­way east) and South Fourth Street in downtown Williams (GPS: 35.250208, -112.190847) or the junction of West Railroad Avenue (one-­way west) and North Fourth Street (GPS: 35.250205, -112.190835). Drive south on Fourth Street, which turns into Perkinsville Road/ CR 73. The drive ends at the junction of Perkinsville Road and US Alt 89/Main Street on the north side of Jerome (GPS: 34.751833, -112.117531). Drive route numbers and names: County

Roads 73, 70, and 72; Forest Road 318; Perkinsville Road.

Travel season: The three-­season road is open Apr through Oct. Snow and mud can make the dirt sections impassable. The upper paved section is open year-­round and plowed after snowstorms. Camping: National forest campgrounds are near the drive. South of Williams are Dogtown Lake Campground (50 sites), east on FR 140 and 142, and White Horse Lake Campground (94 sites), east on FR 110 and 109. Potato Patch (28 sites) and Mingus Mountain (30 sites) campgrounds are south of Jerome. Make reservations at recreation​.gov. Dispersed camping allowed in Kaibab and Prescott National Forests. Services: All services in Jerome and Wil-

liams. No services along the drive. White Horse Resort, east of the byway, offers RV camping, cabins, a store, and rental boats. Nearby attractions: Grand Canyon National Park, San Francisco Peaks, Kaibab National Forest, Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona, Tuzigoot National Monument, Montezuma Castle National Monument, Prescott, Flagstaff, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monuments.

The Drive The Perkinsville Road travels 49 miles of paved and gravel road between Williams and Jerome. The drive descends from the cool, pine-­clad Coconino Plateau to the twisting Verde River before steeply climbing to the historic mining town of Jerome on the north flank of the Black Hills. The road crosses an unpopulated, empty region of grand views, brushy canyons, rock-­rimmed mesas, open coniferous forests, grassy meadows, and spacious skies. The road’s first 24 miles south of Williams are paved and easily driven by a passenger vehicle. The remaining 25 miles are dirt and gravel with rocky sections. Depending on road conditions and 80

Perkinsville Road Scenic Drive 64

A RIZ O NA

40

Williams Elk Ridge Ski Area

106

Bill Williams Mountain 9,256 ft.

Dogtown Campground

73

140

111

Barney Flat

KAIBAB NATIONAL FOREST

110

109

Summit Mountain Vista 7,797 ft. Point

White Horse Lake Campground

N

White Horse Lake

MC

CA N

YO

12

110

89

Sycamore Point

er

Verde Riv

PRESCOTT NATIONAL FOREST

SYCAM O

G OV E R N M E N T

492

CA N

YO

N

73 C RE

AN

YO

N

318

Perkinsville

Perkinsville Verde River Bridge

COCONINO NATIONAL FOREST 318

First View

Clarkdale

WOODCHUTE WILDERNESS AREA

Jerome State Historic

Woodchute Mountain 7,860 ft.

0 0

2.5

Tuzigoot National Monument

89A

Jerome Park

5 Kilometers 2.5

5 Miles

89A

260

Ve rd eR iv e

r

Mingus Mountain 7,815 ft.

The Perkinsville Road edges above Bear Canyon, a deep gorge that drops south to the Verde River.

weather, this segment may be difficult without a high-­clearance vehicle. Check with the Forest Service (Prescott Ranger District, 928-777-2200) for updated conditions. Allow at least three hours for the drive. The best time to drive the road is from April through October. Cool weather prevails on the drive’s northern reaches around 6,780-foot-­high Williams, with summer highs reaching above 80 degrees. Dropping south to the Verde River at 3,800 feet, the daily temperatures rise into the 90s. Expect thunderstorms on July and August afternoons. The road’s gravel section is muddy and often impassable after rain and snow. Four-­wheel-­drive vehicles are recommended in winter. The paved section near Williams is open year-­round, with winter recreation sites off the road.

Williams to Vista Point The Perkinsville Road begins in downtown Williams at the intersection of West Route 66/Bill Williams Avenue, the town’s main eastbound one-­way street, and Fourth Street. Head south on Fourth Street, which turns into CR 73 on entering Kaibab National Forest. Williams, sitting astride I-40, bills itself as the “Gateway to the Grand Canyon.” The town, founded as a lumber and ranch town on the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad in the early 1880s, was named for Bill Williams

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Mountain, a wooded peak forming the town’s southern skyline. Bill Williams (1787–1849), a famed early 19th-­century trapper and guide, spent several seasons here in the 1830s. A statue of Old Bill graces Monument Park on the town’s west side. Captain Lorenzo Sitgreaves, who surveyed western Arizona with the Corps of Topographical Engineers in 1851, named the 9,256-foot mountain, called Hue-­ga-­ woo-­la­, or Bear Mountain, by the Havasupai, for the esteemed mountain man. A half mile from Williams, the paved road passes red sandstone Santa Fe Dam and Reservoir and winds up narrow Santa Fe Canyon. The small reservoir was built in the 1890s to supply water to steam locomotives on the nearby railway. A couple of miles south of town is the turnoff on Ski Run Road/FR 106, which leads 1.5 miles to Elk Ridge Ski Area. The area, closed at press time in 2023, offers a 600-vertical-­foot slope cut into Bill Williams Mountain’s north face. It is unknown if the ski slopes, owned by Arizona Snowbowl Ski Resort above Flagstaff, will reopen in the future. Beyond the ski area the landscape becomes rolling, ponderosa pine–covered hills broken by expansive meadows. Trickling streams lined with tall grass and colorful wildflowers meander alongside the paved road. Forest Road 111 leaves the byway almost 5 miles south of Williams and switchbacks 7 miles to the rounded summit of Bill Williams Mountain. This narrow, gravel road, passing groves of white and Douglas firs and groves of quaking aspen, makes a scenic side trip. George Wharton James described the summit view in 1917: “Imagine standing on a mountain top . . . and then looking out over a varied panorama, with practically unrestricted vision over a radius of two hundred miles. It is bewildering in its stupendous majesty and uplifting in its impressive glory.” Central Arizona spreads below the lookout—the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and the San Francisco Peaks lie to the north; the forested Mogollon Rim, broken by Sycamore Canyon, stretches eastward; the Verde Valley and Black Hills lie to the south; and range upon range of desert mountains march to the hazy western horizon. The dirt road runs through open forest before switchbacking up the mountain’s southeastern flank to cell phone towers and a fire lookout on the summit. Park in a pullout before the top and walk onto the south side for the best views. The rough road requires a high-­clearance vehicle and, depending on conditions, four-­wheel drive. The first 10 miles crosses a wide lava plain that blankets the Kaibab limestone on the southern fringe of the Coconino Plateau, a vast tableland that stretches north to the Grand Canyon. Bill Williams Mountain is a small volcano that erupted about 3.5 million years ago, spewing a sea of lava across the land. Stubby cinder cones dot the plateau north and east of Williams. After crossing Barney Flat, an open meadow fringed with pine forest, FR 110, leading to White Horse Lake and Sycamore Point, leaves the drive 8.3 miles south

PE R KI NSVI LLE ROAD SCE N IC DR IVE    83

The summit of Bill Williams Mountain, named for a colorful mountain man, is reached by a steep dirt road.

of Williams (GPS: 35.142164, -112.148597). The dirt road runs southwest for 9.8 miles to White Horse Lake, a 35-acre reservoir at 6,560 feet that offers fishing, boating, hiking, and camping at 94-site White Horse Lake Campground. Campsites are first-­come, first-­served or reserved at recreation​.gov. For one of Arizona’s most spectacular but least known scenic viewpoints, continue southeast for 9.1 miles from the lake to Sycamore Point (GPS: 35.023754, -111.978215). Reach the overlook, 17 miles southeast of Perkinsville Road, by driving to White Horse Lake. Keep right before the lake and continue south on dirt FR 12, following signs for Sycamore Point, for 4.2 miles to a T-­junction with FR 110/Sycamore Point Road. Turn left and follow FR 110 southeast for 4.9 miles to lonely 6,319-foot Sycamore Point. Beyond the overlook rise red rock buttresses that soar over twisting Sycamore Creek and leafy side canyons filled with coolness and birdsong. This 21-mile-­long gash, protected in 55,937acre Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Area, is a stunning masterpiece of sculpted sandstone. The narrow dirt road requires a high-­clearance vehicle. Don’t drive the roads in threatening weather, since mud makes them impassable. Return to Perkinsville Road and turn left on the pavement. Vista Point sits along the left side of the drive a couple of miles beyond the turnoff to White Horse Lake (GPS: 35.125732, -112.153931). This point overlooks the rough land traversed by the road to the south, including the sprawling Verde Valley and

84   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

beyond the Mingus and Woodchute Mountains and the Bradshaw Range near Prescott.

The Verde Valley Past Vista Point, the road steadily loses elevation as it descends toward the wide Verde Valley. The roadside forest quickly changes from ponderosa pine to a pygmy woodland of juniper and piñon pine. The remote country is rich in wildlife, including black bear, elk, mule deer, and mountain lion. The road, descending a flat ridgetop, is flanked on the east by cliff-­lined Bear Canyon. Look for a couple of pullouts that offer views into the deep twisting gorge. The 170-mile-­long Verde River, originating from intermittent creeks west of Paulden and US 89, forms a lush riparian corridor across central Arizona before emptying into the Salt River east of Phoenix. The Verde, one of Arizona’s few perennial rivers, offers critical habitat for wildlife including 27 fish species, 290 bird species, 76 amphibian and reptile species, and 94 mammal species, including beavers, which were reintroduced after being trapped almost to extinction in the 1800s. The river also provided life for early Native peoples, including the Hohokam and Sinagua, who grew crops on the river’s floodplain and left now-­ ruined villages at Tuzigoot National Monument and rock art sites. In 1984, over 40 miles of the Verde River was designated as one of Arizona’s two National Wild and Scenic Rivers. After 24 miles, the road reaches a junction with FR 492/CR 71, which heads west to US 89. Keep left and drive east on Perkinsville Road/FR 492. If you’re not driving a high-­clearance or four-­wheel-­drive vehicle, this is a good place to turn around and retrace the paved road back to Williams. The next road section is rocky in places, so if you continue, take your time to navigate any rough sections. Just past the junction the asphalt turns to dirt and the road bumps east across low hills and reaches a Y-­junction with FR 354 after 27 miles at Government Canyon. Bend right and follow the corrugated road south across the dusty canyon, and then descend to the Verde River and the ghost town of Perkinsville. The historic one-­lane, steel girder Perkinsville Verde River Bridge (GPS: 34.895568, -112.205904) crosses the sparkling, tree-­lined river. The truss bridge, originally built in 1921 to span the Gila River near Payson, was relocated here in 1936. The area, first settled by cattleman James Baker in 1876, has long been excellent cow country. Downriver from the bridge lies the old Perkins Ranch, named for rancher A. M. Perkins, who established the spread in 1900. The Santa Fe Railroad busted through here in 1912 with a spur track connecting copper mines in Jerome with

PE R KI NSVI LLE ROAD SCE N IC DR IVE    85

a smelter in Clarkdale. A station and water tower were built alongside the tracks, and the stop was called Perkinsville. A few families settled on the fertile bottomland, building a school, post office, and store. The town disappeared after the use of diesel locomotives dispensed with the use of the water tower, and the railway ceased operations in 1988. In 1964 Perkinsville was the set of the fictional town of Gold City during the filming of How the West Was Won. The railway lives on as the Verde Canyon Railroad (800-582-7245; verdecanyonrr​.com), a heritage railway that runs 20 miles between Clarkdale and Perkinsville. Book a four-­hour scenic trip on the steel tracks to discover more of the area’s colorful railroad history. After crossing the bridge, the drive heads south through broad, grassy valleys surrounded by juniper-­clad hills. The last 16 miles of road from the river to the historic mining town of Jerome follow the old narrow-­gauge railbed of the United Verde and Pacific Railroad, which ran north from Jerome to the Chino Valley. The railroad, built in 1893, twisted and turned for 27 miles, earning it the sobriquet “world’s crookedest railroad.” Even today the road twists through 126 curves, from broad 45-degree bends to sharp hairpins. The drive, following Perkinsville Road/FR 318, climbs south onto the forested flanks of 7,860-foot Woodchute Mountain and corkscrews around the mountain to Jerome. Past a steep roadcut sits First View, a scenic viewpoint above the Verde Valley. The Mogollon Rim, the pointed San Francisco Peaks, and red rock–lined Sycamore and Oak Creek Canyons unfold beyond the valley.

Jerome The drive’s last couple of miles twist into Jerome (2020 population is 464), a historic mining town that sprawls across the steep northeast flank of 6,050-foot-­ high Cleopatra Hill. Jerome, one of Arizona’s most picturesque towns, began in 1876 when wealthy New York financier Eugene Jerome bankrolled prospectors to develop the hill’s copper, lead, silver, and gold deposits. Ironically, Jerome never visited the town that miners named for him. Jerome flourished, becoming Arizona’s third-­largest city with a population of 15,000 and producing over a billion dollars from rich ores. Dubbed “the wickedest town in the West” by the New York Sun in 1903, with its brothels, gambling houses, and saloons, Jerome reached its heyday in the 1920s with plush hotels, fine restaurants, and polite parlor houses. The city’s fortunes plummeted after the stock market crash of 1929 and never fully recovered. The mines and smelter were silenced, and the population fell to 5,000 and then to a mere 50 hardy souls after the mines shut down for good in 1953. Jerome became a ghost town until its history was rediscovered.

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Main Street in Jerome offers eclectic shops, historic sites, and an Old West ambience.

The quaint town still stairsteps up precipitous slopes as steep as 30 percent but now attracts visitors who prowl its shop-­lined streets and historic sites instead of miners seeking the mother lode. Jerome, a designated National Historic Landmark, still looks as it did in its glory days since the town was rebuilt with bricks and mortar after four disastrous fires in the 1890s. To discover Jerome’s turbulent history, visit the town’s museums: the Jerome Historical Society Mine Museum (928-634-1066), Gold King Mine and Ghost Town (928-634-0053) north of town, and Jerome State Historic Park (928-634-5381) overlooking the famed Little Daisy Mine. The state park features the Douglas Mansion, reputedly the largest adobe building in Arizona. Mining magnate Jimmy Douglas had the home built in 1916 with steam heat, a billiards room, and a wine cellar on stable slopes below the steep-­sloped town. Gravity and those steep slopes have played havoc on Jerome, with its worst landslide occurring in 1937 when the east side of Main Street shifted and buckled. Three blocks of buildings, including the Ritz Theater and post office, collapsed and others tilted at crazy angles. The town jail became unmoored from its foundation and began a 15-year downhill creep, slowly crossing Hull Avenue before reaching a final resting place 224 feet below its original location, earning it the moniker “The Sliding Jail.” Now it is a popular and free attraction. Geologists say that underground mining blasts, some directly under the landslide area, caused the Verde Fault to shift.

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Besides the Sliding Jail, other Jerome attractions include Audrey Headframe Park (928-634-1066), Jerome Artists Cooperative Gallery (928-639-4276), Raku Gallery (928-639-0239), wine tasting at the Original Jerome Winery (928-639-

9593), haunted house tours, and gentrified old buildings. Perhaps Jerome’s most fascinating shop is Nelly Bly Kaleidoscopes (928-634-0255), the world’s largest kaleidoscopes dealer with magical scopes from over 90 artists, as well as the cardboard and plastic ones that mesmerized us as kids. The store’s policy is “Please Touch!” so plan to spend an afternoon finding your perfect kaleidoscope. If none of those attractions suits your fancy, then stroll around Jerome’s crooked streets and listen to the song Old Jerome, the town’s official anthem, written in the early 1980s by folksinger Kate Wolf (1942–1986), on your earbuds. And they say that once you live here, you’ll never really go ’Cause she’ll have a hold on you until you die With her ground moving crazy, her fierce wind blowing free And her ruins standing proud against the sky Houses cling to mountains like miners cling to dreams They hold on so long and then they just let go And this mountain she’s your mistress, you’ll ride her ’til you fall And wash down to the valley far below There are stories they tell on Cleopatra There are stories that never can be told The wind and the rain sing their mountain lullaby The copper shines like Arizona gold

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10 Petrified Forest National Park Scenic Drive Painted Desert to Rainbow Forest General description: This 28-mile scenic drive explores Petrified Forest National Park, an eroded landscape of twisted gullies and low mesas that preserves the petrified logs of a vanished 225-million-­year-­old forest. Special attractions: Rainbow Forest

Drive route numbers and names: Petri-

fied Forest Road, Blue Mesa Scenic Road. Travel season: Year-­round. Spring and

autumn temperatures are pleasant, ranging between 50 and 90. Summers are hot—expect daily highs above 90 degrees. Carry water and wear a hat when hiking in summer. Winters are cold and dry, although snow occasionally closes the road.

Museum, Painted Desert, Painted Desert Inn, Chinde Point, Puerco Pueblo ruins, Newspaper Rock, Blue Mesa, Agate Bridge, Jasper Forest, Crystal Forest, Rainbow Forest Museum, Giant Logs, Long Logs, trails, park visitor center.

Camping: No campgrounds in the park. Wilderness backpacking is allowed; obtain a free permit at the visitor center. Private campgrounds are in Holbrook.

Location: East-­central Arizona. The drive’s

Services: All services in Holbrook.

northern entrance is at exit 311 on I-40 (GPS: 35.061077, -109.782531), 25 miles east of Holbrook. The southern entrance is 19 miles east of Holbrook on US 180 (GPS: 34.791282, -109.892283).

Nearby attractions: Hopi Reservation, Navajo Nation, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site, Lyman Lake State Park, Mogollon Rim, White Mountains, Homolovi Ruins State Park.

The Drive The 28-mile-­long Petrified Forest scenic drive crosses an undulating plain broken by pale-­tinted buttes, eroded mesas, and wide tawny grasslands in hourglass-­ shaped Petrified Forest National Park. The 221,391-acre park lies on the southern edge of the Painted Desert, a colorful badlands that stretches from Petrified Forest to the Grand Canyon along the Little Colorado River. It’s a desolate landscape, weathered by dry heat and torrential rain. The land’s appearance, however, is deceptive, for buried in this colorful wasteland hides a 225-million-­year-­old petrified forest. During the Triassic period, tropical Arizona, with a warm, wet climate, was some 1,700 miles to the south of its present location and part of Pangea, a supercontinent. Sluggish streams and rivers meandered northwest across a wide floodplain toward a sea. Silt, sand, mud, and volcanic ash from nearby highlands

89

Petrified Forest National Park Scenic Drive ARI Z O NA Chinde Mesa 6,031 ft. Pilot Rock 6,234 ft.

PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL WILDERNESS AREA

Chinde Point

Painted Desert Inn Kachina Point

40

Pintado Point Painted Desert Visitor Center

Route 66

40

rco Pue

r ve Ri

Puerco Ruin Newspaper Rock

Dry Wa sh The Teepees

Jasper Forest

PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK

Blue Mesa

Blue Mesa Scenic Road

Agate Bridge

Crystal Forest

PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL WILDERNESS AREA Rainbow Forest Museum

180

Long Logs

Giant Logs

0 Agate House

0

2.5

5 Kilometers 2.5

5 Miles

washed downstream past dense forests. The Triassic forest was much different from today’s arid landscape of scrubby trees. The trees, mostly cone-­bearing conifers distantly related to Araucarias in today’s Southern Hemisphere, towered 200 feet above the lush forest floor. Dense ferns and 50-foot-­ high horsetails clotted the riverbanks. It was a green and brown world. Flowering plants had not yet evolved, nor were there birds, mammals, grasses, or butterflies. This world was also dangerous, with giant metoposaurs—6- to 10-foot-­long amphibians—and 20-foot, crocodile-­shaped phytosaurs splashing through streams in search of fish and small prey. PosPetrified logs tumble down a gully on Blue tosuchus, the largest carnivorous Mesa at Petrified Forest National Park. reptile, prowled the forest floor. This was the world that now lies hidden at Petrified Forest National Park. The drive begins at exit 311 on I-40 east of Holbrook. The paved road is open daily year-­round, although winter weather may temporarily close it. Many pullouts and scenic overlooks scatter along the road for sightseeing and hiking. The described drive ends at the park’s south entrance on US 180. Return to Holbrook and I-40 by turning right and driving west on US 180. Unlike most national parklands, Petrified Forest welcomes dog owners and their four-­legged friends with the Bark Ranger program. Sign up for the program at the park entrance stations or visitor center, read and agree to dog rules on the Bark Ranger card, get a pet treat, and hit the drive. Remember B.A.R.K. as you travel Petrified Forest’s roads and trails by BAGGING your pet’s poop and depositing it in a garbage container, ALWAYS leashing your pet, RESPECTING wildlife by keeping Fido at a distance from other animals, and KNOW where to go with the pups, which are allowed on roads, trails, and in the park wilderness area. Only service animals are allowed in the visitor center. Also, do not leave pets unattended in locked cars, since heat can be fatal.

PETR I FI E D FOR EST NATIONAL PAR K SCE N IC DR IVE    91

The Painted Desert Begin the drive into the distant past by first stopping at the Painted Desert Community Complex Historic District (GPS: 35.065671, -109.781869) a mile north

of I-40 after 0.5 mile. The 23 buildings in the complex, built as a self-­contained desert community from 1961 to 1963, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The visitor center provides an introduction to the national park and its geologic and natural wonders with exhibits and an interpretive film. Nearby is a short loop trail, the trailhead for the Tawa Trail, and the Museum Demonstration Lab where you can watch paleontologists preparing park fossils (open Wednesday through Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.). A bookstore sells books, maps, and posters. Nearby are a service station, restaurant, gift shop, restrooms, and picnic pavilion. Past the visitor center, the drive’s first 5 miles swings along the edge of a high mesa above the Painted Desert, a rainbow-­colored badlands that stretches west over 150 miles from Petrified Forest to the eastern edge of the Grand Canyon. Marvelous views unfold from each of this road section’s eight designated overlooks: Tiponi Point, Tawa Point, Kachina Point, Chinde Point, Pintado Point, Nizhoni Point, Whipple Point, and Lacey Point. These viewpoints provide long views across the barren badlands. The forest-­clad Defiance Plateau on the Navajo Nation rims the northeast horizon. Pilot Rock, the park’s high point at 6,234 feet, lifts a dark volcanic brow above the badlands north of Pintado Point. The volcanic Hopi Buttes puncture the skyline to the northwest; to the west, 100 miles away, the San Francisco Peaks etch the horizon; and below the southern sky stretches the White Mountains, their snowcapped summits gleaming like whitewashed towers. Below the windswept viewpoints stretches a wide expanse of water-­carved badlands, protected in the 50,260-acre Painted Desert Wilderness Area. The colorful Chinle Formation forms this slice of the Painted Desert. The formation’s multicolored shades—mauve, purple, red, brown, gray, and green—change with the sunlight between dawn and dusk. The colors of the formation, deposited as mud, silt, and shale along stream floodplains, are caused by iron and manganese in the soil. The Spanish name El Desierto Pintado was given by a 1640 expedition led by Spaniard Francisco Vázquez de Coronado while searching for the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola, cities made of gold which, of course, did not exist. The Painted Desert Inn (GPS: 35.083640, -109.788786), 2.3 miles from the drive’s start, sits at Kachina Point on the volcanic rim above the dissected badlands. The first part of the inn, a National Historic Landmark, was built about 1920 and called Stone Tree House. Petrified wood adorned the front of this small building. In the 1930s the National Park Service acquired the house and rebuilt it

92   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

in Pueblo Revival style with thick walls; exposed vigas, or beams; and a plastered adobe facade. Now it is a museum with exhibits about park history, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and Old Route 66, and painted murals by Hopi artist Fred Kabotie. From the right side of the inn, follow a short trail north to 5,825-foot Kachina Point (GPS: 35.084527, -109.788106) and marvelous views across the Painted Desert. Another trail begins behind the inn and descends steeply to the desert floor, where hikers are free to roam across the badlands to Pilot Rock and the site of Onyx Bridge, a petrified log that bridged a dry wash until it collapsed in December 2020, the victim of gravity and erosion. Chinde Point (GPS: 35.086996, -109.796038) at 2.5 miles has picnic tables and restrooms, while Pintado Point (GPS: 35.081509, -109.801584), a wheelchair-­accessible overlook at 3.1 miles and the highest viewpoint on the drive, is a perfect stop for sunset photographs.

The Puerco River and Route 66 After 5 miles the road swings south, crosses the interstate, and begins descending toward the dry Puerco River across a rolling landscape covered with sagebrush, saltbrush, sunflowers, and Apache plume. The Puerco’s wide, sandy valley has long been a corridor for travelers. First the Native Americans and then the Spanish used this easy passage across the rough badlands. Later the United States, after winning northern Arizona in the Mexican War in 1848, surveyed the area for railroad and wagon routes to California. In 1853 Lieutenant Amiel Whipple explored the region. He noted in his journal, “Quite a forest of petrified trees was discovered today, prostrate and partly buried in deposits of red marl.” The Santa Fe Railroad busted through northern Arizona in 1882, bringing settlers to lands that were the domain of Native peoples and a string of supply towns—Holbrook, Winslow, Flagstaff, and Kingman. During the 1890s entrepreneurs ravaged the fossil forest, carting off thousands of tons of wood and dynamiting logs in search of exquisite crystals. Outrage over the depredations led to the creation of Petrified Forest National Monument in 1906. Congress established the national park in 1962. At 5.9 miles, the drive crosses the abandoned track of Route 66, the famed “Mother Road” and “Main Street of America” that ran cross-­country for 2,448 miles from Chicago to California, the land of milk, oranges, and honey for weary Dust Bowl escapees in the 1930s. This section of Historic Route 66 crosses the road at a pullout (GPS: 35.051273, -109.805249) with an interpretive sign and the rusted wreck of a 1932 Studebaker mired in gravel. The drive continues south and crosses I-40. West of the road at the Puerco River is the ghost town site of Adamana, an 1890s railroad stop named after early

PETR I FI E D FOR EST NATIONAL PAR K SCE N IC DR IVE    93

rancher Adam Hanna. This was the jumping-­off point for petrified log tours into what was then called “Chalcedony Park.”

Puerco Pueblo, Newspaper Rock, and The Teepees Beyond the bridge is Puerco Pueblo (GPS: 34.975964, -109.793954), a large Ancestral Puebloan aboveground ruin with over 100 rooms that may have housed over 200 people during its heyday about 1300 BCE. The site had two occupations—from 1100 to 1200 BCE, and 1300 to 1400 BCE. The ancient farmers grew corn, beans, and squash along the fertile river floodplain; made colorful pottery and delicate baskets; and created outdoor galleries of rock art, mostly petroglyphs, on cliffs and boulders. From a trailhead at the parking lot’s south end, a paved, accessible 0.3-mile loop trail winds through the ruin. Because the area is heavily visited, stay on the trail to avoid damaging the site. Also, look for petroglyphs on rock walls below the ruin. Past the pueblo, the road climbs onto a narrow mesa and at 12.1 miles reaches a right turn onto a short spur that leads west to Newspaper Rock (GPS: 34.961737, -109.798388), a spectacular gallery of Ancestral Puebloan rock art. Below a viewpoint is an upright, flat-­faced sandstone slab at the base of a cliff. The slab is covered with petroglyphs, images pecked into the rock surface, which astound the imagination. Human handprints, deer, mountain lions, snakes, animal tracks, lizards, Kachina faces, a sun and moon, and Kokopelli, the famed humpbacked flute player, jam the rock face. What does this art mean? It is a question that has long plagued visitors and archaeologists. Is it mere doodling, the depiction of myths and legends, the story of clan wanderings, a kind of hunting magic, or a solar calendar? Whatever the answer, it evades us. Better to simply appreciate the art and the glimpse it gives into the ancient soul of the Native people that once lived here. For more information about rock art, consult Rock Art: The Meanings and Myths Behind Ancient Ruins in the Southwest and Beyond (FalconGuides, 2018). Petrified Forest Road bends southeast, enters a barren badlands, and passes The Teepees. These conical, teepee-­shaped buttes spring from the ground like the buried ruins of a prehistoric city. At 14.1 miles is a long pullout on the west side of the road (GPS: 34.944723, -109.776410) with an interpretive sign and views of the pointed buttes towering above a wide, dry wash. The Historic Blue Mesa Trailhead (GPS: 34.943001, -109.777789) lies another 0.1 mile down the road from the pullout. Park at a roadside strip and hike A rusted 1932 Studebaker marks Old Route 66 on the Petrified Forest National Park Scenic Drive. 94   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

northeast on the 3-mile round-­trip trail, which connects the park drive to the Blue Mesa Loop Trail. This excellent out-­and-­back hike follows a trail established by the Civilian Conservation Corps between 1934 and 1937. It closed in 1955 but was reopened in 2013 as a backcountry adventure hike. The trail climbs through colorful badlands, twisting along high ridges above ravines bright with chunks of petrified wood. Beyond The Teepees the road swings onto a broad grassy plain. Look for fleet pronghorns, coyotes, jackrabbits, cottontail rabbits, and occasional hawks along the drive.

Blue Mesa At 15.8 miles, turn left and follow the 3-mile-­long Blue Mesa Scenic Road east across grassland and then onto Blue Mesa, one of the park’s most spectacular areas. The road, looping atop the mesa, offers spectacular views of eroded badlands and petrified logs. Pedestal logs perch on rounded haystacks, steep-­sided

Evening light bathes eroded badlands on Blue Mesa at Petrified Forest National Park. 96   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

hills banded in blue, gray, and red. The excellent 1-mile Blue Mesa Trail, beginning at the Blue Mesa sun shelter (GPS: 34.939411, -109.756164), drops west from the mesa top into a colorful badlands of bentonite, a soft, easily eroded clay, along the northern edge of Blue Mesa. Flecks of petrified wood scatter everywhere, and thick tree trunks straddle the bottoms of steep ravines. The Diné say the logs are the bones of Yietso, an ancient monster slain by their ancestors. The loop road around Blue Mesa also offers five other scenic overlooks. Blue Mesa is a perfect place to observe the process of petrifaction and the subsequent water erosion that uncovered the petrified forest. Most of the petrified trees in the national park, relatives of the modern Norfolk pine, were washed down from nearby highlands by floods about 225 million years ago. Swift river currents broke the bark and branches off the trees before burying them in silt and mud in quiet backwaters and lagoons. Groundwater, seeping through the silt, deposited silica minerals within the tree’s cellular structure. Eventually the wood became petrified, preserving the beauty, strength, texture, and life of the once great forest for millions of years. Beginning 60 million years ago, uplift and erosion stripped the land of its protective rock layers above the Chinle Formation and exposed the long-­buried petrified logs.

Agate Bridge, Jasper Forest, and Crystal Forest After exploring Blue Mesa, return to the main park road and turn south. The next stop at 18 miles is Agate Bridge, a 100-foot-­long log spanning a rock-­rimmed wash. Turn left and follow a short spur road to a parking lot, sun shelter, restrooms, and trailhead (GPS: 34.892391, -109.794339). Walk a short trail to a viewpoint of the log bridge. The exposed petrified log is 40 feet long, 4 feet in diameter at its root base, and perched 16 feet above the gully floor. Erosion of soft clay layers beneath the log left it suspended in midair. In 1886 local cowboy Tom Paine won a $10 wager by riding his horse across the petrified catwalk. Masonry pilings were built beneath the log in 1903 and later replaced by today’s concrete beam in 1917 to preserve the bridge. Do not walk across the formation. The drive continues south to Jasper Forest at 18.7 miles. Turn right on a side road and drive 0.4 mile to a parking lot and overlook at the road’s end (GPS: 34.888535, -109.807446). Jasper Forest is an astounding repository of petrified wood and logs, with hunks of colorful wood perched on clay pedestals, tumbled into gray gullies, and scattered across eroding badlands. Walk a short, accessible path to an overlook on the north edge of a mesa or take a 2.5-mile backcountry hike on an abandoned roadbed. Ask at the visitor center for trail details. Continue south on the park road to the Crystal Forest parking lot and trailhead on the left side of the road at 20.4 miles. A 0.75-mile-­long, accessible loop

PETR I FI E D FOR EST NATIONAL PAR K SCE N IC DR IVE    97

Is the Petrified Forest Disappearing? Remember as you roam through Petrified Forest National Park that although you are welcome to examine fossils and petrified wood, it is illegal to take anything, including natural and cultural objects, as a souvenir. A minimum fine of $325 is imposed for removing or damaging petrified wood in the park. If every one of the almost 800,000 park visitors took one piece every year, the park’s beauty and paleontological resources would rapidly diminish. Instead, buy a piece of petrified wood gathered outside the park at a nearby roadside shop like those near the southern park entrance. Help preserve the national park by leaving it as you found it—on the ground. Taking petrified wood from today’s park is nothing new. In the 1850s, survey parties filled saddlebags with colorful pieces, and later, as word spread of the gorgeous wood scattered across the badlands, collectors hauled it away by the wagonload for use as mantles, fireplaces, lamp bases, and tabletops. After gem hunters began blowing up logs in search of precious stones, outrage over the destruction led to the establishment of a national monument in 1906. Starting in 2011, the park staff began comparing historic photographs of various sites with contemporary images to ascertain if there was a significant loss of petrified wood pieces due to visitor theft. Surprisingly, the images revealed that most sites had little resource damage and appeared about the same as they did over 100 years ago. This observation led the park to back away from a claim that as much as 12 tons of petrified wood was illegally removed each year and to revise their signage and policies regarding wood theft. trail threads through Crystal Forest and its dense accumulation of petrified wood. Nineteenth-­century profiteers almost destroyed Crystal Forest when they dynamited petrified logs in search of semiprecious stones such as smoky quartz and purple amethyst crystals. Many of the massive logs were exploded into the scattered piles of chips seen today. The Flattops parking area (GPS: 34.825430, -109.835280), a long strip on the right side of the road at 24.3 miles, is the jumping-­off point to visit the Flattops in the compact southern unit of the Petrified Forest National Wilderness Area along the park’s southeastern boundary. This pristine wilderness is a scenic area to explore by day hiking or backpacking. Check at the visitor center to obtain a permit for overnight camping in this land of flat mesas rimmed by eroded badlands. 98   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

Long Logs, Agate House, and Giant Logs The southern part of the national park offers its largest concentration of petrified wood and logs, many deposited almost 200 million years ago when an ancient logjam was buried in sand, silt, and volcanic ash. Most of the logs were 100-foot-­high Araucarioxylon trees that toppled over in lagoons, on sandbars, or on river bends. Explore the area by following the road south from the Flattops along the eastern edge of sandy Jim Camp Wash to a left turn into three parking lots at 26.2 miles by the Rainbow Forest Museum. From here, hike the Long Logs, Agate House, and Giant Logs trails. First, stop at the museum, the southern gateway to the park, to see educational exhibits, get visitor info and backcountry permits, visit the bookstore and gift shop, and watch a short movie. Nearby are restrooms and a picnic pavilion. The 1.6-mile Long Logs Trail and 2-mile Agate House Trail pass through the largest concentration of petrified wood in the park. Many of the park’s longest intact logs scatter along the trail, including one measuring 116 feet long. Combine these two trails for a 2.6-mile round-­trip hike. Begin by walking 500 feet from the parking lot to the trailhead on the east side of a bridge (GPS: 34.814700, -109.861827) and head right on the paved trail for 0.1 mile to a circular loop. Go right at the first turn on the out-­and-­back Agate House Trail, which runs southwest to the 800-year-­old ruins of an isolated, eight-­room pueblo built with blocks of petrified wood atop a rounded knoll. Two of the rooms were rebuilt in 1934. To hike the Long Logs Trail, take the second path, which loops past the long logs. The last stop on the scenic drive is the 0.4-mile Giant Logs Trail. The loop trail, beginning behind the museum, twists past thick logs including “Old Faithful,” a massive tree trunk that measures 91/2 feet at its base. Finish the drive by leaving the museum area and driving south for 2.3 miles to US 180 and a couple of rock shops where you can buy a petrified wood souvenir. To return to Holbrook, head west for 19 miles.

PETR I FI E D FOR EST NATIONAL PAR K SCE N IC DR IVE    99

11 Coronado Trail Scenic Byway Springerville to Morenci General description: The Coronado Trail is a 123-mile-­long paved highway that traverses spectacular mountain country from Springerville to Morenci in eastern Arizona. Special attractions: Casa Malpais Archae-

ological Park & Museum, Madonna of the Trail monument, Blue Range Primitive Area, Bear Wallow Wilderness Area, Escudilla Wilderness Area, Apache-­Sitgreaves National Forest, Clifton, scenic views, camping, trails. Location: East-­central Arizona. The high-

way, paralleling the Arizona and New Mexico border, travels from Springerville to Morenci. Start the drive at the junction of Main Street/US 60 and US 191 in Springerville (GPS: 34.132814, -109.270040) and head southeast on US 191. The drive ends at the junction of US 191 and Burro Alley on the north side of Morenci (GPS: 33.050636, -109.324882).

Drive route numbers and names: US

Highway 191, Coronado Trail Scenic Byway. Travel season: Year-­round. The road can close temporarily because of heavy snow. Be prepared for snow and icy spots along the highway’s upper elevations. Camping: Eight national forest campgrounds are along the route. Bring water— some are dry. Services: All services in Clifton, Morenci,

Alpine, and Springerville. Food and lodging at Hannagan Meadow. Nearby attractions: White Mountains Scenic Byway, Sunrise Ski Area, Lyman Lake State Park, Mogollon Rim, Petrified Forest National Park, Roper Lake State Park, Swift Trail, Casa Malpais Ruins.

The Drive The Coronado Trail Scenic Byway twists and turns for 123 miles between Springerville and Morenci in eastern Arizona. The highway, paralleling the Arizona–New Mexico border, traverses a wild, rugged, and scenic section of Arizona’s mountain province. The road crosses a diversity of elevations, ecosystems, and climates, dropping from high conifer and aspen forests in the north to palm trees and cacti in the southern desert. The drive was named for Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, who crossed this wilderness of peaks and canyons in search of the elusive Seven Cities of Cibola in 1540. The highway, once named US 666, was originally called the Devil’s Highway but renamed US 191 and the Coronado Trail. The paved highway has scenic pullouts, eight campgrounds, and picnic grounds, but few good passing areas. Travelers should slow down and enjoy the winding road. The highway, boasting 460 curves between the road’s summit south of Alpine and Morenci, is nicknamed the “white-­knuckle road” by locals. This is 100

Coronado Trail Scenic Byway A RIZ O NA

191

60

60

Springerville 260

Eagar Flat Top 8,167 ft.

Nelson Reservoir

Loco Knoll 9,069 ft.

191

Escudilla Mountain 10,912 ft.

Nutrioso Gobbler Peak 8,918 ft.

56

Noble Mountain 9,576 ft.

ESCUDILLA WILDERNESS AREA

Alpine Divide Campground

Luna Luna Lake Lake Campground

Alpine

APACHE–SITGREAVES NATIONAL FOREST

281 Upper Blue Campground

567

Hannagan Campground

Blue Crossing Campground

Hannagan Meadow KP Cienega Campground Blue Vista 9,202 ft. Blue Peak 9,355 ft.

Strayhorse Campground

BLUE RANGE PRIMITIVE Rose Peak AREA

Eagle National Recreational Trail

Upper Juan Miller Campground

475

Blue River

Four B a Mesa r

8,786 ft. Brigham Peak 7,066 ft.

Lower Juan Miller Campground

n Sa

191 Morenci Open Pit Mine

Morenci 0 0

7.5

15 Kilometers 7.5

15 Miles

Clifton

sco R i v e anci Fr

ARIZON A MEW ME X IC O

Chase Creek Overlook

r

Mitchell Peak 7,951 ft. Granville Campground

Grey Peak 7,698 ft.

not a drive for rushing, but rather a road for leisurely stopping, exploring, and sightseeing. US Highway 191 is also one of the nation’s least traveled federal highways. An Arizona Department of Transportation study found the highway traveler meets year-­round, on the average, an oncoming vehicle once every 19 or so minutes. Allow a minimum of four hours to safely negotiate the drive—more if you plan to stop for the views. Elevations vary drastically along the route, from a low of 3,464 feet at Clifton to a high of 9,400 feet south of Alpine. This 6,000-foot variation in elevation creates dramatically different climates at both ends of the Coronado Trail. Summer is the best time to travel, with highs in the 70s up north and the 90s in the south and daily thunderstorms in July and August. Autumn blankets dazzling aspen gold on the mountains, while red oaks and yellow cottonwoods splash the lower canyons. Winters are cold in the mountains, and heavy snow can close the highway. Alpine receives an average of 54 inches of snow in winter. Spring is pleasant, with warm days and snow lingering along the road’s upper reaches.

Springerville The scenic drive begins in Springerville (population 1,717 in 2020) in eastern Arizona. Springerville and its adjoining twin city, Eagar, nestle in a broad grassy valley 14 miles west of the New Mexico border. The towns are the eastern gateway to the Mogollon Rim and the White Mountains, a broad swath of hilly country that reaches northwest from New Mexico to Flagstaff. Both are old ranching communities first settled by Mormon pioneers in the 1870s. Springerville’s remoteness made the area a haven for outlaws, including the Butch Cassidy gang, Billy the Kid, and the Clanton clan of Tombstone fame. The Madonna of the Trail, an 18-foot, 10-ton granite statue of a pioneer mother with a child in her arms, overlooks Springerville’s Main Street and commemorates the westward spirit. In 1927 the Daughters of the American Revolution commissioned German sculptor August Leimbach to create 12 of the Madonnas, including the one in Springerville, to commemorate the National Old Trails Road. The monuments sit along the highway from Maryland to California. Springerville and Eagar received Apache County’s first traffic lights in 1988. Springerville also boasts Arizona’s oldest movie house, the El Rio Theatre (928-333-1600), which opened as the Apache Theater in 1915 with a hand-­cranked projector to show silent films. For a look at priceless art, stop by the Renee Cushman Art Collection in the Springerville Heritage Center (928-333-2656). An interesting stop before heading south is Casa Malpais Archeological Park and Museum (928-333-5375) at 415 Main Street in Springerville. The

102   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

Springerville, the Coronado Trail’s northern anchor, spreads across a valley below Picnic Hill.

museum, also an area visitor center, displays artifacts from Casa Malpais and shows a short film of Zuni and Hopi elders discussing the site. Casa Malpais, lying north of Springerville, is the ruin of a 60-room pueblo occupied from the late 1200s until about 1400 CE by the Mogollon people. The site, sacred to the Hopi and Zuni tribes, includes a Great Kiva built of volcanic rock, a stairway to a mesa top, panels of rock art, and a unique structure that formed a solar calendar by allowing sunlight through openings on the solstices and equinoxes. Visitation is by guided tour only; these originate at the museum. The Coronado Trail heads south from US 60 on the east side of Springerville. The highway crosses a broad valley and enters 2,003,552-acre Apache-­Sitgreaves National Forest, a recreational wonderland of lakes, mountains, and canyons that flanks the Coronado Trail as it twists southward. The drive swings east after 3 miles and climbs a juniper and piñon pine–covered hillside to a roadcut of basalt from an old lava flow. As the road crosses Picnic Hill, look left for spacious views north to Springerville, the Little Colorado River’s wide valley, and cinder cones that break the rolling plains. This area is part of the Springerville volcanic field, the third-­largest volcanic field in the contiguous United States. Spreading over 1,200 square miles, the field has 405 vents, including 7,358-foot Cerro Hueco northwest of Springerville.

CORONADO TRAI L SCE N IC BYWAY    103

Nutrioso and Escudilla Wilderness Area At 6 miles, the road bends right and drops into Nutrioso Creek Valley, a narrow valley rimmed by basalt cliffs, and reaches Nelson Reservoir (GPS: 34.060352, -109.194233). The mile-­long, 60-acre lake, bordering the highway, is named for pioneer Edmond Nelson, who began building a dam here in 1891 to provide water for crops. This national forest area offers a five-­site picnic area, restrooms, and two boat ramps. Past the reservoir, the grassy valley widens with Nutrioso Creek twisting across the flat floor of Dry Valley. After 16 miles, the highway passes through Nutrioso (population 39 in 2020), a pleasant village established by Mormon settlers fleeing attacks by Native Americans in the 1870s. The name Nutrioso is a combination of the Spanish words nutria for beaver and oso for bear. In 1776, Friar Francisco Escalante, exploring a possible route to California, noted: “We halted in a small plain on the bank of another arroyo which is called Rio de las Nutrias, because, although it is of permanent and running water, apparently during all or most of the year it stands in pools where they say beavers breed.” The route continues southeast along Nutrioso Creek, gently climbing into the mountains. Above the highway towers 10,912-foot Escudilla Mountain, Arizona’s ninth-­highest peak and the centerpiece of 5,158-acre Escudilla Wilderness Area. Escudilla means “soup bowl” in Spanish—an apt name for an old volcano whose crater resembles a huge, hollowed-­out bowl. Steep ridges, cloaked in ponderosa pine and juniper, plunge down to the road, and groves of quaking aspen, shimmering gold in October, cover the high mountain escarpment. The disastrous Wallow Fire swept across Escudilla’s northern slopes in 2011, while a 1951 wildfire decimated the conifer forest and allowed an aspen forest to fill in. The Escudilla Wilderness Area is accessed by FR 56 (GPS: 33.913730, -109.170193), about 4 miles south of Nutrioso. Two trails leave the road and climb to the mountain summit. The Escudilla National Recreation Trail (#308) is the best one to hike. It climbs 3 miles up a well-­graded trail from Terry Flat Road to 10,876-foot Escudilla Lookout. The Government Trail (#119) climbs a steep 2 miles up Profanity Ridge from FR 56A to join the Escudilla Trail on the summit ridge. Escudilla Mountain is known for its abundant wildlife, including elk, mule deer, black bear, and turkey. Arizona’s last grizzly bear, dubbed Old Bigfoot, was killed on Escudilla Mountain in the early 20th century by a government trapper. Writer and naturalist Aldo Leopold wrote about the bear in A Sand County Almanac: “Somehow it seems that the spirit of the bear is still there, prowling the huge meadows, lurking in the thick stands of aspen and spruce, wandering the steep slopes that looking down from is like looking out of the window of an airplane.” 

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Alpine to Blue Vista Heading south past Escudilla Mountain, the Coronado Trail ascends a wooded valley to 8,550-foot Alpine Divide (GPS: 33.898926, -109.156919), one of the drive’s high points at 22 miles. Alpine Divide Campground, with 12 sites nestled in the pines, lies south of the pass summit. Four miles later the highway enters Alpine (population 146 in 2020), a pleasant community in the heart of Arizona’s mountain country and a mere 6 miles from the New Mexico border. The town lies on the banks of the San Francisco River southwest of Escudilla Mountain. Alpine was first called Bush Valley for Anderson Bush, an early settler. Later arriving Mormons named it Frisco for the San Francisco River, and then Alpine because of the surrounding mountain peaks. The village, at a lofty 8,012 feet, is now a base for outdoor recreation—hiking, fishing, snowmobiling, and cross-­country skiing. It offers lodging, restaurants, and a golf course. If you need the makings for lunch, stop at the Alpine Country Store and walk its worn wood floors for fishing tackle, groceries, ice cream bars, and a deli counter. A good side trip heads east on US 180 for 4 miles to 15-acre Luna Lake (GPS: 33.828062, -109.088496), a popular fishing hole near the New Mexico border. The US Forest Service’s Luna Lake Recreation Area offers scenic views, wildflower-­strewn meadows, a boat ramp, fishing pier, accessible trail, picnic area, and 40-site rustic campground tucked in the pines. On the south shore is a marina and store, with boat rentals, fishing gear, food, and drinks. Call the Alpine Ranger District (928-3395000) for site info. For another lake escape, head west from Alpine for 20 miles to Big Lake, a shiny 450acre lake filled with trout and surrounded by aspens, evergreens, and five campgrounds. Luna Lake and nearby Alpine on the The next 29-mile-­long drive Coronado Trail are surrounded by high, section from Alpine to Blue Vista wooded mountains.

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Hannagan Meadow offers camping, wildlife, and one of Arizona’s oldest restaurants at Hannagan Meadow Lodge.

traverses the eastern flank of the White Mountains and offers some of the Coronado Trail’s best scenery and views. The road curves across densely wooded hillsides and flower-­carpeted meadows. It is especially gorgeous in autumn when quaking aspens spread a shimmering golden blanket over the mountains. Hannagan Meadow, 23 miles south of Alpine, makes an ideal stopover for camping, wildlife, and relaxing in one of Arizona’s premier mountain getaways. Open since 1926, the rustic Hannagan Meadow Lodge (928-339-4370) offers lodge accommodations, eight log cabins, and one of Arizona’s oldest continuously operating restaurants. Nearby Hannagan Campground, one of the state’s highest campgrounds, offers eight first-­come, first-­served sites shaded by blue spruce, subalpine fir, and quaking aspen, and no fee, although donations are welcome for upkeep. The meadows are renowned for wildlife watching with black bears, wild turkeys, deer, elk, and chattering squirrels. For lake views, drive south from the campground on US 191 for 2 miles, turn right on FR 8312, and drive a country mile to pristine Aker Lake (GPS: 33.616660, -109.344733). The 2-acre pond nestles in a grassy meadow fringed with forest and deadfall from wildfire. Watch for deer and elk stopping for a drink. Several dispersed campsites are near the lake, but it is rare to see anyone else there. Also, the 3.5-mile round-­trip Aker Lake Trail starts at Hannagan Campground and runs southwest through woods to the pond.

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From Hannagan Meadow, the Coronado Trail gently climbs to its highest point at 9,370 feet after 52 miles. The road descends to a left turn on FR 55, which leads 1.5 miles to five-­site KP Cienega Campground (GPS: 33.576223, -109.355079). This intimate, primitive campground, tucked in a grassy hollow surrounded by tall pines, makes a great spot to stop for a night and poke around in the nearby canyons and forests. For a fabulous hike, follow the KP Trail (#70) northeast down the south fork of KP Creek in a lush canyon to a gurgling waterfall and then into the Blue Range Primitive Area. Past the KP Cienega turnoff, the scenic drive reaches a right turn on FR 578 at 55 miles, which leads 0.15 mile to 9,202-foot Blue Vista Overlook (GPS: 33.564828, -109.353570), one of Arizona’s best viewpoints. Perched on the airy southern edge of the Mogollon Rim, the overlook offers forever views across southern Arizona. Rough-­and-­tumble mountains spill south below the viewpoint, and ridge upon rocky ridge marches across the land. A confusion of canyons and

Perched on the Mogollon Rim, Blue Vista offers views east across the Blue Range Primitive Area to New Mexico. CORONADO TRAI L SCE N IC BYWAY    107

wooded mountains spreads below to distant horizons. Blue haze smudges valleys, while thunderstorms trail dark shadows across the forest. Far to the south rise sky island ranges, including 10,717-foot Mount Graham in the Pinaleño Mountains, the Santa Teresas, and the Dragoon Mountains. Beyond their ragged outlines, the keen eye can spot the Chiricahua Mountains near the Mexican border. Besides stellar views, the overlook has accessible vault toilets and picnic tables.

South from the Mogollon Rim Past Blue Vista, the highway corkscrews down precipitous slopes from the Mogollon Rim, the upturned southern edge of the Colorado Plateau. The rim, one of Arizona’s most notable geographic features, runs northwest for over 200 miles from here to the western edge of the Grand Canyon. It forms a formidable escarpment that separates the Colorado Plateau from the basin and range topography to the south. The road twists down ridgelines and across scalloped mountainsides, and at 59 miles passes Strayhorse Campground with seven first-­come, first-­served sites on the right. This pine-­shaded, roadside campground is a fine place to get unplugged with no cell service. The highway continues south, descending a wide ridge to a rest area on the right at 64 miles and then bending southwest on Strayhorse Divide, a broad wooded ridge separating Little Strayhorse Creek on the south from East Eagle Creek on the north. At Sheep Saddle is another rest area at 7,265 feet and the trailhead for the Sheep Saddle Trail (#16), which heads west into Hot Air Canyon. Farther south the highway edges across slopes above a dry basin and the headwaters of Strayhorse Creek and, after 72 miles, reaches the signed Rose Peak Picnic Site and Trailhead (GPS: 33.446371, -109.370116) on the left. One of the best hikes along the Coronado Trail starts here. Walk south from the trailhead on the Rose Peak Trail (#345) and climb 0.8 mile and 360 feet through pine trees and scrub oak groves to Rose Peak’s 8,786-foot summit. A 50-foot-­high fire lookout, staffed during the summer, rises above the forest and offers 360-degree views across southeastern Arizona. Below the tower, built in 1928, is a cabin and cistern. Scramble up two flights of steps to the lookout deck and enjoy the sights, then return to the trailhead for a 1.6-mile hike. The magnificent wild country west of the scenic drive, broken by a few rough roads and trails, shelters the historic route of Francisco Vázquez de Coronado. He commanded an exploratory outfit that included 336 soldiers, Fray Marcos de Niza and four Franciscan padres, and over 700 enslaved Native people that worked as herders and servants. The 1540 expedition searched for the mythic Seven Cities of Cibola and their golden streets in southern Arizona and the Zuni and Pueblo

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villages of New Mexico. The conquistadors returned to Mexico empty-­handed. Coronado’s route ascended the rugged ridges of the Gila Mountains west of Clifton and about 50 miles west of today’s Coronado Trail through the most difficult terrain encountered on the expedition. Coronado wrote, “The horses were so exhausted they could not endure it, and, in this last desert, we lost more than previously. The way is very bad for at least thirty leagues or more through impassable mountains.” As the highway winds south, it drops from the ponderosa pine forest into a woodland with Gambel, white, and gray oaks. After 84 miles the road crosses Four Bar Mesa, a wide shortgrass mesa punctuated by stock tanks, and then enters low hills and shallow canyons covered with a pygmy forest of piñon pine and juniper trees. Open meadows dotted with grazing cattle scatter among the trees. At 90 miles, reach a junction with FR 475 on the left (GPS: 33.271632, -109.358362). This dirt road heads east up Juan Miller Creek for a couple of miles to two quiet campgrounds, Upper Juan Miller and Lower Juan Miller. Each campground offers four sites shaded by Gambel oaks and sycamores. Past Juan Miller Creek the highway begins climbing steep ridges above Smith Canyon to the west. After 95 miles the road passes a junction with FR 514 and twists around Grey Peak, a sharp 7,698-foot mountain west of the asphalt, and edges across a steep mountainside for another mile to a lookout point at 7,345foot HL Saddle Picnic Site (GPS: 33.217612, -109.383045). The area has a vault toilet, picnic tables shaded with ramadas, and views south of hazy blue ranges. Sardine Saddle Picnic Site and Big Tree Trailhead lie on the left another mile down the highway. From here, drivers can coast downhill nearly all the way to Morenci. Continue south and reach Granville Campground, with nine sites, nestled along shady Chase Creek in a narrow canyon at 100 miles. The highway continues down a canyon to a series of steep switchbacks and leaves the national forest at Chase Creek Overlook Observation Site (GPS: 33.171657, -109.367682). Park in the roadside pullout and follow a short trail to the stunning overlook perched above rocky Chase Canyon. Look south to the highway making steep switchbacks into the canyon. Beyond are the gleaming white tailings from the huge open-­pit copper mine above Morenci. The highway descends the canyon and after 105 miles reaches the northern edge of the Morenci Mine, one of the world’s largest open-­pit mines, in the Clifton-­Morenci Mining District. The mine, now primarily owned by Freeport McMoran and Sumitomo Group, has produced over 800 million pounds of copper from one of the world’s largest copper reserves. The northern part of the mine encompasses the vanished site of Metcalf, a mining town settled in 1872 that has now been strip-­mined and left as a pit. The area’s first ore discoveries were in the late 1850s and 1860s, but it was not until

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about 1870 that Robert Metcalf spied an outcropping of copper ore while tracking a band of outlaws or Apache, depending on which story you believe, in Chase Canyon. He staked the first claim and began working it. Other claims, including the Yankie, Arizona Central, and Longfellow, also began producing ore. By 1875 the town boasted a population of 2,000, and by 1878 it was shipping gold and copper south on the Coronado Railroad, the first railroad in the Arizona Territory, to smelters in nearby Clifton.

Morenci and Clifton The drive twists through the open-­pit mine and loops through Morenci (population 2,028 in 2020). Originally settled in 1872 as Joy’s Camp, Morenci quickly became known as the most dangerous town in the United States. Gunfights and barroom brawls weren’t the problem—instead the town was built on steep-­sided Longfellow Hill. Houses and businesses perched above narrow trails that passed for streets, and the town didn’t have any wheeled vehicles. Carriages and later cars were parked below the town and visitors plodded up hills to visit friends and relatives. Deliveries of goods and groceries was by burro and ladders to reach the airy houses. Legend also says that small children were tethered in yards to keep them from tumbling downhill. In 1912, however, the trails were widened, allowing vehicles to drive into town. This original town site of Morenci was doomed after low-­grade copper deposits were found beneath the town. By the 1930s, mining engineers figured out how to mine 1 percent copper economically, and starting in 1937, ore was dug from the Morenci Pit. In 1965 the expanding pit began engulfing the town, so its buildings were torn down and a new Morenci was built a couple of miles away. While the scenic drive ends in Morenci, continue down the highway to historic Clifton (population 3,933 in 2020), an old mining town sandwiched between cliffs in the San Francisco River’s narrow canyon. Most of Arizona’s historic mining towns like Bisbee, Tombstone, and Jerome are gentrified for the tourist trade, but Clifton remains the real deal with ramshackle buildings, few art galleries or gift shops, and a lively mining heritage that stretches back to the 1870s. During Clifton’s mining boom in 1900, it acquired a reputation as the wildest town in the Arizona Territory. Prospectors established Clifton, now one of Arizona’s most picturesque communities, in 1872. The town’s name was shortened from Cliff Town to Clifton. Since then, its population and prosperity has fluctuated with the copper market. Much of old Clifton survives in the Clifton Townsite Historic District, a 37-acre area listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Historic buildings line Chase Creek Street, including Zorrilla’s Meat Market and Billiard Hall and Brothel

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from 1893, the Eagle Hall–Greenlee Historical Society Building from 1913, and the Sacred Heart Catholic Church from 1917. One of the town’s most interesting places is the Clifton Cliff Jail, a town penitentiary hollowed into a rock wall. Margarito Verala was hired to do the jail’s blasting work in 1881. After finishing the job, he invested his paycheck in mescal and shot up Hovey’s Dance Hall. That night Verala became the first guest in the jail he helped build. For more information about Clifton, stop by or call the Clifton Visitor Center (928-865-3313) in the old Southern Pacific train station at 100 North Coronado Boulevard.

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12 White Mountains Scenic Road Springerville to Hondah General description: A 39-mile-­long highway that climbs over the northern flank of the scenic White Mountains.

Travel Season: Year-­round. Expect snow

Special attractions: Springerville, Apache-­

south of Eagar are five national forest campgrounds—Apache Trout, Brookchar, Cutthroat, Grayling, and Rainbow. Rolfe C. Hoyer and Benny Creek national forest campgrounds are south of the drive near Greer. Several campgrounds are on the Apache reservation east of McNary, including Shush Bezahze, Shush-­Be-­Tou, Ditch, and A-1. These campgrounds require a daily permit from White Mountain Apache Game and Fish. Buy an online permit at wmatoutdoor​.org/purchase_permit​.html.

Sitgreaves National Forest, White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area, Big Lake Recreation Area, Pole Knoll Recreation Area, White Sunrise Park Resort, Fort Apache Reservation, camping, trails, fishing, boating, skiing. Location: East-­central Arizona. The drive follows AZ 260 from Springerville near the New Mexico border to Hondah on the Mogollon Rim. Begin the drive in Eagar at the junction of Main Street and Central Avenue (GPS: 34.110952, -109.291579). Drive west on Central Avenue/AZ 260. End the drive in Hondah at the junction of AZ 260 and AZ 73 (GPS: 34.080538, -109.904691) by the Hon-­Dah Casino. Drive route numbers and names: Arizona Highway 260, White Mountain Scenic Road.

and icy conditions in winter. Camping: At Big Lake Recreation Area

Services: All services in Springerville,

Eagar, Show Low, and Hondah. Limited services in McNary. Nearby attractions: Coronado Trail, Petrified Forest National Park, Lyman Lake State Park, Mount Baldy Wilderness Area, Kinishba Ruins, Mogollon Rim, Greer Recreation Area.

The Drive The White Mountains, Arizona’s largest range with over 2,500 square miles, rise sharply from the Mogollon Rim on the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau. The mountains are high, humpbacked ridges coated with thick forests and broken by broad, grassy valleys. Their pine and fir forests attract summer visitors and campers who find a cool refuge from the steamy desert to the south. This 39-mile-­long scenic drive, designated White Mountains Scenic Road, follows AZ 260 from Springerville to Hondah. The road, traversing the northern flank of the White Mountains, passes through Apache-­Sitgreaves National Forest and the Fort Apache Reservation. Summer is the best time to visit the White Mountains, with pleasant temperatures between 50 and 80 degrees. Nights at the higher elevations can be chilly. Heavy thunderstorms often douse the range in July and August. Be prepared if 112

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Hawley Lake

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Haystack Mountain 8,036 ft.

Lake Mountain 8,501 ft.

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Baldy Peak 11,403 ft.

Sunrise Park Resort

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273 Sunrise Lake

A-1 Campground

A-1 Lake

Cinder Pit Mountain 9,110 ft.

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White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area Antelope Mountain 9,003 ft. 260

Rolfe C. Hoyer Campground

Pole Knoll 9,793 ft.

East Baldy Trailhead

Greens Peak 10,133 ft.

APACHE NATIONAL FOREST

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White Mountains Scenic Road

East F o

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Eagar

Springerville

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you’re hiking by bringing a raincoat or poncho. Spring and fall are cooler with highs ranging from 40 to 70 degrees, and nights often dipping below 32 degrees. Unlike most of Arizona, winters are long and frigid. Snow blankets the highway’s edge from November through March.

Eagar to Greer Turnoff The drive begins in Eagar, Springerville’s twin town a couple of miles south of US 60. The towns lie in Round Valley, a grassy basin on a bend of the Little Colorado River, a 338-mile-­long river that begins on Mount Baldy in the White Mountains. Springerville, plugged as the “Gateway to the White Mountains,” was founded as an outlaw camp and named for pioneer trader Henry Springer. Its infamous residents included the notorious Clanton gang, who operated from here after being run out of Tombstone in 1881. After battling Wyatt Earp and other lawmen at the OK Corral at Tombstone, surviving brothers Ike and Fin Clanton moved their cattle rustling operation to their Cienega Amarilla ranch near Springerville. A few years later Fin was put in jail, and Ike was killed in a shootout at a ranch on Eagle Creek in 1887. The three Eagar brothers, Mormon settlers from Utah, found rich soil and plentiful irrigation water in Round Valley and founded the town of Eagar. They settled upriver from Springerville to avoid moral degradation. Today both towns are friendly communities that serve as business centers for local ranchers and offer all services for travelers. Start the drive in Eagar at the junction of Main Street and Central Avenue, which becomes AZ 260. Head west on the tree-­lined street and quickly leave Eagar and cross a wide valley beside the sparkling Little Colorado River, its grassy banks lined with bands of black basalt and dotted with cattle. After 3 miles the road reaches a junction with AZ 261 on the left. This paved road climbs 23 miles south to Big Lake Recreation Area and some of Arizona’s best trout fishing. More trout, mostly rainbows, are supposedly caught in 575-acre Big Lake than any other Arizona lake. Groceries, rental boats, a dump station, and gasoline are available. Facilities include a paved boat ramp and five national forest campgrounds—Apache Trout, Brookchar, Cutthroat, Grayling, and Rainbow. Cutthroat and Brookchar Campgrounds are for tents only. Besides fishing, the area offers miles of trails, including the Indian Springs Trail and West Fork of Black River Trail. Summer nights are cool at the 8,985-foot lake. North of the scenic drive is 2,850-acre White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area, a high grassland studded with cinder cones and scattered junipers. The area, managed by the Arizona Game and Fish Department, was acquired in 1999 and 2000 when the state bought two historic ranches. Several trails lace the area,

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Golden wildflowers blanket hills at the White Mountains Grasslands Wildlife Area along the White Mountains Scenic Road.

including the 2.6-mile Ocote Trail, which loops through a draw. Watch for deer, elk, pronghorn, gray fox, squirrels, and plenty of birds. Reach the wildlife area from the drive by turning right at 4.6 miles (signed for “refuse station”) on paved CR 4128. Follow it north and then west to the southwest corner of a cone. Keep left on a dirt road and drive 3 miles to a cattle guard at the area boundary. Continue to a parking area and trailhead (GPS: 34.127825, -109.416012). After leaving the river at the highway junction, the drive climbs the southern slope of grassy 9,003-foot Antelope Mountain, an inactive cinder cone volcano. Old lava flows and over 200 cinder cones punctuate the land north of the highway. Volcanic action formed the White Mountains, with Mount Baldy, the range high point at 11,590 feet, the area’s central volcano. Massive glaciers perched atop the mountains later chiseled and sculpted the range. The highway enters Apache-­Sitgreaves National Forest after almost 10 miles and continues west through a ponderosa pine forest. Arizona Highway 373 turns south a half mile beyond the forest boundary. This road threads south for 5 miles to Greer, a small community at the confluence of the east and west forks of the Little Colorado River. The three Greer Lakes—Bunch, Tunnel, and River Reservoirs—northeast of the town and the Little Colorado River offer fine fishing. Two national forest campgrounds, Benny Creek and Rolfe C. Hoyer, lie off the highway to Greer. Marked cross-­country ski trails bring winter visitors here.

WH ITE MOU NTAI NS SCE N IC ROAD    115

The White Mountains Past the Greer turnoff, the drive begins climbing steadily through a thick pine forest dotted with quaking aspens to a 9,200-foot-­high grassland flanked by gentle wooded ridges. At 13 miles the drive passes a left turn that leads to Pole Knoll Recreation Area (GPS: 34.054477, -109.503390), a national forest site surrounding 9,793-foot Pole Knoll. A trailhead at the end of the 0.3-mile paved access road leads to an 18-mile network of trails. The 12 trails are well marked and easy to follow. Most offer easy hikes and all are popular with Nordic skiers in winter when snow covers the knoll. For day hikes with views, take the 1.3-mile Viewpoint Trail (2.6 miles round-­trip) or tackle the 2.1-mile Summit Trail (4.2 miles round-­trip) which climbs over 800 feet to forever White Mountain views. For info, call the Springerville Ranger District (928-333-6200). The drive continues west across a wide grassy plain fringed with forest, dipping across Fish Creek and reaching a junction on the right with FR 117. For more views, turn right on dirt FR 117 and drive north about 4 miles to the base of 10,133-foot Greens Peak. The road continues bumping up to the summit, but if it is muddy or you want exercise, park at a switchback at the base and follow the track to the top, gaining 425 feet in 0.8 mile. The White Mountains are part of the reintroduction area for the endangered Mexican gray wolf, which once roamed across the American Southwest and northern Mexico. After being hunted close to extinction by the 1970s, the gray wolf was saved by a captive breeding program, which led to their release in Arizona and New Mexico in 1998. As of 2022, the US Fish and Wildlife Service counted 196 wolves in the two states, with 84 in Arizona. Keep your eyes open and binoculars handy to spot the elusive wolf along the drive.

Fort Apache Reservation Continue west past the Apache Railroad Trailhead and at 17.5 miles pass onto the signed Fort Apache Reservation, a 1.6-million-­acre reserve bordered by the Mogollon Rim on the north and the Salt River on the south. The next stop is a junction at 18.7 miles with AZ 273. Turn south here on AZ 273 to climb Mount Baldy or ski at Sunrise Park Resort. The ski resort (GPS: 33.973743, -109.564177) is 6.5 miles south on AZ 273 and CR 600. The West Baldy Trailhead (GPS: 33.964825, -109.501331) is 8.8 miles south on AZ 273, and the East Baldy Trailhead (GPS: 33.931600, -109.489930) is 11.7 miles south of the scenic drive. To the south towers 11,420-foot Mount Baldy, the high point of the White Mountains and the fifth-­highest point in Arizona. Rising above tree line, the mountain’s bare upper slopes give it the name Baldy. The Apache call the sacred

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mountain Dzil Ligai, or “White Mountain,” a holy place that is home of the wind and mountain spirits and the source of life. Tribal members make pilgrimages to the mountain summit to worship. Mount Baldy straddles the 7,079-acre Mount Baldy Wilderness Area on its northeastern slope and the Fort Apache Reservation on its southern and western slopes. Two campgrounds lie near the foot of Baldy, and two 7-mile-­long trails climb the east and west forks of the Little Colorado River to Baldy’s highest summit. Mount Baldy has three summits, with its highest summit on public land. The lower summits, including 11,403-foot Baldy Peak, lie on the Apache reservation and are closed to non-­Apache hikers. The East Baldy Trail (#94) and West Baldy Trail (#95) climb the peak from the east. Both are about 7 miles long (one way) and meet at an 11,200-foot saddle between Mount Baldy and Baldy Peak. Peakbaggers scramble from there to Mount Baldy’s legal high point for stunning views across central Arizona. For more information on Baldy Peak and its trails, contact Springerville Ranger District (928-333-6200). Sunrise Park Resort (855-735-7669; sunrise​.ski), Arizona’s largest ski area, sprawls across the northern flank of three mountains—Sunrise Peak, Cyclone Circle, and Apache Peak. The ski slopes, with 1,900 feet of vertical drop, offer 1,200 acres of skiable terrain and 65 runs, with 45 percent for beginners and 28 percent for intermediate skiers. The ski season usually runs from Thanksgiving to late March, with an average of 250 inches of snow annually. The area has snowmaking equipment and offers limited night skiing. The resort is also open in summer for hiking, downhill mountain biking, chairlift rides, a zipline course, and camping at Sunrise Park Campground. The White Mountain Apache Tribe owns and operates the resort. From its junction with AZ 273, the drive continues west across a high meadowland and enters a pine and aspen forest. At 20.8 miles reach a side road that bumps down to A-1 Lake, the first of many small ponds that border the road like watery beads, and small A-1 Campground, a White Mountain Apache site. At 22.9 miles is a junction on the left with CR 624, which heads south for about a mile to small Ditch Campground on the banks of the scenic North Fork of the White River. The drive runs across wooded hills to a grassy plain and a left turn on a side road at 25.2 miles leads to Horseshoe Cienega Lake—a 121-acre horseshoe-­ shaped reservoir with a campground on its south shore. As the highway descends west, it passes more lakes with campgrounds—Shush-­Be-­Tou and Shush-­Bezahze. All the campgrounds are on the Fort Apache Reservation and require a daily permit. Buy an online permit at wmatoutdoor​.org/purchase_permit​.html. Continue west across rolling hills blanketed with a mature ponderosa pine forest. Finally, the highway levels beside Gooseberry Creek and enters McNary (population 771 in 2020), an old lumber town, after 35 miles. The McNary

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A marshy meadow in Sheep Cienega Valley hides south of the White Mountains Scenic Road.

Lumber Company, started by James McNary, built a sawmill and a town here in 1924 and by 1950 the town housed about 2,000 people. A fire destroyed the mill in 1979, and it was rebuilt near Eagar to the east. McNary, at an elevation of 7,316 feet, is consistently one of Arizona’s ice boxes and reached a low of −40 in 1971. It also averages 64 inches of snow annually. After 39 miles, the scenic drive ends 3 miles past McNary at the junction of AZ 260 and AZ 73 at Hondah (population 811 in 2020). Hondah, the western gateway to the White Mountains, is named for the Apache word for “welcome.” The big business here is the Hon-­Dah Resort Casino (928-369-0299) on the southeast side of the intersection. The casino also has the Indian Pine Restaurant, Timbers Showroom, a hotel and conference center, gas station, and RV park. Arizona Highway 73 heads south from the junction to Whiteriver and Fort Apache, the heart of the Apache reservation. To the northwest along AZ 260 is a strip of development in the towns of Pinetop, Lakeside, and Show Low.

Horseshoe Cienega, south of the scenic drive, spreads across a valley below the White Mountains. WH ITE MOU NTAI NS SCE N IC ROAD    119

13 Mogollon Rim Road Scenic Drive Forest Road 300 General description: The spectacular 43-mile-­long Rim Road, a backcountry gravel drive, threads along the Mogollon Rim in central Arizona. Special attractions: Baker Butte Lookout,

Potato Lake, Hi-­View Point, Battle of Big Dry Wash, Myrtle Point, Knoll Lake, Horseshoe Vista, Bear Canyon Lake, Woods Canyon Lake, Mogollon Rim Visitor Center, General George Crook National Recreation Trail, campgrounds, trails, scenic overlooks. Location: Central Arizona. The Rim Road

traverses the Mogollon Rim between AZ 87 and AZ 260 north of Payson. Start the drive at the junction of AZ 87 and FR 300 (GPS: 34.455412, -111.396559) 28 miles north of Payson and 61 miles southwest of Winslow. End the drive at the junction of FR 300 and AZ 260 (GPS: 34.302925, -110.896062) 29 miles northeast of Payson. Road can be driven in either direction.

Drive route numbers and names: Forest

Road 300, Rim Road. Travel season: May through Oct. Snow and

mud close the road in winter and spring. Camping: Several national forest campgrounds line the road or are a few miles off it, including Kehl Springs, Knoll Lake, Bear Canyon Lake, Mogollon, Rim, and Sink Hole near the east end. Dispersed camping is allowed off the road. Services: No services on drive. All services

in Heber and Payson. Nearby attractions: Payson, Tonto Natu-

ral Bridge, Fort Verde State Historic Park, Montezuma Castle National Monument, Fort Apache Reservation, Mazatzal Wilderness Area, Zane Grey Lodge, Strawberry, Tonto Basin.

The Drive The Rim Road follows the Mogollon Rim for 43 twisting miles, dipping across shallow side canyons, passing through ponderosa pine forests, and stopping atop high cliffs that offer marvelous views. The drive, following FR 300, is paved for 3 miles on its east side from Woods Canyon Lake to the Mogollon Rim Visitor Center and is gravel for the remainder. The road traverses the old General Crook Trail, a historic military road that linked Camp Verde and Fort Apache during the Apache wars in the 1880s. Sweeping views unfold along the route of the Tonto Basin, the Mazatzal Mountains, and Camelback Mountain in Phoenix 85 miles to the southwest. On clear days, the discerning eye can identify the hazy ridges of the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson almost 150 miles to the south. The Mogollon Rim is exactly that—the southern rim of the Colorado Plateau. The rim, one of Arizona’s largest geographic features, runs west and northwest 120

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park

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East Point 7,042 ft.

Baker Butte 8,077 ft.

Hi-View Kehl Springs Point Campground 7,494 ft.

Potato Lake

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Strawberry

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Promontory Butte 7,940 ft.

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Rim Campground Mogollon Rim Visitor Center

Aspen Campground

Campground Willow Springs Campground

Woods Canyon Lake Spillway 105 Mogollon Campground Woods Canyon Vista Christopher Creek Campground

Upper Tonto Creek Campground

Zane Grey Cabin

Horseshoe Vista

10 Miles

Bear Canyon Lake

10 Kilometers

Knoll Lake Campground

Knoll Lake

Ponderosa Campground

Lower Tonto Creek Campground

Myrtle Point 7,867 ft.

Burnt Point

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for over 200 miles as a high escarpment from the White Mountains near the New Mexico border to the western Grand Canyon. The rim is the scarp of a great fault that lifted the plateau above the desert lands to the south. Elevations along the road average 7,600 feet and reach higher than 7,900 feet on Promontory Butte. Summer and autumn are the best times to travel the Rim Road. The road is open from May through October, depending on when the snow and mud dries up and when the first snow falls. Summers, compared to the southern lowlands, are pleasant with highs in the 70s and 80s and nights dropping to the 40s. The rim forces moisture-­laden clouds to rise and precipitate, so daily thunderstorms are common in July and August. Heavy snowfall and mud close the road in winter and spring. Allow four to six hours to travel the route. The Rim Road follows or parallels the General George Crook National Recreation Trail (#140), an old military road that connected Fort Apache with Prescott and Fort Verde. The track, about 220 miles long, proved crucial to ending the Apache wars. General Crook and his soldiers scouted the route in 1871 along the Mogollon Rim, an Apache stronghold, and built the road in 1872. The road was used for 22 years, although after the railroad reached Holbrook in 1882 it was less traveled. The Rim Road was constructed atop the Crook Trail in 1928. Interest in Crook’s old road revived the trail in the 1970s, with 135 miles of marked trail for hikers. Today the trail, a designated National Recreation Trail, serves hikers, historians, and horseback riders.

Baker Butte Lookout, Potato Lake, and Rim Lookout The drive begins on the west end of the Rim Road at its junction with AZ 87. Turn south on signed FR 300 and go south for 0.1 mile and bend left. The road heads east through a dense ponderosa pine forest and reaches a junction after 1.4 miles. A closed road (FR 300B) on the right climbs to the top of 8,077-foot Baker Butte and one of the fire lookouts scattered on the Mogollon Rim (GPS: 34.453687, -111.380823). Park across the road at the General Crook Trailhead. A 0.4-mile hike up the road leads to Baker Butte Lookout, a 30-foot-­high metal tower with a cabin and catwalk reached by wooden stairs. Staffed from March to October, the fire lookout is open for visitation between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Do not climb up the lookout or enter it without an invitation. Continue east on the road through thick forest and at 2.8 miles reach a junction with FR 613 on the left. This rough track peels north for 1.4 miles to Potato Lake, a teardrop-­shaped pond ringed by trees. The size of the pond depends on recent rainfall. While fishing is okay, there are plenty of crayfish, an invasive species, for the grabbing. On the main drag, continue east past a junction with Milk Ranch Point Road/FR 218, which twists west along the rim.

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A short hike leads to a 30-foot-­high fire lookout on Baker Butte.

Heading southeast through rolling hills, the Rim Road emerges from the forest into meadows and arrives at a viewpoint after 5.8 miles (GPS: 34.424643, -111.330264). For a more dramatic vista, walk 0.15 mile south along a closed road to Rim Lookout. The road bends sharply left here and runs northeast through piney woods up shallow Kehl Canyon to Kehl Springs Campground at 6.9 miles (GPS: 34.435116, -111.317123). The eight-­site campground offers tent and trailer sites, but there is no water or trash service, so pack your garbage out. Also, no fires in the campground during Stage 1 restrictions. (A small wildfire torched the northwest side of the canyon above the campground.) If you camp at Kehl, drive back to Rim Lookout in the evening for spectacular views south across the basin to the Four Peaks and the twinkling lights of Payson below. Continue east to a junction on the left with FR 141 at 7.4 miles, which heads north up Blazed Ridge. Past the junction, the road threads along the rim’s edge and enters a burned zone caused by the Dude Fire. Ignited by a lightning strike on June 26, 1990, near Dude Creek, the fire quickly erupted, burning dry timber and raging out of control. Downslope winds spread the erratic fire, trapping 11 firefighters from the Perryville Fire Crew and killing 6 of them. The fire eventually burned 24,174 acres. The drive heads east along the rim through 3 miles of devastation before reentering the forest.

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Hi-­View Point and Battle of Big Dry Wash At 8.6 miles, the drive reaches Hi-­View Point (GPS: 34.436878, -111.293981), the most-­photographed overlook on the Rim Road. The 7,494-foot-­high viewpoint, lying 125 feet south of the road, feels like the edge of the world. Steep, cliff-­walled drainages fall south from the rim into the Tonto Basin. The town of Payson spreads across a forest clearing, and farther south tower the Four Peaks in the Mazatzal Wilderness Area. The view recalls Lieutenant George M. Wheeler’s description of the magnificent views from the Mogollon Rim in 1873: “Mountain, forest, valley and streams are blended in one harmonious whole. Few worldwide travelers in a lifetime could be treated to a more perfect landscape, a true virgin solitude, undefiled by the presence of man.” Wheeler (1842–1905) led the Wheeler Survey, exploring Arizona’s geologic and natural diversity. For the next 2 miles the road bobs and weaves along the rim’s burned edge, passing more viewpoints. At 10.4 miles, enter the pine woods again and head northeast away from the rimrock. After making a hairpin turn, the road descends to the bottom of General Springs Canyon and a historic marker at 12.1 miles (GPS: 34.453858, -111.250900). The marker commemorates the Battle of Big Dry Wash, the last major skirmish between Apache warriors and the US Army that occurred 7 miles north of here on July 17, 1882. After raiding the San Carlos Agency and plundering the Tonto Basin, 54 Apache retreated onto the Mogollon Rim and laid an ambush. Captain Adna R. Chaffee led the Sixth Cavalry in pursuit and pinned the Apaches in the canyon, where soldiers killed Apache chief Na-­tio-­ tish and 21 warriors. The road bends southeast and creeps along the rim above a deep canyon carved by the East Verde River. At 14.5 miles the Rim Road curves around the head of Dude Creek, where the 1990 wildlife that decimated the area began in the canyon below. A pullout on the left side of the road past the curve (GPS: 34.429928, -111.227240) lies below small Dude Lake, a shelf lake that sits on Mogollon Mesa, a tableland between the sheer rim and East Bear Canyon to the north. The next 7 miles of road twist along the brink of the Mogollon Rim, which falls precipitously to the south to canyons like Walk Moore Canyon and Hells Gate Canyon. Unburned pine forest shades the left side of the dirt road, while the right side is a dead zone of fallen trees and shrub-­covered slopes. Stop along the road for scenic views. Points of interest include Burnt Point at 17.4 miles, Myrtle Lake at 20.4 miles, and Lost Lake at 21.2 miles. Past the lakes, the road bends away from the rim. At 21.8 miles is a junction on the right with a rough dirt road Sandstone cliffs drop below Rim Lakes Vista, one of the Rim Road’s best overlooks. MOGOLLON R I M ROAD SCE N IC DR IVE    125

that heads south for 0.8 mile to Myrtle Point, another superb overlook sitting at the end of a rock peninsula.

Knoll Lake, Horseshoe Vista, and Bear Canyon Lake Continue east on the Rim Road, passing through thick forest and playing hide-­ and-­seek with the rim edge. At 23.1 miles, reach a junction on the left with FR 295 at the head of Big Canyon (GPS: 34.391898, -111.126152). Go left here and drive 5.6 miles on bumpy FR 295 and FR 295E to 77-acre Knoll Lake (GPS: 34.430652, -111.086512), one of the Mogollon Rim’s beauty spots. The secluded lake offers fishing, canoeing, boating (single electric motor only), and hiking. Nearby is Knoll Lake Campground with 31 sites, water, and toilets. The Rim Road swings away from the rim and runs through open forest, dipping across shallow canyons. After passing the headwaters of Tonto Creek, it bends southeast, passes under power lines, and reaches a small pullout for Horseshoe Vista at 27.8 miles (GPS: 34.379863, -111.065998). This overlook yields fine views south across a great void to wooded Promontory Butte. For more views, hike 500 feet along the rimrock to the right to Mogollon Rim Viewpoint. Shallow Horseshoe Lake hides north of the parking area. Continue winding along the wooded rim to a junction on the left with FR 89 at 30.9 miles (GPS: 34.376766, -111.023595). To visit Bear Canyon Lake Recreation Area, go left and follow FR 89 and FR 89A for 2.8 miles to the 60-acre lake and an undeveloped campground. Hikes here follow the Mallard, Merganser, and Bear Canyon Lake Trails. Return to the main road and continue east for 0.15 mile to a right turn on FR 76, a rough track that heads south for 3.5 miles to a viewpoint on the southern edge of 7,940-foot Promontory Butte, a bold peninsula jutting off the Mogollon Rim. Depending on road conditions, the first section is usually passable for a highway car but the final bit to the overlook may require a high-­clearance or four-­ wheel-­drive vehicle.

Carr Lake Trailhead and Woods Canyon Lake At 31.2 miles, pass a communications tower and continue straight to a junction with FR 34 at mile 34.1. Take a sharp right here to stay on the Rim Road (FR 34 goes left and heads north to Winslow). Continue east on the main road and then bend south across rolling hills covered with open pine forest. Dip across shallow Woods Canyon and climb to a junction on the right with FR 9350 at 38.1 miles. Turn right and park immediately at Carr Lake Trailhead (GPS: 34.337366, -110.971617). A confusing network of multiuse singletrack trails and old roads

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Boaters paddle kayaks and canoes across shimmering Woods Canyon Lake off the Rim Road.

begins here, including the Aspen (#411), Carr Lake (#412), Boulder Hop (#413), and General Crook (#140) trails. Bring a map and compass or GPS unit to stay the course. The Mogollon Campground lies right of the drive on FR 300B at 39.5 miles. The two-­loop, 26-site campground offers tent and trailer sites shaded by ponderosa pines. About half the sites can be reserved at recreation​.gov. Continue another 0.7 mile to a left turn on paved FR 105/Woods Canyon Road and drive 1.5 miles to the south shore of 55-acre Woods Canyon Lake. The lake is a popular fishing, hiking, and camping getaway for Arizonans escaping summertime heat. The lakeshore has a marina, store, Rocky Point Picnic Site, and four campgrounds— 26-site Spillway and 136-site Aspen, and two group campgrounds, Crook and Woods Canyon Lake. A fun hike is the 5.2-mile Woods Canyon Lake Trail (#336), marked with blue diamonds, which starts by Spillway Campground, crosses the dam, and circumnavigates the lake, ending at the picnic area.

Woods Canyon Vista and Mogollon Rim Visitor Center The rest of the Rim Road is paved from the Woods Canyon Lake turnoff to its eastern end at AZ 260. From the junction, drive 0.1 mile to a turnout on the right for Woods Canyon Vista (GPS: 34.315037, -110.944567) with excellent views

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across the wooded basin to the south. An excellent out-­and-­back hike starts here on the Rim Lakes Vista Trail (#622). Hike east on the popular paved trail for a half mile to Rim Lakes Vista and then return for a mile-­long hike. Alternatively, go right from Woods Canyon Vista and follow the paved trail northwest for 0.9 mile to a trailhead at Mogollon Campground. Expect intimate views from the rimrock trail of wooded Tonto Basin. Finish the drive by continuing east along the rim through open pine forest, passing Rim Lakes Vista at 40.7 miles. At 42.7 miles, pass a right turn to 26-site Rim Campground and the Rim Campground Trail (#507). Walk the trail south to the rim for 100-mile views. At 43.3 miles is a left turn into Rim Top Trailhead, the jumping-­off point for the full-­length Rim Lakes Vista Trail, which runs 3.5 miles west from here to Mogollon Campground. The road arcs right and reaches a T-­junction with AZ 260 and the end of the Rim Road drive at 43.5 miles (GPS: 34.302880, -110.896038). Across the highway from the road’s end is the Mogollon Rim Visitor Center, a log cabin that welcomes travelers with interpretive information, books, maps, gifts, and helpful staff to answer questions. The center is open seasonally Thursday through Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Go right on AZ 260 and drive 29 miles to return to Payson and AZ 87.

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14 Salt River Canyon Scenic Drive Globe to Show Low General description: An 84-mile scenic drive that crosses plateaus, remote mountains, and the precipitous Salt River Canyon between Globe and Show Low.

Drive route numbers and names: US

Highway 60, Arizona Highway 77. Travel season: Year-­round. The road is

Special attractions: Salt River Canyon,

usually dry, although icy and snowy conditions can occur in winter near Show Low.

Apache Falls, Timber Camp Recreation Area, Seneca Falls, White Mountain Apache Reservation, San Carlos Apache Reservation, Tonto National Forest, Globe, Show Low, camping, trails, river rafting.

Camping: Jones Water Primitive Campground is a dispersed camping area alongside the highway. Timber Camp Recreation Area offers both first-­come, first-­served and reserved campsites.

Location: East-­central Arizona. The drive

Services: All services in Globe and Show

runs from Globe, 87 miles east of Phoenix, to Show Low atop the Mogollon Rim. Begin at the junction of US 60 and East Ash Street on the east side of Globe (GPS: 33.392274, -110.765275). End the drive in Show Low at the junction of US 60 and South Clark Road (GPS: 34.241118, -110.058707).

Low. Nearby attractions: Mogollon Rim, White

Mountains, Sunrise Park Resort, Kinisba Ruins, Besh-­ba-­gowah Ruins, Tonto National Monument, Roosevelt Lake, Salt River Canyon Wilderness Area, Superstition Wilderness Area.

The Drive The 84-mile-­long Salt River Canyon scenic drive follows US 60, one of America’s first coast-­to-­coast highways, north from Globe through the isolated mesas of the Apache Range, across the rugged Salt River Canyon, and onto the forested Mogollon Rim to Show Low. The road traverses a wide variety of topography, climates, and plant communities. It crosses the transition zone from the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona to the searing deserts of the southlands. The canyon bottom, at 3,350 feet, basks in a moderate year-­round climate, with prickly pear cacti, sotol yuccas, agaves, and palm trees, whereas the ponderosa pine forest at 6,331-foot-­ high Show Low is buried under winter snow. The highway links I-40 north of Show Low with Phoenix and Tucson. Plenty of pullouts and scenic overlooks allow travelers to enjoy the drive’s diversity and beauty. The highway is open year-­round, although snow might close the upper sections. Winter temperatures are cool at the lower elevations and cold on the rim.

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Salt River Canyon Scenic Drive A RIZ O NA SITGREAVES NATIONAL FOREST 260 MO G O L

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Cibicue Peak 6,507 ft.

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Jackson Butte 6,106 ft.

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McMillanville Ghost Town Richmond Mountain 5,836 ft.

Rock Springs Butte 5,362 ft.

Jones Water Campground Chrome Butte 5,771 ft.

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Globe Besh-ba-gowah Ruins

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Cedar Creek

Timber Camp Recreation Area Coral Spring Mountain 5,990 ft.

Timber Camp Mountain 6,527 ft.

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Ragged Top Mountain Sugar Loaf 6,213 ft. Butte 6,095 ft.

Cibicue Falls

Salt Banks

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15 Kilometers 7.5

15 Miles

Summers are cool near Show Low, but temperatures often climb to 100 degrees in the canyon bottom and near Globe. Afternoon thunderstorms, fed by monsoon moisture, occur frequently in July and August somewhere along the route. Spring days are delightful along the road.

Globe to San Carlos Apache Reservation The drive begins in 3,541-foot-­high Globe (population 7,351 in 2020), an old mining town nestled along Pinal Creek in a shallow valley below the ragged Pinal Mountains. Prospectors, finding silver in nearby hills, set up a mining camp along the creek. Globe, supposedly named for a silver nugget etched with lines that resembled the five continents, incorporated in 1880. The silver played out after a few years, but rich copper strikes kept Globe in business. The greatest producer was Old Dominion, which yielded a fortune in gold, silver, and copper until its closure during the Great Depression. Nearby are Besh-ba-gowah Ruins, a Salado Native American site south of town along Pinal Creek. Several Forest Service roads climb south from Globe into the cool Pinal Mountains and the 7,848-foot summit of Pinal Peak. Pinal and Upper Pinal Campgrounds lie in a ponderosa pine and white fir forest atop the peak, offering a respite from hot lowland temperatures in the summer. The campgrounds are at the site of an 1800s army heliographic signaling station, which used mirrors reflecting sunlight to send messages. A trail network laces Pinal Peak’s upper slopes, giving spacious views across the range. Pinal Peak is also a birding hotspot. The US 60 scenic drive begins on the eastern outskirts of Globe. Turn north off North Ash Street/US 70 and head northeast across scrubby hills. The asphalt rolls by dry, barren mountains for the first few miles, crossing rocky washes lined with mesquite trees. After a few miles, the road turns north up Cammerman Wash toward 5,836-foot Richmond Mountain, a broad, round-­shouldered peak broken by cliffs. The drive slowly ascends dry arroyos toward a pass between Richmond Mountain and 5,771-foot Chrome Butte on the right at 9 miles. The road crosses over the Apache Group, 1.7- to 1.1-billion-­year-­old rock formations that include Troy quartzite, Barnes conglomerate, Pioneer shale, and Mescal limestone. Dark volcanic rocks, intruded into sedimentary rock layers over 600 million years ago, form erosion-­resistant caps atop the surrounding mesas. Past the saddle, the highway dips and rolls over piñon pine and juniper–covered ridges and dry, brushy canyons carved into ancient granite. After 13 miles the drive passes what was once the booming town of McMillenville. A rich 10-mile-­ long silver vein was discovered here in 1876 by Charlie McMillen and Theodore Harris after a night of carousing in Globe. The pair were heading through the

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A dramatic sunset on the Salt River Canyon Scenic Drive.

mountains and Harris, too hungover to continue, stopped to take a nap. McMillen, sitting on a nearby boulder, chipped at it with a pick and found silver. The town sprang up around their Stonewall Jackson Mine. At its 1880 zenith almost 2,000 miners lived here and the town boasted a post office, casinos, saloons, and brothels. By 1890 the ore had run out and the town population had shrunk to a single holdout. A plaque near mile marker 265 commemorates the town site. All that remains of the town, about a half mile north of the plaque, are a few brush-­ covered adobe foundations. A couple of miles past McMillenville, the highway drops into Sevenmile Wash and reaches Jones Water Primitive Campground. This pleasant national forest campground, 16 miles from Globe, is open year-­round and has 12 sites tucked beneath shady sycamore and oak trees. The blacktop climbs sharply away from the campground and crosses a pass between pointed Rock Springs Butte on the right and 6,106-foot-­high Jackson Butte on the left. Stunted juniper and clumps of prickly pear cacti stud the south-­facing hillsides. Jackson Butte Recreation Area, an undeveloped national forest site, is past the saddle on the north side of the highway below its namesake. The highway twists north onto Timber Camp Mountain, a broad highland, and after 25 miles reaches stands of ponderosa pine that lift rounded crowns above the pygmy juniper forest at an elevation of almost 6,000 feet. The mountain’s highest wooded hump on the south rises to 6,527 feet. Tonto National

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Forest’s Timber Camp Recreation Area (GPS: 33.687787, -110.570757) lies west of the highway on the northern fringe of Timber Camp Mountain. This popular campground nestles among tall pines, providing a cool camping escape in summer. Some of the campsites are first-­come, first-­served, while others can be reserved at recreation​.gov. There is also an equestrian campground with corrals, hitching rails, and parking for vehicles pulling horse trailers as well as a day-­use area. Past the recreation area, the highway begins losing elevation as it follows sedimentary sandstone beds that dip gently to the north toward the Salt River Canyon. After leaving the national forest, reach FR 304 after 29 miles, which takes off northwest from the main highway and descends 3 miles to the ghost town site of Chrysotile in Ash Creek Canyon (GPS: 33.738984, -110.565952). The area was extensively mined for chrysotile, a type of asbestos, which long mule trains hauled to the railroad at Globe and then sent across the United States to construction sites including Hoover Dam. The town, founded in 1914, was one of Arizona’s most prolific asbestos mining areas, which had over 150 mines that produced over 75,000 tons of asbestos annually until 1966, when the industry collapsed due to national health issues from asbestos exposure. Today a half-­dozen buildings stand from the era before the mine closed in 1945, and a few folks still live here and poke around the mines.

Seneca Ghost Town and Seneca Falls The drive leaves Tonto National Forest past the turn to Chrysotile and enters the San Carlos Apache Reservation. A few miles later the road passes 27-acre Seneca Lake and the ghost town of Seneca (GPS: 33.763337, -110.511472), 33 miles from the drive’s start near the 287-mile marker. While we usually think of ghost towns dating from the pioneer days, Seneca had its roots in the early 1970s when the San Carlos Apache envisioned a destination resort around the lake. A campground, store, gas station, and restaurant opened in 1971 as Cinema Park, with plans for a golf course, riding stable, and 80-room motel. Those plans, however, went kaput when the tribe defaulted on a $534,000 loan and lenders repossessed what they could and shuttered the place in the late 1970s. While the lake is still there, the ghost resort is a shambles of weathered and vandalized wood-­frame buildings, the haunt of lizards, owls, and snakes. The highway passes a couple access roads and the filling station ruin and reaches an unmarked left turn on Phillips Mine Road. Take this left to visit the area’s best natural wonder—Seneca Falls. Follow the dirt road past old buildings and the lake, bump across Cienega Creek, then turn right after 0.8 mile on a rough

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An abandoned gas station at the ghost town of Seneca on the Salt River Canyon Scenic Drive.

side road and drive another 0.1 mile to a parking area above a cliff. This last road section may be impassable without a high-­clearance vehicle. An overlook, built in the early 1970s, gives a spectacular view of Seneca Falls below (GPS: 33.773051, -110.518138). The falls, at the cul-­de-­sac head of Mule Hoof Canyon, plunges over 200 feet off a towering basalt cliff to a rocky pool. The creek, impounded in the reservoir above, has meager flows except after heavy rain, unlike its torrent before the dam was built in 1970. Use caution at the unfenced overlook and control children and pets. Visiting Seneca Lake and the falls requires a permit from the San Carlos Recreation and Wildlife Department (928-475-2343) at their office in Peridot.

Salt River Canyon The highway, with 6 percent grades, descends steeply past cliff bands of basalt, a black volcanic rock, and sedimentary layers as it enters the Salt River Canyon, sometimes dubbed “Arizona’s other Grand Canyon.” At 35 miles the drive swings past Salt River Canyon Viewpoint on the west side of the highway. Use caution to cross the southbound lane, since the overlook is by a blind curve. The highway bends east and reaches another overlook of the main canyon on the left beside milepost 290. Hieroglyphic Point (GPS: 33.792732, -110.496847), an overlook and

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pullout, makes an excellent stop. Ancient petroglyphs, pecked into black boulders by early Native Americans, scatter across the steep slope below the road. Far below the overlook, the frothy Salt River churns through rocky gates of Apache Group limestone. Above stretch layer upon layer of Precambrian and Paleozoic rock formations in shades of cinnamon, rust, and buff that stairstep to the canyon’s north rim. The Salt River, draining 13,000 square miles and formed by the Black and White Rivers from snowmelt high on the White Mountains, was called a’kimult, or “salty river,” by the Pima for the water’s saline taste. The canyon’s first Anglo visitor, Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino, perpetuated the name, calling it Rio Salado, or Salt River, in 1698. The canyon traverses the heart of Apache country with the San Carlos Reservation on its south and Fort Apache Reservation on its north. Apache warriors used the steep-­walled, twisting canyon as a refuge until General Crook’s troops flushed them out in 1873. Continue descending to a sharp hairpin turn and bend west. Farther down on a sharp curve is another viewpoint on the right that looks down on Apache Falls, a frothy cascade where the Salt River rumbles over a rock bench. Near the bottom is the Salt River Canyon Rest Stop with restrooms, solar panels, and travel info at 38 miles. Park here and walk across a plaza to the canyon edge where a historic girder bridge spans the river. The bridge, replaced by the current highway bridge in 1996, was constructed in 1933 and 1934 when the highway was built across the deep canyon which sure-­footed mule trains had previously traversed on trails. The bridge, adorned with gleaming steel pylons and guardrails, led one of its engineers to say it looked “more like a delicate piece of filigree than a well-­designed and constructed highway bridge.” For great views of the bridge and river, stroll across the wide bridge. To check out Apache Falls, drive over the highway bridge and turn left on the first road. Follow it to a parking area above the river (GPS: 33.798584, -110.507904) and hike a mile up a rough road and trail to the falls. Below the trail, the Salt River plunges over rock benches and boulders, creating swirling rapids at the waterfall. For more backcountry adventure, follow a dirt road west from the highway for 4.4 miles to Cibicue Creek and 7 miles to the Salt Banks, a sacred Apache area. The banks are colorful travertine formations deposited by salt springs along the river. A wonderful hike follows Cibicue Creek to 40-foot Cibicue Falls, a gorgeous waterfall plunging into a cliff-­lined gorge. Follow a trail for 1.5 miles, making many creek crossings in water that may be knee-­deep. A day pass from the White Mountain Apache Tribe Game and Fish is required to hike to both Cibicue and Apache Falls. Buy one online at wmatoutdoor​.org/purchase_permit​.html.

SALT R IVE R CANYON SCE N IC DR IVE    135

Salt River to Show Low After the turnoff to Cibicue Creek, the highway begins climbing, swinging past the graffiti-­covered ruins of an old gas station and store. The road winds past towering crags and rocky slopes covered with prickly pear cactus, sotol yucca, and agave. The paved Lower Northside Overlook is at 39 miles, with views up the wild canyon. The highway continues climbing and swings around a steep side-­ canyon that drops south to the shining river. The road, at places a shelf atop 300-foot-­high cliffs, reaches Becker Butte Overlook (GPS: 33.813705, -110.463155) after 42 miles. The steep-­sided canyon, walled with limestone cliffs, falls away below the viewpoint. The long, 4,896-foot butte is named for Gustav Becker, a pioneer trail builder, rancher, and freighter, who pushed the old freight route that US 60 now follows from Springerville to Globe. Past the overlook the highway leaves the canyon behind and begins rolling over wooded ridges, rounded mountains, and up shallow Flying V Canyon, named for an early ranching outfit. Panoramas of the White Mountains to the northeast unfold from high ridgelines. Almost 20 miles from Salt River Canyon or 60 miles from Globe, the asphalt descends to Carrizo Creek, its banks lined with cottonwoods, and bends north onto the Fort Apache Reservation. The 1.6-million-­acre reservation, one of the largest tribal lands in the United States, is homeland to the White Mountain Apache tribe, or Dził Łigai Si’án N’dee in the Western Apache language. The road passes the settlement of Carrizo and bends northeast up Corduroy Creek. Palisades of basalt from old lava flows rim the canyon. The highway climbs out of the canyon and passes the AZ 73 turnoff on the right (GPS: 34.003916, -110.255774), which heads southeast across the reservation. The drive continues up the east side of cliff-­lined Corduroy Creek, then climbs onto benches above the steep canyon rim. Slowly the highway gains elevation, and the forest changes from piñon pine and juniper to an open ponderosa pine woodland. At 72 miles the highway crosses a bridge over Forestdale Creek and heads north. Tall pines and clumps of scrub oak line the highway as it climbs shallow Skiddy Canyon. Eighty-one miles from Globe, the drive reaches 6,594 feet on the edge of the Mogollon Rim and enters Sitgreaves National Forest. The drive ends a few miles later at the junction of US 60 and South Clark Road on the west side of Show Low (GPS: 34.241152, -110.058736), an old ranching and lumber town (population 11,280 in 2020) whose name and ownership were decided in a game of cards. In 1875, according to legend, the town’s two founders, Marion Clark and Corydon Cooley, decided there wasn’t enough room The highway climbs steep slopes above the Salt River. SALT R IVE R CANYON SCE N IC DR IVE    137

The US 60 bridge swings over the Salt River at the bottom of a deep gorge.

for both on their 100,000-acre ranch so they decided on a game of Seven-­Up to decide who would stay and who would leave. After playing the last hand, Cooley needed a single point to win. Clark said, “If you can show low, you win.” Cooley laid down his hand, turned over a deuce of clubs, and replied, “Show low it is!” Clark moved to another ranch near Pinetop. To commemorate the card game, Show Low’s main street, also US 60, is named Deuce of Clubs Avenue.

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15 Swift Trail Parkway Swift Trail to Riggs Flat Lake General description: The winding 34-mile-­ long Swift Trail Parkway climbs the steep, southern flank of 10,720-foot-­high Mount Graham to scenic Riggs Flat Lake. Special attractions: Mount Graham, Riggs

Flat Lake, Snow Flat, Columbine Visitor Center, camping, picnic areas, fishing, hiking, wildflowers, fall colors. Location: Southeastern Arizona. Begin

the drive 7.4 miles south of the junction of US 191 and US 70 on West Fifth Street in Safford or 26.3 miles north of exit 352 on I-10 at the junction of US 191 and AZ 37/Swift Trail Parkway (GPS: 32.729747, -109.714424). The drive’s turnaround point is at Riggs Flat Lake (GPS: 32.729747, -109.714424).

Travel season: Summer and fall. Snow closes upper road from Nov into May. Check with the Coronado National Forest office in Safford (928-428-4150) for closures. Camping: Six national forest campgrounds—Arcadia, Shannon, Treasure Park, Hospital Flat, Soldier Creek, and Riggs Flat—scatter along the route. Services: No services along Swift Trail. All

services in Safford. Nearby attractions: Safford, Kachina Hot Springs Mineral Spa, Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area, Essence of Tranquility hot springs, Chiricahua National Monument, Fort Bowie National Historic Site, Roper Lake State Park, Clifton, Coronado Trail.

Drive route numbers and names: Arizona

Highway 366, Swift Trail, Forest Road 803, Forest Road 287.

The Drive Southeastern Arizona, a land of outwash plains flanked by sky-­island mountain ranges, is dominated by basin-­and-­range topography. High forested peaks loom above the desert floor, their coolness beckoning travelers weary of dry winds and sandy bajadas. The Pinaleño Mountains, southern Arizona’s highest range, lords over Safford and a wide valley sculpted by the Gila River, the state’s longest river. The range’s high point, 10,720-foot Mount Graham, is Arizona’s fourth-­highest peak and the highest in southern Arizona. The bulky mountain rises 7,488 feet above the drive’s starting point on US 191—the single greatest vertical rise of any Arizona mountain. The San Carlos Apache call Mount Graham Dzil ncha si an, meaning “big seated mountain,” and consider it a sacred landscape. The mountain, named Bonita Peak by the Mexicans, acquired its Anglo name during the Mexican-­American War for Lieutenant Colonel James Duncan Graham. The 34-mile-­long Swift Trail Parkway, one of Arizona’s best scenic drives, weaves and loops up the eastern and southern flanks of Mount Graham, passing

139

2.5

PI

LE

ÑO

M

O

U

N

TA I

N S

5 Miles

Fort Grant Vista Point

Hospital Flat Campground

Columbine Visitor Center

Webb Peak 10,030 ft.

NA

5 Kilometers

Soldier Creek Campground

CHESLEY FLAT

2.5

Riggs Flat Lake RIGGS Campground FLAT

Riggs Flat Lake

Clark Peak 9,006 ft.

0

0

Swift Trail Parkway

SNOW FLAT

Sw

ift

TURKEY FLAT Ladybug Peak ) il 8,780 ft. ( Ladybug Saddle

Tr a

Noon Creek Campground

Deadman Peak 6,371 ft.

Wet Canyon Picnic Area

Arcadia Campground

Heliograph Peak 10,022 ft.

Shannon Campground

coronado national forest

Mount Graham 10,720 ft.

ARI Z O NA

366

Cyclone Hill 4,020 ft.

191

191

Swift Trail Junction

from hillsides covered with cacti, creosote bushes, and ocotillos to forests of quaking aspen, pine, spruce, and fir trees. The drive, climbing higher than any other road in southern Arizona, passes through five of North America’s seven life zones, encompassing a diversity of plant communities and climates. These biotic communities are Arizona Upland Sonoran Desert scrub, Semidesert Grassland, Madrean Evergreen Woodland, Rocky Mountain Montane Conifer Forest, and Rocky Mountain Subalpine Conifer Forest. The drive is the only local road in North America that passes through so many distinct life zones. Driving the Swift Trail is like taking a telescoped journey from the Mexican desert to Alaska’s boreal forests. Allow a minimum of five hours to drive the road and add more time to explore viewpoints, trails, and lakes. The road is open from May through November. Heavy snow on Mount Graham’s upper elevations closes the road in winter. Check with the Coronado National Forest office (928-428-4150) in Safford for road conditions and closures. Because of the dramatic elevation gain, temperatures drop about 30 degrees from mountain base to mountaintop. Summer temperatures on the upper road are usually in the 70s. Thunderstorms are common on July and August afternoons when monsoon moisture sweeps north into Arizona.

The Swift Trail The Swift Trail Parkway, with 22 paved miles and 12 miles of gravel, begins south of Safford at Swift Trail Junction, the intersection of US 191 and AZ 366. Turn southwest onto AZ 366, passing houses, businesses, and a federal correctional institution, and then ascend a sloping bajada studded with creosote bushes, mesquites, and acacia trees toward the looming Pinaleño Mountains. The Apache, who settled in the valleys below the mountains in the 16th century, lent their word pinal, for “deer,” to the range. Pinaleño is a Spanish derivation of the word. The earlier Mogollon and Hohokam people built large communities and cultivated arable land along the Gila River, watering corn, beans, and squash with runoff from the mountains in the centuries before the arrival of the Apache. The road climbs straight toward the mountain range. At 3.3 miles the highway passes rounded Cyclone Hill and Old Marijilda Ranch Road/FR 57 on the right and begins climbing rocky foothills. At 4.8 miles the road reaches a pullout on the right (GPS: 32.685930, -109.766461) at Coronado National Forest’s boundary. The 1,780,000-acre forest scatters across 12 sky-­island mountain ranges in southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. An overlook at the boundary offers views northeast across broad San Simon Valley. Yuccas, century plants, ocotillos, and prickly pear cacti cover the rocky hillsides above the road.

SWI FT TRAI L PAR KWAY    141

The Swift Trail is named for Theodore Swift, the Forest Service supervisor of the Pinaleño range from 1910 to 1923. Swift’s dream of a road into the wild range became reality when a late-1800s wagon route to Columbine west of Mount Graham was completed as a roadway in 1931. The Pinaleño Mountains were first protected as the Mount Graham Forest Reserve in 1902, and in 1908 they became part of Crook National Forest. The range was incorporated into Coronado National Forest in 1953. The Arizona Department of Transportation designated the road as a Scenic Parkway in 1992.

Up to Ladybug Saddle Past the overlook the Swift Trail twists above tree-­filled Jacobson Canyon and then begins sharply climbing up the east flank of the Pinaleños with loops, switchbacks, and hairpin turns. Reach Noon Creek Campground after 7.1 miles. The area got its name back in pioneer days when families, traveling by horse and buggy, could leave Safford at sunrise and reach this idyllic lunch spot among the oaks and alligator junipers by noon. The site is for tents only, and there is no drinking water. The road continues to a hairpin turn and climbs south along the base of Noon Creek Ridge. At 9.5 miles the highway reaches another hairpin turn at Wet Canyon Picnic Area, with three tables and bear-­proof trash containers by a small creek that trickles through a deciduous woodland. Spiraling upward, the road makes three hairpins, enters a ponderosa and Chiricahua pine forest, and reaches 6,650-foot-­high Arcadia Campground (GPS: 32.649083, -109.818497) with 19 campsites, drinking water, and shade from pines, walnuts, and Gambel oaks at 11.4 miles. The site was originally a pioneer campsite and then a Civilian Conservation Corps camp in the 1930s. The road edges upward above Twilight Creek and winds south to Turkey Flat, site of summer cabins nestled among the trees, after 14 miles. Here the highway begins a serious climb up the steep northeast face of a ridge, corkscrewing up seven hairpin turns to 8,495-foot Ladybug Saddle (GPS: 32.622539, -109.823537) at 16.8 miles. A wide pullout on the outside of a tight turn is the starting point for a 0.4-mile trail that climbs east to the craggy summit of 8,780-foot Ladybug Peak. Its name honors the summer hordes of ladybugs that swarm among the rocks and trees atop the peak. The view from Ladybug Peak is simply magnificent with southern Arizona unfolding below the viewpoint. Northeast is Safford and the Gila River, and on the northern horizon stretch the White Mountains 90 miles away. Range upon range of sky island ranges—the Chiricahuas, Galiuros, Dragoons, Santa Ritas, Rincons, and Catalinas—punctuate A misty waterfall plummets off a cliff along the Swift Trail Parkway. SWI FT TRAI L PAR KWAY    143

The Swift Trail switchbacks up the east flank of the Pinaleño Mountains to Ladybug Saddle.

wide, windswept basins to the south. On a cloudless day a sharp eye can spot the rocky needle of Baboquivari Peak 130 miles to the west. From the saddle the road bends onto the range’s southern flank and wends in and out of steep, shallow canyons. This road section offers exceptional views, so take advantage of roadside pullouts to enjoy the scenery. The Frye Fire in 2017 burned much of the terrain along this road section, although the forest is quickly rebounding since the wildfire burned at a low intensity. After 20.8 miles, a narrow, mile-­long dirt road drops west from the Swift Trail to Snow Flat (GPS: 32.653793, -109.864559), a hollow with a national forest group campsite. A small lake and meadow make this an ideal picnic spot.

Pinaleño Natural History The topographic and climatic diversity of the Pinaleño Mountains’ 200 square miles provides a home to wildlife. Javelinas, black-­tailed jackrabbits, kangaroo rats, and rattlesnakes thrive in the dry lower elevations along the drive. Both mule and whitetail deer often browse in roadside meadows along with other mammals, including coyote, bobcat, mountain lion, turkey, and four species of skunk, that roam the area’s wilderness. The Pinaleños also have one of Arizona’s largest concentrations of black bears. Save a bear by keeping all food, ice chests, and cooking

144   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

utensils stowed safely in your vehicle to avoid unnecessary contact with black bears and put all trash in bear-­proof containers. As the last ice sheets retreated 12,000 years ago, the ecosystems and plant communities in southern Arizona were dramatically different than today. With more moisture and a cooler climate, piñon pine and juniper forests spread across the low basins, and dense fir forests cloaked ice-­capped peaks like Mount Graham. As the climate warmed and dried, the basins became dry and dusty, leaving surviving forests atop isolated mountain ranges. The plants and animals on these island ranges began developing new traits and behaviors that differed from similar species on nearby isolated ranges. Several animals and plants evolved into distinct species in the Pinaleños, including Rusby’s mountain fleabane, the white-­bellied vole, the Mount Graham pocket gopher, and the Mount Graham red squirrel. These endemic species live here and nowhere else. The red squirrel—listed as an endangered species by the US Fish and Wildlife Service since 1987—and its isolated mountain habitat have been threatened by the construction of telescopes at the Mount Graham International Observatory near the mountain’s summit. The controversial project invoked the ire of both conservationists and the Apache, who consider the mountain a sacred place. The squirrel population, hovering around 300 animals, inhabits old-­growth trees. The 2017 Frye Fire, burning 45 percent of squirrel habitat and about 48,000 acres, also decimated the population, dropping it from 252 in 2016 to only 33 squirrels. By 2020 the estimated population has swelled to pre-­fire levels. Wildlife biologists continue to monitor the rare squirrels, develop forest management strategies, reseed burned areas, and run a managed-­care breeding program to ensure their survival.

Hospital Flat to Riggs Flat Lake About a mile past Snow Flat, a spur road (FR 137) at 24.4 miles turns right to Shannon Campground (GPS: 32.656323, -109.860265), an ideal hiker’s campground with 10 sites nestled among a spruce and fir forest at 9,100 feet. The campground also has two three-­sided Adirondack shelters built by the CCC. One of the best hikes is the Arcadia Trail (#328), a National Recreation Trail, which begins at the campground and descends 6 miles east to a lower trailhead at Arcadia Campground on the scenic drive. Another great hike follows the Arcadia Trail for a mile and then busts up right on the Heliograph Trail (#328A) to the summit of historic 10,022-foot Heliograph Peak. Descend a closed road to the Swift Trail for a 4-mile loop. During a military campaign against Geronimo and his Apache in 1886, Brigadier General Nelson Miles built a mirrored, sun-­reflecting signal tower, or heliograph, to communicate with his soldiers spread across southeastern

SWI FT TRAI L PAR KWAY    145

Arizona. A fire lookout atop the peak, built in the 1930s by the CCC, still operates during wildfire season in summer. Past Shannon Campground, the pavement ends at 21.9 miles when the Swift Trail reaches a junction with FR 507, a gated dirt road that climbs to the Mount Graham red squirrel refuge and the astronomical observatory. Continue west on the drive, passing Treasure Park, named for nine burro-­loads of stolen gold and silver supposedly buried near here, and its two group campsites at 22.6 miles to a hairpin turn over Big Creek. Past the turn at 22.9 miles, turn left to descend to grassy Hospital Flat and a 10-site, tents-­only campground (GPS: 32.666096, -109.874945). Colorful wildflowers carpet the meadow in summer. A summer hospital was built here during the 1880s for wounded soldiers to recuperate in the cool mountain air rather than in stifling Fort Grant on the southwest flank of the Pinaleños. Past Hospital Flat, the narrow dirt road twists and turns through a forest corridor. Tall fir and spruce trees line the road, along with burned areas filled with snags and toppled trees. At 24.7 miles, the drive crosses Grant Creek, a trickling stream that is home to the endangered Gila trout, a native Arizona species. At 25.4 miles is a left turn to small Cunningham Campground (GPS: 32.678109, -109.894553), with scattered sites shaded by tall firs. The road twists northwest, passing Fort Grant Vista Point on a hairpin turn and then reaching the junction with closed FR 4567 at 27.8 miles. This dirt track heads up the mountain to the observatory. Continuing northwest the drive reaches its 9,620-foot high point, passes the national forest’s Columbine Work Center, and after 28.7 miles arrives at Columbine Visitor Center (also called Pinaleño Mountains Visitor Center) on the left (GPS: 32.704087, -109.913820). The center, open seasonally, offers forest information. Beside the paved parking lot is a concrete, accessible trail with interpretive signs detailing fire management, the Mount Graham International Observatory, plants and animals in the Pinaleños, and the human history from first peoples and settlers to the CCC and Forest Service, as well as restrooms and a shaded picnic pavilion. The road continues west, crossing the headwaters of Soldier Creek, which drops steeply down a canyon to the south and skirts the base of 10,030-foot Webb Peak to the north. The 2017 wildfire torched much of the terrain along the road, with only pockets of evergreens left to regenerate the forest. At 29.2 miles is a left turn to Soldier Creek Campground (GPS: 32.698945, -109.920560), a 12-site area on a bench above the creek. The Forest Service recommends keeping all food locked up, since the campground is popular with black bears. Continue past the campground to the Grant-­Goudy Trailhead. The strenuous Grant-­Goudy Ridge Trail (#310) descends 6 miles and loses about 4,000 feet of elevation on an old pack trail to a forest road near Fort Grant at the mountain base.

146   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

Riggs Flat Lake offers hiking, fishing, and boating at the end of the Swift Trail Parkway.

Past the campground the dirt road bends northwest and skirts the shaggy southern escarpment of the Pinaleños, dipping and rolling for another 5 miles to Riggs Flat Lake. The road threads through burned areas and untouched forest, passing grassy Peters Flat at 30.2 miles and Chesley Flat a mile later. This expansive meadow is named for Abner and Sarah Chesley, who met and were married on Mount Graham in 1883. They lived in a cabin here in the 1890s. Wild turkeys and deer often roam this broad, sloping meadow, grazing along the forest fringe. Here the road makes a sharp turn left and runs southwest along the flank of 9,660foot Grand View Peak. Finish the route by driving to a marked left turn on FR 287 to Riggs Flat Lake at 33.3 miles. Follow the road south to 24-site Riggs Flat Lake Campground (GPS: 32.729747, -109.714424) and the southern end of Riggs Flat Lake, the drive’s turnaround point, at 34 miles. The lake, an 11-acre reservoir at 8,740 feet, is the most popular fishing and camping spot on the mountain. Built in 1957, the gleaming lake nestles in a hollow surrounded by ponderosa pine trees and a lush understory of ferns, flowers, and grass. The campground has 26 first-­come, first-­served sites, water, and restrooms. After enjoying a night under the stars, a lakeside picnic, or a hike through virgin forest, turn the car around and follow the Swift Trail back to US 191 for a 68-mile, round-­trip scenic adventure.

SWI FT TRAI L PAR KWAY    147

16 Apache Trail Scenic Byway Apache Junction to Roosevelt Dam General description: This 44-mile paved and gravel road, a National Scenic Byway, traverses the northern fringe of the fabled Superstition Mountains and offers access to three reservoirs on the Salt River. Special attractions: Lost Dutchman State

Park, Superstition Wilderness Area, Canyon Lake, Tortilla Flat, Fish Creek Hill, Apache Lake, Roosevelt Dam, Tonto National Forest, Salt River, scenic views, trails, camping, fishing, boating. Location: Central Arizona. Access the

drive on the south from the Superstition Freeway/US 60 about 30 miles east of Phoenix. Take exit 196 and drive north on Idaho Road/AZ 88 for 2.2 miles to its junction with North Apache Trail. Go right on signed AZ 88/North Apache Trail to start the drive (GPS: 33.419040, -111.546062). The drive ends at the east end of Roosevelt Lake Bridge at the junction of AZ 88 and AZ 188 (GPS: 33.672531, -111.153042). Go right on AZ 188 and drive northeast for 29 miles to Globe. Drive route numbers and names: Arizona

Highway 88, Apache Trail Travel season: The road is open year-­ round. Winter, spring, and autumn are ideal, with mild temperatures and clear skies. Rain occasionally falls in winter and spring.

Summer temperatures are hot, often climbing above 100 degrees. Severe thunderstorms can muddy or wash out sections of the gravel road. The steep, winding road is not recommended for motor homes or trailers past Tortilla Flat. Camping: Several campgrounds scat-

ter along the road: Canyon Lake (private; 480-288-9233) offers 28 RV sites and 18 tent sites; Tortilla (Tonto National Forest) has 76 sites; Apache Lake Resort (private; 928-766-7834) offers both primitive and RV sites; Burnt Corral (Tonto National Forest) has 79 sites. Four Tonto National Forest campgrounds (602-225-5395) are at Roosevelt Lake: Cholla (134 sites), Frazier Horse (8 sites), Windy Hill (137 sites), and Schoolhouse (40 sites). Reserve Tonto National Forest Sites at recreation​.gov. Lost Dutchman State Park (1-877-MY PARKS) offers 135 sites. Services: No services except at Apache

Junction. Limited services are at Tortilla Flat. Drive the road with a full tank of gas. Nearby attractions: Phoenix attractions, Four Peaks Wilderness Area, Roosevelt Lake, Tonto National Monument, Boyce Thompson Southwestern Arboretum, Salt River Canyon Wilderness Area, Globe.

The Drive The 44-mile-­long Apache Trail, a designated scenic byway, meanders across central Arizona’s most gorgeous piece of desert real estate. The road follows the northern flank of the rumpled Superstition Mountains northeast of Phoenix. This rugged land is a tangle of precipitous canyons, sharp volcanic peaks, tawny cliffs, undulating mesas, four reservoirs, and stately saguaro forests. The drive, traversing a land of raw, pristine beauty, offers unmatched views. Every traveler needs to put 148

A RI Z ONA

To Apache Junction and Drive Start

88

Goldfield Ghost Town

GOLDFIELD MOUNTAINS

TONTO NATIONAL FOREST

iv S alt R

Superstition Peak 5,057 ft.

Lost Dutchman State Park

Four Peaks 7,572 ft.

Apache Lake

SUPERSTITION WILDERNESS AREA 0

0

88

5

Black Cross Butte 4,860 ft.

Goat Mountain 3,740 ft.

188

e

Roosevelt Dam

Burnt Corral Campground

TONTO NATIONAL FOREST

Apache Lake Campground Apache Lake Fish Creek Vista Vista Fish Creek Hill

FOUR PEAKS WILDERNESS AREA

Weaver’s Needle 4,553 ft.

Tortilla Flat Canyon Lake Marina & Campground

Canyon Tortilla Lake Campground

Weavers Needle Weaver’s Needle Vista

Apache Gap ) (

Canyon Lake Vista Point

Saguaro Lake

Apache Trail Scenic Byway

er

5

Roosevelt Lake

10 Kilometers 10 Miles

TONTO NATIONAL MONUMENT

Theodore Roosevelt Dam Overlook

White Mountain 6,100 ft.

lt

La k

Sa

88

TONTO NATIONAL FOREST

the Apache Trail, one of Arizona’s best scenic drives, at the top of their “must do” driving list. Shortly after its completion in 1911, President Teddy Roosevelt called the road “one of the most spectacular, best-­worth-­seeing sights in the world.” As of 2023, a 7-mile section of the Apache Trail remains closed to vehicle traffic from Fish Creek Overlook (milepost 222) to the Apache Lake Marina (milepost 229) after roadway damage from a landslide and the risk of further damage from rainfall on the 2019 burn scar. After the Woodbury Fire burned 123,832 acres in Tonto National Forest, a tropical storm dropped 6 inches of rain on the fire scar in September 2019, leading to the landslide. The Arizona Department of Transportation promptly closed the road on Fish Creek Hill, the most scenic section of the Apache Trail, and, despite pleas from citizens, scenic drivers, local businesses, and state representatives, continues to keep the scenic and historic road closed. The road is open to hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians from Fish Creek Overlook to access the Reavis Ranch Trailhead. For information on the closure, contact Tonto National Forest (602-225-5200). This chapter details the entire Apache Trail Scenic Byway in the hope that it will reopen to steering-­wheel recreationists. In the meantime, drive the route as an out-­and-­back from Apache Junction to Fish Creek Overlook on the west, and from Roosevelt Lake and AZ 188 to Apache Lake Marina on the east. The road has a paved and gravel surface, with numerous scenic pullouts. Use patience when driving the road as it winds through canyons and over mountain ridges. Watch for blind curves, steep grades, drop-­offs, and narrow bridges. Large motor homes and trailers should not attempt the gravel road past Tortilla Flat. The road’s most spectacular and most dangerous section is Fish Creek Hill, where the mostly one-­lane, cliff-­hugging trail descends 800 feet in a mile. The drive is often busy, particularly on spring weekends. The Apache Trail is best in spring when wildflowers add splashes of color to the arid landscape. Spring weather is mild, with highs between 60 and 80 degrees and occasional showers. Winter days are pleasant but bring a sweater for cool temperatures at the higher elevations. Autumn brings clear, warm days, while late spring and summer, from May through September, are hot with daily highs in the 100s. Carry water and sports drinks to stay hydrated. Thunderstorms from July through September can make the road temporarily impassable or wash out sections.

Goldfield Ghost Town and Lost Dutchman State Park Begin the drive at the intersection of US 60 and AZ 88 in Apache Junction (population 41,863 in 2020), about 30 miles east of Phoenix. Apache Junction,

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easternmost city in the Phoenix metroplex, is a friendly Old West town with plenty of local attractions and gorgeous scenery. Head northeast on AZ 88, the Apache Trail. The paved highway quickly leaves the city and after 4.5 miles passes Goldfield Ghost Town (480-983-0333). The “ghost town” is a 1980s reconstruction of the original 19th-­century Goldfield mining town. Travelers enjoy a tour of the underground Mammoth Mine, learn about the famed Lost Dutchman Mine, take a ride on Arizona’s only narrow-­ gauge railroad, watch a faux gunfight with period characters, shop on Main Street, lick a cold cone at an ice cream parlor, or visit a re-­created brothel. Goldfield, founded in 1893, was a boom-­and-­bust gold mining town with a population of 4,000 in its mid-1890s heyday. After nearby mines and the local post office shut down in 1898, the town became a shadow until it revived between 1910 and 1926. Bob and Lou Ann Schoose bought the site in 1984 and with the help of friends rebuilt and restored Goldfield to its former glory. Five miles from Apache Junction, the drive passes 320-acre Lost Dutchman State Park (480-982-4485) on the right. This parkland, with a 135-site campground, lies in the morning shadow of the fabled Superstition Mountains, a stunning desert range of rugged volcanic peaks, including Weaver’s Needle, and deep cliff-­lined canyons. The range’s western ramparts—a jumble of cliffs, buttresses, spires, and pointed peaks—loom over the park. The park offers six hiking trails, including the wheelchair-­accessible Native Plant Trail. Recommended hikes include the 2.4-mile Treasure Loop Trail and 4-mile Siphon Draw Trail, an out-­ and-­back adventure into a scenic canyon sliced into the rampart. Rock climbers enjoy reaching the airy summits of slender spires like The Hand. Get climbing info in Best Climbs Phoenix, Arizona (FalconGuides, 2017). The state park is named for the “Dutchman,” German prospector Jacob Waltz (1810–1891), who supposedly found a rich gold vein in the Superstitions. He died without revealing the mine’s exact location but left a few tantalizing clues for treasure hunters to find the mother lode. His riches have never been found. As many as 9,000 people a year search for the legendary mine, considered the most famous lost mine in the United States. Geologists say the mountains, the remains of several giant volcanic calderas, are an unlikely place for gold to occur. Waltz, states one theory, more likely concocted his Superstition Mine story to cover up a gold-­ laundering operation for high-­graders or gold thieves at Wickenburg’s Vulture Mine, and he may have stashed a gold cache in the Superstitions.

Superstition Wilderness Area Past the state park, the drive enters 2,873,200-acre Tonto National Forest, one of the nation’s largest national forests. The road from here to Roosevelt Dam is

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Tonto National Monument protects 700-year-­old ruins built by the Salado people.

designated by the US Forest Service as a National Scenic Byway. Past the boundary at 5.6 miles, a right turn on North First Water Road/FR 78 (GPS: 33.467690, -111.478812) leads 2.5 miles to First Water Trailhead, the main trailhead for the Superstition Wilderness Area. The 18.2-mile Dutchman’s Trail (#104) and Second Water Trail (#236) leave from here and climb south into the rugged wilderness. More than 180 trail miles lace the Superstition Wilderness. The drive heads north and passes Weaver’s Needle Vista at 7.8 miles. Go right to a viewpoint that looks south to 4,553-foot Weaver’s Needle, a landmark for those seeking the Lost Dutchman’s gold stash. The spiked volcanic peak was named for early Arizona trailblazer, trapper, scout, and prospector Pauline Weaver. Weaver, born about 1798 in Tennessee, was one of the first Anglos to visit Arizona about 1832. Charles Poston, after meeting Weaver in 1864, wrote: “The oldest living trapper in Arizona, in 1865, is old Pauline Weaver, from White County, Tennessee. His name is carved in the Casa Granda, near the Pima Villages on the Gila River, under date of 1832. This old man has been a peacemaker among the Indians for many years and is now spending the evening of his life in cultivating a little patch of land on the public domain in the northern part of the territory, and a beautiful little stream called the Hassayampa.” Past the overlook the road winds through steep, rocky hills to Apache Gap at 9.9 miles. A paved pullout on the left side of the drive gives a view of the gap. An old Apache trail drops north down Willow Creek from the rock-­walled gap to the Salt River. 152   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

Canyon Lake The road corkscrews down from the gap, passing rough hills studded with tall saguaros. The 7,572-foot-­high Four Peaks, centerpiece of the 60,740-acre Four Peaks Wilderness Area and the Mazatzal Mountains, towers to the northeast. Canyon Lake Vista Point (GPS: 33.541046, -111.449442) at 12.2 miles on the road’s right side offers marvelous views of 950-acre, 10-mile-­long Canyon Lake. The narrow, cliff-­lined lake formed in 1925 when Mormon Flat Dam backed up the Salt River. Canyon Lake is a watery summer paradise when Phoenicians come for waterskiing, boating, lakeside picnicking, and fishing for rainbow trout, largemouth bass, catfish, bluegill, crappie, and walleye. Mormon Flat, Horse Mesa, Stewart Mountain, and Roosevelt Dams form a ladder of four lakes that impound the Salt River. The construction of the first dam—Roosevelt Dam, at the confluence of the Salt River and Tonto Creek—was one of Arizona’s most momentous events. The dam’s construction, part of the Salt

The rugged Four Peaks tower beyond saguaro-­studded hills along the Apache Trail. APACH E TRAI L SCE N IC BYWAY    153

River Project, tamed the fickle Salt River, which would rage one year and be dry the next; harnessed the water of Arizona’s central mountains; and transformed the desert surrounding Phoenix into an irrigated agricultural bonanza. The road winds down from the viewpoint and reaches the south shore of Canyon Lake. Numerous recreation facilities spread along the lake’s south shore. At 14.2 miles the drive passes Acacia Day Use Site (GPS: 33.537418, -111.432689) with 40 picnic sites and a good swimming beach. To the east is Palo Verde Recreation Site (GPS: 33.536389, -111.428990) with more picnic sites and a boat ramp. Boulder Recreation Site (GPS: 33.531558, -111.425133), on a narrow arm of the lake, has shaded picnic tables and a wheelchair-­accessible fishing pier. Canyon Lake Marina (GPS: 33.534223, -111.422569) at 14.8 miles has a campground, primarily for RVs and trailers, a picnic area, restaurant, swim beach, steamboat lake tours, and boat rentals. The Boulder Canyon Trail (#103) offers a challenging 7.3-mile, one-­way hike that heads south from the marina to the Dutchman Trail (#104) in the Superstition Wilderness Area. Expect spectacular views of Weaver’s Needle and a long day of hiking.

Tortilla Flat Continuing east, the drive climbs away from Canyon Lake to 1,979-foot Tortilla Vista Point, a pullout on the left side of the road. Splendid views of azure Canyon

Lake and Tortilla Flat unfold from the overlook. The road descends and after 17 miles reaches Tortilla Flat. The low mountains and buttes here received the fanciful name from Major William Emory in 1853 because of their resemblance to stacks of tortillas. Horizontal cracks seam the rock buttresses forming the tortillas. As the scenic byway reaches Tortilla Flat, a left turn leads to excellent Tortilla Campground spreading across Tortilla Creek’s canyon floor. It is open only during the cool season from October 1 to March 31. Make site reservations at recreation​.gov. Tortilla Flat (2020 population a proud 6) is the only town, if you can call it that, along the scenic drive. Considered Arizona’s smallest official community, the town has its own voting precinct. The popular two-­block-­long town, looking properly dilapidated, hosts throngs of weekend tourists who browse for Arizona knickknacks, sip a brewski on a horse-­saddle bar stool in the Superstition Saloon, browse the work of 24 area artists and vendors in the Mercantile and Gift Store, mail a Tortilla Flat postcard from the tiny post office in a corner of the Mercantile, or sample a scoop of prickly pear gelato. For local color and to learn about the town’s establishment as a stagecoach station, visit the one-­room Tortilla Flat Museum, housed in a replica of the old schoolhouse wrecked in a 1943 flood. It

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is also a good place to stop and wade in cool Mesquite Creek as it splashes over worn boulders on the east edge of Tortilla Flat. The Apache Trail splashes through the creek and climbs away from Tortilla Flat. Steep peaks, topped with crags, surround the road. Typical plants of the Sonoran Desert scrub community blanket the slopes, including candelabra-­shaped saguaros, prickly pears, hedgehog and barrel cacti, cholla cacti, ocotillo, catclaw acacia, mesquite, ironwood, and palo verde trees. A wide range of animals roam this remote desert enclave. Birds flit among the trees along the creeks and lakes. Hawks, owls, eagles, and vultures soar on sky currents above the deep canyons. Alert visitors sometimes spy shy and secretive mammals. Coyote, skunk, javelina, mountain lion, bobcat, deer, and bighorn sheep thrive in the adjoining Superstition Wilderness Area. The desert bighorns were reintroduced to the area in 1984.

Horse Mesa Vista and Fish Creek Hill The paved road follows Mesquite Creek and climbs onto Mesquite Flat, a broad basin broken by cliffs. The area was once used as a holding place for cattle. The drive slowly climbs past 2,886-foot Horse Mesa Vista, one of the road’s high points. The unmarked roadside overlook offers marvelous views of the Superstition country and the Four Peaks. The pavement ends past here after 22 miles. The next 22 miles is a graded dirt road that narrows to one lane in places and has several single-­lane bridges. The road bends south on the mesa top, passing a parking area for Tortilla Trailhead at 23.4 miles. A rough four-­wheel-­drive road, also used as a hiking trail, heads south here along a divide between Fish Creek Canyon to the east and Tortilla Creek’s canyon on the west to the Superstition Wilderness boundary. The dirt road twists north along the western edge of a bedrock ridge to Fish Creek Vista (GPS: 33.533118, -111.314074) at 24.2 miles at the edge of Fish Creek Hill. An accessible, paved interpretive trail leads north for a quarter mile from the parking lot and restrooms Rocky buttes crowd the southern end to a spectacular viewpoint that looks into of Horse Mesa.

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the precipitous, cliff-­lined canyon below. The area’s buff-­colored cliffs are composed of welded volcanic ash called tuff. Between 35 and 15 million years ago, the Superstition Mountains were an active volcanic field. Violent eruptions spread thick layers of volcanic ash across the land, which solidified into tuff. Five major calderas, or collapsed volcanoes, have been identified in the Superstitions. Fish Creek Hill, the drive’s best scenery, lies beyond the vista point. As of 2023, the next 7 miles of the Apache Trail is closed due to a landslide and road damage. The road will eventually reopen when it is deemed safe for travel and is repaired. However, the road is open to hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians, so feel free to explore. If you have reached Fish Creek Vista and the road is still shuttered, reverse the route back to Apache Junction for a 48-mile, out-­and-­back jaunt.

Continuing on the Apache Trail If the road is open, continue the Apache Trail from Fish Creek Vista by turning left from the overlook parking lot. Descend northeast down a blunt rocky ridge and then bend south and edge across a steep mountainside. The mostly one-­lane dirt road, falling 800 feet in a mile, tightly hugs the canyon wall. Cliffs tower above the road, and sheer drop-­offs line the narrow track’s outside edge. Pullouts allow cars to safely pass each other. It is customary for downhill traffic to yield to uphill vehicles. Near the canyon floor loom high volcanic cliffs, festooned in springtime with hanging, spring-­fed gardens, called the Walls of Bronze. At 25.8 miles, the one-­ lane Fish Creek Bridge, built in 1932 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, crosses Fish Creek at the hill’s bottom. Vertical cliffs line the canyon walls above the road. An excellent but challenging hike follows the creek south of the road. Park near the bridge and hike a rough trail along the trickling creek, scrambling over boulders and avoiding cliffs before returning to the bridge. The Apache Trail makes a hairpin turn at the bridge and gently descends on the east side of Fish Creek to a pullout on the left (GPS: 33.534186, -111.304003) and then turns east and follows Lewis and Pranty Creek. Sycamore, ash, cottonwood, and willow trees line its banks, providing welcome shade on hot days. The south end of Horse Mesa, a cluster of rocky points, etches the northern rim. Saguaros march up boulder-­strewn slopes to steep cliff bands. After 27 miles, the drive reaches the historic Lewis-­Pranty Bridge (GPS: 33.537160, -111.296901), crossing to the creek’s north side. The singe-­lane, pony-­ truss bridge, listed on the National Register of Historic Places like Fish Creek The narrow Apache Trail descends cliff-­lined Fish Creek Hill below Fish Creek Vista. APACH E TRAI L SCE N IC BYWAY    157

Bridge, was also built in 1923. A few miles later, the drive passes a highway maintenance yard under 4,349-foot Bronco Butte and a junction on the right with FR 212, then climbs to a high divide and descends northeast toward shining Apache Lake.

Apache Lake to Roosevelt Dam At 31.4 miles, Apache Lake Vista Point (GPS: 33.563893, -111.240496) offers a panoramic view of slender, 17-mile-­long, 2,600-acre Apache Lake. The gaudy Painted Cliffs stretch across the mountain wall north of the lake, terminating at flat-­topped Goat Mountain. The overlook has parking, a shaded ramada, and interpretive signs. This overlook and the road to Apache Lake mark the end of the closed road section due to the landslide. If the road is not open from Fish Creek Vista, reach this point by following the Apache Trail southwest from Roosevelt Lake for 11 miles. On the east side of the viewpoint by milepost 229, paved FR 79 heads north for a mile to Apache Lake Marina and Resort (928-766-7525) and the Crabtree Wash Shoreline Area on the lake’s southern shore. The marina has a boat ramp, boat rentals, camping supplies, Apache 88 Bar and Grill, a motel, and campground. Other national forest recreation sites along the last section of the Apache Trail are Davis Wash Shoreline Area (GPS: 33.595077, -111.223127), Lower Burnt Corral Shoreline Area (GPS: 33.624752, -111.202830), Burnt Corral Campground (GPS: 33.625428, -111.202934), Upper Burnt Corral Shoreline Area (GPS: 33.632403, -111.204510), and Threemile Wash Shoreline Area (GPS: 33.654497, -111.183975). These areas are open seasonally but closed during the sizzling summer months. The Apache Trail’s last 10 miles parallel Apache Lake to Roosevelt Dam. The road dips through dry arroyos, climbs cacti-­covered hillsides, hugs the rocky lakeshore, and gives stupendous views. Burnt Corral Campground lies 0.5 mile off the drive beside the long lake. Past the campground the road twists above the lake’s narrow gorge. The last vantage point is Theodore Roosevelt Dam Overlook (GPS: 33.668434, -111.162749) on the left side of the road. The viewpoint looks down on massive Roosevelt Dam, once the world’s largest masonry dam and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1983. The dam, built with quarried stone blocks between 1905 and 1911, stands 280 feet high and stretches 723 feet along its crest. A new concrete dam was constructed over the old one in 1989 to mitigate the effects of a possible earthquake. Since the new dam construction covered the old dam, it was withdrawn as a Historic Landmark in 1999.

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Roosevelt Dam was also responsible for the Apache Trail’s existence. The road follows an ancient route long used by Native Americans, including the Apache, and was a late 1800s horse route called the Tonto Trail. A supply road, needed to build the dam, was staked out along the old path. Work on the dam began in November 1903 and finished in 1905. Much of the labor was provided by Apache and Pimas, who made roadcuts and laid dry-­stone retaining walls. The road was surveyed along the land’s natural contours to avoid steep grades. After the Apache Trail’s completion, 20-mule teams hauled construction equipment and materials to the dam site at road’s end. A stage and freight line later operated along the trail between Phoenix and Globe from 1914 to 1939. Mushroom-­shaped Roosevelt Lake is 23 miles long and 2 miles wide, the largest of the Salt River’s four reservoirs and the largest lake in central Arizona. A water recreationist’s paradise, it offers fishing, boating, and camping. Finish the Apache Trail by driving the highway to a T-­junction and the drive’s end by Roosevelt Lake. Return to Phoenix by going right on AZ 88 for 29 miles to Globe, passing Tonto National Monument. Tonto National Monument (928-467-2241), east of the dam on AZ 88, is a 1,120-acre park that protects the masonry ruins of the Salado people who lived here over 700 years ago. These ancient farmers grew corn, beans, pumpkins, and cotton in irrigated fields along the Salt River. The picturesque ruins, nestled in airy cliff caves that overlook Roosevelt Lake, are accessible via a steep, paved, 0.5-mile trail that begins on the west side of the monument’s visitor center (GPS: 33.645028, -111.113131).

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17 Pinal Pioneer Parkway Oracle Junction to Florence General description: A 42-mile, two-­lane highway that crosses a cactus-­studded section of Sonoran Desert between Oracle Junction and Florence.

Travel season: Year-­round. Expect hot summer temperatures.

St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery, Pinal County Historical Museum, McFarland State Historic Park, Poston Butte, saguaro forests, picnic areas.

Camping: No campgrounds along the route. Dispersed camping on adjoining public lands. Catalina State Park, with 120 campsites, is 9 miles south of Oracle Junction off AZ 79. Reserve a site at 877-MY PARKS or azstateparks​.com/ reserve/#catalina/camping.

Location: South-­central Arizona. Start the

Services: All services in Tucson and Flor-

drive at Oracle Junction (GPS: 32.556871, -110.933222) at the junction of AZ 77 and AZ 79. Go north on AZ 79. End the drive on the south side of Florence at the junction of AZ 79 Business on the left and AZ 79 (GPS: 33.013741, -111.378595).

ence. Limited services in Oracle Junction.

Special attractions: Tom Mix Memorial,

Drive route numbers and names: Arizona

Highway 79, Pinal Pioneer Parkway.

Nearby attractions: Tucson, Saguaro National Park, Sky Island Scenic Byway, Coronado National Forest, Arizona–Sonora Desert Museum, Picacho Peak State Park, McFarland State Historic Park, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Superstition Mountains.

The Drive The Pinal Pioneer Parkway, following AZ 79, traverses 42 miles of high Sonoran Desert on the old highway between Tucson and Phoenix. Most travelers today speed along I-10, a quicker but duller trip. This drive offers a slower pace than the interstate and lots of pullouts to admire the desert’s beauty and diversity. The parkway, running between Oracle Junction and Florence, was established in 1961 by the Arizona highway department as a scenic drive through a relatively untouched swath of desert. The department acquired 1,000-foot-­wide scenic easements on federal and state lands along the road to create a highway nature preserve. The drive, without the usual highway clutter, makes a great introduction to the Sonoran Desert’s unique and diverse plant communities along with scenic views of the Santa Catalina and Picacho mountain ranges. Expect pleasant temperatures on the parkway in spring, winter, and fall. Days are warm, with occasional spring and winter rain showers. Summer highs are hot, often climbing above 100 degrees, although the drive’s higher elevations make it cooler than Phoenix and Tucson. Torrential cloudbursts build during the rainy season in July and August. They are usually short-­lived and refreshing. 160

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Oracle Junction to Falcon Divide The Pinal Pioneer Parkway begins at the junction of AZ 79 and AZ 77 in 3,312-foot-­high Oracle Junction, 27 miles north of Tucson. The drive, following AZ 79, rolls northwest from Oracle Junction. Florence, the drive’s end, is 42 miles away and Phoenix is 107 miles. Before heading north on the drive, check out Catalina State Park (520-628-5798) about 9 miles south of Oracle Junction. The state park, at the northern foot of the Santa Catalina Mountains, spreads across 5,493 acres and offers trails, picnic areas, camping, horseback riding, nature study, almost 5,000 saguaro cacti, and over 150 bird species. After 1.2 miles, pass a picnic table shaded by a ramada on the highway’s left side. For the first 5 miles, the road rises steadily to the drive’s 3,650-foot high point atop Falcon Divide. From here to Florence, the drive crosses a high, slanting plain of sand and gravel deposited during moister Pleistocene times. The plain, almost 2,000 feet higher than the Gila River at Florence, is protected from erosion by surrounding mountain ranges. A pediment of granite bedrock that extends south from the Tortilla Mountains northeast of the road lies beneath the gravel deposits. The Tortilla Mountains and other roadside ranges, including the Tortolita and Picacho Mountains to the south and the Suizo Mountains and Durham Hills west of the drive, are composed of erosion-­resistant Precambrian granite. South of Oracle Junction, the gravel plain is deeply dissected by drainages, including Canada del Oro, Rillito, and the Santa Cruz River, leaving an elevation difference of 1,000 feet from the drive’s high point to Tucson’s northern suburbs.

Upper Sonoran Desert Landscape The Pinal Pioneer Parkway allows travelers to discover one of the best examples of the upper Sonoran Desert ecosystem. The drive’s higher elevations, with greater rainfall than lower areas, and porous gravel soils make the roadside desert a garden of cacti, wildflowers, and mesquite and palo verde trees. In March and April, if winter rains were generous, a ribbon of garish wildflowers lines the edge of the asphalt. Spikes of blue lupine, clumps of yellow brittlebush and desert marigolds, mallows, desert verbena, and wavering fields of orange California poppies color the land. Green grasses and a second flower display arrive in late summer after monsoon thunderstorms have watered the desert. The most notable plants along the parkway are the many species of cactus, with the elegant saguaro the star attraction. Cacti are one of the youngest plant A blooming hedgehog barrel cactus and teddy bear cholla add color along the Pinal Pioneer Parkway. PI NAL PION E E R PAR KWAY    163

families to evolve, beginning about 20,000 years ago in the West Indies. This uniquely New World plant spreads from northern Canada to the tip of South America. Cacti, ranging in size from the mighty saguaro and cardon to tiny pincushion species, are classified as “water-­savers,” plants that adapt to water shortages by storing moisture from rainfall for survival in drought years. Saguaros absorb hundreds of gallons of water from a single rainstorm, stashing it in their accordion-­pleated trunks for as long as a year. Other adaptations include shallow, widespread root systems to gather water and needle-­sharp spines, basically modified leaves, to shade the plant from harsh sunlight, diffuse drying winds, and ward off thirsty animals. Tall saguaros scatter across the desert along the drive, especially on the northern parkway section. Other common cactus species found here include the chain cholla, with hanging “chains” of fruit; buckhorn cholla; teddy bear cholla (cuddly looking but don’t touch!); prickly pear; and various barrel cacti, including hedgehog and fishhook. Sunny days from April to June bring cactus flowers, the desert’s most beautiful blossoms. The delicate flowers bloom in a spectrum of exotic colors—gold, purple, red, lavender, and white. The waxy white saguaro flowers, the Arizona state flower, open at night on the ends of arms and usually last less than a day. Other plants along the drive, particularly in the moister washes, include catclaw acacia, palo verde (Arizona’s state tree), ironwood, creosote bushes, and ocotillo. Ocotillos are one of the Sonoran Desert’s most distinctive plants. Consisting of long, thorny stems, the ocotillo is usually leafless. After rain, however, the barren stems sprout a crop of small leaves before shedding them when moisture becomes scarce. Bright red flowers adorn the stem tips in spring. Desert highlands dominate the skyline along the drive. The Tortilla Mountains, topped by 5,587-foot Black Mountain, spread across the northeastern horizon. The Central Highlands, a transitional zone of mountains separating the Colorado Plateau from the southern desert, loom beyond them. The fabled Superstition Mountains, site of the famed Lost Dutchman Mine, presents a hazy, ragged profile across the northern horizon. Southwest of the asphalt rises the Tortolita Mountains, an immense granite blister that towers over the desert shrub landscape west of Oracle Junction. Look for Jeffords Peak, its 4,696-foot highest point. West of Falcon Divide are the Owl Head Buttes with five distinct blocky summits. Farther west rises the humpbacked Picacho Mountains. Picacho Peak, site of Arizona’s only Civil War battle in 1862, lifts its rocky 3,370-foot brow above I-10 at the range’s southern end. The rock mountain is the centerpiece of Picacho Peak State Park.

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Tom Mix Memorial Roadside rest areas and pullouts scatter alongside the highway, some with ramadas and picnic tables. At 24.4 miles north of Oracle Junction near milepost 116, a rest area on the left has a memorial that honors cowboy movie actor Tom Mix, who was killed here on October 12, 1940, at age 60, when his speeding yellow 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton, a supercar of the era, swerved off a highway detour and crashed into what is now called Tom Mix Wash. A bronze outline of Mix’s riderless horse, Tony the Wonder Horse, sits atop the cobblestone memorial with a plaque that states: “In memory of Tom Mix, whose spirit left his body on this spot. And whose characterization and portrayals in life served to better fix memories of the old West in the minds of living men.” Thomas Edwin Mix (1880– 1940) was a handsome, industrious actor who appeared in an amazing The Tom Mix Memorial commemorates 291 feature films, including 10 in the cowboy actor killed here in 1940. 1922 alone, in a career that spanned Philcomanforterie, Wikimedia Commons from 1909’s silent On the Little Big Horn to his last film, Miracle Rider, in 1935. Mix was the first big-­time Western actor, wearing flashy clothes and a big Stetson hat, and raking in as much as $17,000 a week. Shortly before his death, Mix made a promotional appearance at the RKO Theater in Phoenix and then hit a few downtown bars. He then decided to drive to Tucson, but his Phaeton left the road here at 60 miles per hour and plowed into the arroyo, killing him instantly. A short trail loops out into the cactus-­studded desert at the rest area. The site also has three ramadas shading picnic tables.

St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery Another interesting stop is up the road at 32.7 miles. Turn right on Paisano Drive and head north for 2.4 miles to St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox

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The chapel at St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery offers a glimpse of Greek culture. Ken Bosma, Wikimedia Commons Monastery (4784 North St. Josephs Way; 520-868-3188; stanthonysmonastery​

.org). This monastery, transplanted from Greece, is a cultural wonder in the Arizona desert. In 1995, six Greek Orthodox monks in search of a contemplative life settled in this land of little rain. The monks built a church, living quarters, and dining hall and planted vegetable gardens, olive trees, date palms, a vineyard, orchards, and ornamental gardens on 24 acres. Now over 40 monks live a prayerful life here. Day visitors are welcome to stroll the monastery grounds every day from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Stop at the bookstore first for orientation and clothing adjustments. Visitors need to remember that this is sacred ground and act accordingly by being pious, respectful, and properly attired. Men must wear long pants and long-­sleeved shirts. No ball caps or shirts with inappropriate images, and hats are not worn in the church. Women must wear long-­sleeved shirts, long skirts without slits, and head scarves that wrap under the chin and cover the neck. Socks must be worn with shoes and sandals. The monastery grounds are wheelchair accessible. Make sure you stop in the gift shop too, with its bottles of olive oil; jars of hot pepper sauce, honey, and marmalade; bags of dried herbs; and tasty desserts like koulourakia and baklava.

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Florence The arrow-­straight drive continues northwest past a housing development aptly named Cactus Forest, RV parks, the Charles Whitlow Rodeo Grounds, and the Florence Aeromodeler Park, also called Bohn Field. Local enthusiasts bring their model airplanes here to soar into the wild blue yonder. After the highway crosses a bridge over the Fannin-­McFarland Aqueduct, a canal that is part of the Central Arizona Project, it reaches the end of the scenic drive at a Y-­junction at 41 miles with AZ 79 Business on the left and AZ 79, a bypass, continuing straight. Go left to visit historic Florence. Florence (population 26,777 in 2020), one of Arizona’s oldest Anglo settlements, was surveyed and platted by Levi Ruggles in 1866. The town grew after silver was discovered in nearby mountains in 1875 and then after a canal from the Gila River carried water for irrigating crops. Visiting the historic town’s well-­ preserved Main Street offers a glimpse back to the rowdy Old West and gunfights like the one in 1888 when Sheriff Pete Gabriel and his deputy Joe Phy settled a disagreement with their six-­shooters. Phy died but Gabriel survived to see another 10 years. Old Florence is a designated National Historic District with 25 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Learn more about Florence’s colorful history at the Pinal County Historical Museum (520-868-4382) at 715 South Main Street. Another good stop is McFarland State Historic Park (24

The historic Pinal County Courthouse is in Florence at the northern end of the Pinal Pioneer Parkway. Tiggr222, Wikimedia Commons PI NAL PION E E R PAR KWAY    167

West Ruggles Street; 520-868-5216), which protects Florence’s ornate Victorian-­ style 1891 courthouse. West of Florence on AZ 287 is Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (520-723-3172; nps​.gov/cagr) in Coolidge. This fascinating archeological site preserves a Great House of the Ancestral Sonoran Desert People who lived, farmed, and dug canals along the Gila River beginning about 1500 CE. The Great House was built in the 1300s. The monument, open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., has a visitor center, bookstore, picnic area, and ranger-­guided tours. Before leaving Florence for your next scenic drive, look northwest toward Phoenix. On clear days Piestewa Peak and Camelback Mountain, over 50 miles away, poke above the flat Gila River valley. Conical 1,748-foot Poston Butte— named for early Arizona settler, miner, Indian agent, and congressman Charles Poston—rises north of Florence. Poston became a sun worshipper while traveling in India and, after returning to Florence in 1878, built a road to the butte’s summit, where he constructed a temple to the sun with a continuously burning fire. A few months later the fire went out and the whole affair became known as Poston’s Folly. Poston is buried atop the hill, marked by a large white F for Florence on its south slope. A 0.6-mile trail climbs the butte from a parking lot on Hunt Highway north of Florence (GPS: 33.053446, -111.403489). Reach the lot by driving north on AZ 79 from Florence to a left turn on Hunt Highway.

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18 Sky Island Scenic Byway Mount Lemmon Highway to Mount Lemmon Ski Valley General description: The 26-mile-­long, paved Sky Island Scenic Byway climbs to Summerhaven and a ski area below the summit of 9,157-foot Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains. Special attractions: Babad Du’og Vista,

Molino Canyon Vista, Molino Basin, Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Area, Thimble Peak Vista, Bear Canyon, Windy Point Vista, Geology Vista Point, San Pedro Vista, Aspen Vista, Summerhaven, Mount Lemmon Ski Valley, Mount Lemmon, camping, picnic areas, trails, rock climbing. Location: Southern Arizona. To reach

the drive, start from the intersection of Tanque Verde Road and Catalina Highway (GPS: 32.258050, -110.799049) in northeastern Tucson. Drive northeast on Catalina Highway for 4.5 miles to its junction with Mt. Lemmon Short Road on the right. The drive begins at this junction at the Coronado National Forest boundary (GPS: 32.304008, -110.745310). The drive ends at Mount Lemmon Ski Valley below the mountain’s summit (GPS: 32.448531, -110.781345).

Drive route numbers and names: Mount

Lemmon Highway (Hitchcock Highway), Sky Island Scenic Byway. Travel season: Year-­round. The drive offers a cool retreat from Tucson’s summer heat. The temperature drops about 25 degrees from mountain base to summit. Spring and fall are excellent times to drive the road, with wildflowers and autumn color. Winters are snowy atop Mount Lemmon, with the road occasionally closed. Camping: Four national forest campgrounds—Molino Basin, General Hitchcock, Rose Canyon, and Spencer Canyon—line the highway. Campgrounds are open seasonally, depending on elevation. Call the Santa Catalina Ranger District (520-7498700) for updated opening and closing dates. Services: All services in Tucson. Limited

services at Summerhaven. Nearby attractions: Saguaro National Park, Colossal Cave, Tucson, Tucson Mountain Park, Old Tucson, Arizona–Sonora Desert Museum, Catalina State Park, Sabino Canyon, Fort Lowell Museum, San Xavier del Bac Mission, Madera Canyon, Santa Rita Mountains.

The Drive The Sky Island Scenic Byway, one of Arizona’s most beautiful drives, steeply ascends the south flank of the Santa Catalina Mountains from the saguaro-­ studded Sonoran Desert outside Tucson to just below the summit of 9,157-foot Mount Lemmon. The road, passing through five of North America’s seven distinct life zones, climbs over 5,300 feet, making the drive a telescoped journey that is the biologic equivalent of traveling from Mexico to northern Canada. The drive is a designated National Forest Scenic Byway.

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The Santa Catalina Mountains, one of Arizona’s “sky islands,” towers above the surrounding dry basins and valleys. The sky island ranges that rise above southeastern Arizona—the Santa Catalina, Rincon, Santa Rita, Huachuca, Dragoon, Pinaleño, Galiuro, and Chiricahua Mountains—are cool refuges from lowland summer heat and are populated with varied communities of plants and animals. Every 1,000 feet traveled upward on the ranges is like driving 600 miles northward. Temperatures drop as much as 30 degrees between Tucson and Mount Lemmon’s summit, and precipitation dramatically increases. Snowfall at the Mount Lemmon ski area averages over 120 inches annually, whereas Tucson receives a scant inch of snow every four years. These perceptible climate changes make southern Arizona an ecological paradise, harboring an astonishing array of plants and animals. The scenic drive is open year-­round, although snow can temporarily close the upper road in winter. Summer is an ideal time to travel the byway. The traveler climbs from Tucson’s toasty temperatures to shady pine and fir forests ruffled by cool breezes. Expect summer high temperatures in the 70s atop the peak. Heavy thunderstorms are common in July and August, with moisture-­laden clouds building over the Santa Catalinas almost every afternoon. The autumn and spring months offer pleasant weather. March visitors discover the mountain’s climatic variety, driving from wildflower displays on the lower slopes to snow-­blanketed forests at road’s end. The paved, two-­lane road offers many scenic pullouts and accesses trailheads and climbing areas. Traffic is usually heavy on weekends, especially in summer when it is regulated to avoid overuse. Drive carefully and watch for hairpin turns and blind corners.

Up to Molino Basin Reach the Mount Lemmon Highway by turning northeast onto Catalina Highway from Tanque Verde Road in northeastern Tucson. The road angles northeast for 5 miles across a gently sloping plain south of the mountains, passing suburban developments. Start the scenic route at the junction of Catalina Highway and Mt. Lemmon Short Road on the right. This junction, at 2,850 feet, is just south of the Coronado National Forest boundary at the mountain base about 17 miles from downtown Tucson. The road climbs north up Soldier Canyon and after 0.6 mile makes a sharp hairpin curve across the canyon and edges east across rocky slopes, passing dipping outcrops and buttresses of banded Catalina gneiss. A typical Lower Sonoran ecosystem lines the blacktop: stately stands of giant saguaro cacti tower over boulders and mesquite and palo verde trees line dry washes. Brittlebush and

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other flowering plants spread a carpet of color across the mountainside in the spring. After 1.4 miles, pass Soldier Canyon Trailhead on the left. Gaining over 1,700 feet, the 2.7-mile Soldier Trail (#53) follows an old road and power line up the steep mountainside to the site of an abandoned prison camp off the highway. The moderate hike explores typical Sonoran Desert terrain, offers views across Tucson, passes seasonal waterfalls in the upper canyon, and ends at the prison camp past milepost 7. The first overlook, Babad Du’og Vista (GPS: 32.309503, -110.721156), at 3,375 feet is reached after 2.6 miles. The unusual name is Tohono O’odham for “frog mountain,” the tribe’s name for the Santa Catalinas. Pronounce it “bob-­ ott doe-­awk.” The overlook has a dozen parking spots and a handicapped space, interpretive signs, and stunning views. The Tucson Valley spreads below, and the wild Rincon Mountains, the Catalinas’ sister range, loom to the southeast. The

Past Molino Basin, the Sky Island Byway edges across steep slopes above Willow Canyon. AJ Yorio, Wikimedia Commons 172   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

Babad Du’og Trailhead lies 325 feet up the highway on the left. The 2.2-mile trail (4.4 miles out and back) climbs a blunt ridge to a rocky canyon and ends on a 4,700-foot point (GPS: 32.325865, -110.710977) with splendid views. After 3 miles the drive swings into deep Molino Canyon and hugs the west wall. The deep, boulder-­strewn canyon falls away below the asphalt to a sparkling creek that tumbles over rock benches and pools in deep hollows. Saguaros and ocotillos scatter across the slopes. Molino Canyon Vista (GPS: 32.326610, -110.700438) at 4.6 miles offers a spectacular view down the rugged canyon. From the loop parking lot, two short trails reach spectacular viewpoints above the rock-­ bound gorge. A 125-foot accessible concrete trail goes left to an overlook. The right trail heads 400 feet down slopes to a view of the creek below as it splashes over small waterfalls. Willow, sycamore, and cottonwood trees grow in sandy soil along the clear stream. While some visitors venture beyond the paths, it is not recommended since the terrain has sheer drop-­offs and slick, water-­polished stone. Beyond the overlook the highway climbs into Molino Basin, a lovely open basin dotted with oaks, mesquites, and tall cottonwoods along Molino Creek. At 5.6 miles is a junction on the left with Molino Basin Road. Go left to park in a lot with restrooms and a picnic area that includes shaded accessible sites (GPS: 32.337484, -110.691053). This parking lot (fee area) is also used by hikers on the Arizona National Scenic Trail and the Molino Basin Trailhead on the east side of the highway opposite the road. The site closes from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and no camping is allowed. The side road continues west to Molino Campground, an excellent winter and spring base camp to explore the Catalinas and Tucson area. The campground is open October through April. For area info, contact the Santa Catalina Ranger District (520-749-8700). Molino Basin, at 4,300 feet, marks the transition from the desert scrub plant community below to oak woodlands characterized by gnarled Mexican blue, Emory, and Arizona white oaks. Red-­barked manzanita, yucca, and prickly pear cactus spread across the basin floor. Past the campground the drive bends west and rapidly climbs out of the basin toward a low pass that separates it from Bear Canyon to the west. The oaks quickly give way to a dense piñon pine and juniper forest. Near the divide hides the site of an abandoned labor camp that housed prisoners who worked on the highway’s construction. The road, proposed in the 1920s, was twice turned down by Tucson voters but got the go-­ahead in 1933 when Tucson Citizen publisher General Frank Hitchcock persuaded the Federal Bureau of Prisons to lend inmates to help to build the road. Over 8,000 prisoners, 18 years, and almost $1 million later, the highway was finished and named the Hitchcock Highway for its advocate at its 1950 dedication. The Catalina Federal Honor Camp was established in 1937 to house federal prisoners. In 1944 the US

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government interred Japanese-­American men at the camp who refused to be drafted to fight during World War II. After the war, inmates continued work until the road’s completion. Later the camp became a youth rehabilitation center, which closed in 1973. At 7.3 miles is a left turn on Prison Camp Road that leads to the Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Area. The site includes Gordon Hirabayashi Campground and many hiking and bike trails as well as cliffs for rock climbing. The area is named for Gordon Hirabayashi, a student at the University of Washington in 1942 who challenged the constitutionality of internment and relocation based on race and ancestry. His case went to the US Supreme Court, who ruled that racial discrimination was justified during a war. Hirabayashi was convicted but the government wouldn’t pay for him to travel to the camp, so he hitchhiked from Spokane to Tucson and went to work. In 1988 the US government formally apologized and awarded reparations to survivors for illegal incarceration and loss of property.

Bear Canyon The drive, after crossing a high ridge at 8 miles, turns north and contours shelflike above Bear Canyon. Farther west lies Bear Canyon’s deeply incised trench, dark forested ridges, and sharp peaks. At 8.5 miles, reach Thimble Peak Vista on the left (GPS: 32.352099, -110.725079). The overlook offers airy views west across Bear Canyon to prominent 5,323-foot Thimble Peak, a remote square-­topped mountain to the southeast. The Santa Catalina Mountains, named by Jesuit priest Padre Eusebio Kino on St. Catherine’s Day in 1697, is a swollen blister of granite seamed by precipitous gorges. The mountains are a jumble of steep slopes, deep canyons, escarpments, rock buttresses, waterfalls, standing spires, and vertical cliffs. Continue north on the twisting road and in another 0.6 mile arrive at Seven Cataracts Vista on the left. From the stone wall bordering the pullout, look west into steep-­walled Willow Canyon and a series of waterfalls that plunge over cliffs. The best waterfall views can be had in springtime, when snowmelt fills the creek, and during the late summer monsoon season. The road heads north through a cliff-­lined gateway into lush Upper Bear Canyon and twists alongside Bear Creek. The vegetation and climate changes dramatically along with the elevation, now almost 6,000 feet. Towering Chihuahua and Arizona pines, sycamores, alders, and feathery Arizona cypresses shade the creek bed and climb the moist canyon slopes. The canyon’s cypress stand is one of Arizona’s finest. The state’s largest cypress grows below the highway and measures 70 inches in circumference. Pines, some 300 years old and 6 feet thick, lift their crowns high above the forest floor.

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The road passes several parking pullouts on the right, accessing trails that ramble through the canyon woods or climbing areas like Chimney Rock near milepost 11. The popular Standard Route up the formation’s steep east face offers fun, moderate climbing to an airy summit. At 11.3 miles is a right turn to Cypress Picnic Area, the first of three in the canyon. At 11.5 miles is a pullout for Middle Bear Picnic Area, and in another 0.1 mile is a turnoff on the left to Chihuahua Picnic Area opposite the parking for Lower Green Mountain Trailhead. After crossing a bridge over Bear Creek at 11.9 miles, the turn to General Hitchcock Campground is on the right. The small, tents-­only campground lies on the canyon floor, making it a shady summer retreat. Past a hairpin turn, the highway climbs sharply up Bear Canyon’s west slope through dense chaparral. Granite pillars, arêtes, buttresses, and hoodoos scatter across the steep mountainside from here to Windy Point. These crags and spires offer some of Arizona’s best climbing adventures on their vertical faces. The Beaver Wall below Windy Point boasts many of the mountain’s hardest climbing routes, and stubby Hitchcock Pinnacle, a 45-foot-­high spire above Windy Point’s parking lot, thrills non-­climbers when a climber monkeys up its west face.

Windy Point Vista and Rose Canyon Lake The road edges up the canyon’s western slope, passing several pullouts used by climbers, to Manzanita Vista at 12.9 miles. This viewpoint looks down Bear Canyon toward Tucson and the distant Santa Rita Mountains. Continue up the highway to Windy Point Vista (GPS: 32.368258, -110.716786), the road’s premier overlook, at 14 miles. Parking, including handicapped spots, is on both sides of the highway and a crosswalk allows pedestrians to safely cross the road. The site includes a stone fence along the overlook, restrooms, trash cans, interpretive signs, and a concrete sidewalk to a fenced overlook. Below the viewpoint, the broad Tucson Basin spreads out like a frayed urban carpet of roads and glimmering buildings far below the lofty 6,570-foot overlook. The Santa Rita Mountains, topped by pointed 9,453-foot Mount Wrightson, soar above the southern horizon. Beyond, over 70 miles away, lie hazy ridges and peaks in northern Mexico. Baboquivari Peak, piercing the sky 66 miles to the southwest, is the sacred home of I’itoi, the Elder Brother of the Tohono O’odham people. The night view from Windy Point is stupendous, with Tucson’s lights twinkling in the valley blackness below and a vault of stars overhead. The highway swings northeast from Windy Point and runs up a high ridge above Bear Canyon. Signs at Geology Vista at 14.3 miles interpret the Santa Catalinas’ geology, and the overlook offers an expansive view east into Bear Canyon. The road threads along the ridge crest, passing obvious Goosehead Rock on the

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Windy Point, the best overlook on Mount Lemmon, offers spectacular views across Tucson. Simon Reinhardt, Wikimedia Commons

right at 14.9 miles, and then climbs into upper Willow Canyon at 7,000 feet and enters a mature pine forest. The five-­needled Arizona pine, the woodland’s main tree, is hard to differentiate from its close relative, the three-­needled ponderosa pine. The trees, lifting crowns as high as 100 feet, cast deep shade on the pine needle–covered forest floor. Mount Lemmon’s upper reaches form a cool forest zone and a summer playground with picnic areas, campgrounds, and hiking trails. At 17 miles, the drive passes a turnoff on the left to Rose Canyon Lake (GPS: 32.387324, -110.711225), a glassy 6-acre lake surrounded by ponderosa pines. North of the lake is 73-site Rose Canyon Campground (520-576-1325), a pleasant idyll among the butterscotch-­scented trees. The Rose Canyon Lake Trail (#37) accesses the lake and is partially wheelchair accessible. A store by the parking lot is open seasonally and sells camping supplies and groceries, including ice and ice cream.

San Pedro Vista to Mount Lemmon Ski Valley Continue on the scenic byway to Upper Green Mountain Trailhead (GPS: 32.397799, -110.689356) at 7,280 feet on the right 0.2 mile past the Rose Lake turn. The Green Mountain Trail (#21) connects to a lower trailhead on the drive in Bear Canyon about 2,000 feet lower. The 4.4-mile trail offers a fine hike with views east

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to Mount Graham and the Galiuro Mountains before dropping through forest to Bear Saddle and then Bear Canyon to General Hitchcock Campground. The trail passes through the Bighorn Fire scar. Started by a lightning strike, the wildfire burned 119,987 acres in the Santa Catalinas in June 2020. San Pedro Vista lies beyond the Green Mountain Trailhead at 17.4 miles. This spectacular 7,350-foot viewpoint, framed by tall firs, looks north across the broad San Pedro River valley. The dry valley below, hemmed by the Tortilla and Galiuro Mountains, runs north to the ragged outline of the Superstition Mountains. The drive bends northwest here and rolls another 7 miles to Summerhaven. At 19.8 miles the road passes Bigelow Trailhead on the right (GPS: 32.409739, -110.713118) at 7,980 feet. The steep, 0.85-mile Bigelow Trail scrambles to the summit of 8,540-foot Mount Bigelow, Arizona’s 151st-­highest mountain, and an antenna field. Palisades Visitor Center (GPS: 32.410547, -110.714699) sits another 0.1 mile up the road from Bigelow Trailhead. The center, open in summer, offers interpretive exhibits about the Santa Catalinas’ ecological diversity, geology, and recreational opportunities. Maps, books, and Coronado National Forest information is available. Contact the Santa Catalina Ranger District for center hours (520-749-8700). Past the visitor center, the road climbs over 8,000 feet and heads west. The forest, a mixture of white and Douglas firs and pines, resembles that of southern Canada. Picnic areas and campgrounds line this road section. Secluded Spencer Canyon Campground offers wooded sites south of the road at 21.4 miles, and Box Camp Trailhead is just up the road. Bear Wallow, a deep wooded swale west of the road, is known for the 150 bird species that frequent its trickling spring. Other wildlife roaming the Santa Catalinas include whitetail and mule deer, peccary, coyote, fox, ringtail cat, mountain lion, bobcat, turkey, and a small black bear population. Farther up the drive is Butterfly Trailhead and Soldier Camp, a summer cabin area a mile beyond Spencer Canyon. The area was a summer spot for cavalry troops stationed in hot Fort Lowell in Tucson in the 1870s. The soldiers, after chasing Apache bands across the searing desert, rode up here and spent a week or two recuperating in the cool woods. Later residents were miners who prospected across the range for gold, silver, and copper in the 1880s. Claims were staked and roads were built, but little ore of value was extracted from Lemmon’s flanks. A lost gold mine tale, however, haunts the Catalinas’ rocky western slope. A wealthy vein, found by Native American hunters in 1698, was supposedly worked by Padre Escalante of Mission San Xavier del Bac. He hired Natives who mined and smelted the gold, which was stored in a cliffside tunnel barred with a solid

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iron door. According to legend, before the gold could be trundled away, Apache warriors attacked the laborers and obliterated all traces of the mine, leaving only a lost treasure for weekend prospectors to pursue. As the road drops northwest along the range crest, the San Pedro Valley and distant sierras are glimpsed through the forest canopy. Aspen Vista at 22.9 miles yields spectacular views north down Alder Canyon to the desert below. Interpretive signs explain mining and “vagabond vegetation.” Farther west are Inspiration Rock, Box Elder, Alder, and Loma Linda picnic areas with shaded tables along the crest. At 23.8 miles a left turn leads to Summerhaven, a rustic village set along wooded Sabino Creek. Lodging and restaurants are available here. At 24.4 miles is a junction with Control Road/FR 38. For more adventure, go right here and descend the northern slopes of the Santa Catalinas for 29 miles to the town of Oracle far below in the San Pedro Valley. The winding dirt road is gated from December through March, depending on weather, snow, and mud conditions. The narrow road, losing almost 5,000 feet of elevation, was completed in 1917. At 24.6 miles arrive at the junction of Mt. Lemmon Road and Ski Run Road. Go right on Ski Run Road and climb a wooded valley. A left turn leads to Summerhaven’s commercial district. That road rambles down Sabino Creek another 2.5 miles to end at Marshall Gulch Picnic Area. Ski Run Road leads to the base of Mount Lemmon Ski Valley (520-576-1321; skithelemmon​.com), the southernmost ski area in the United States, at 26 miles (GPS: 32.447587, -110.781231). The area offers 200 skiable acres with 21 runs, receives as much as 180 inches of snow, and is open December through March depending on snowfall. Lying in a north-­facing bowl, the area has 785 feet of vertical drop from the 9,025-foot summit to the 8,240-foot base. The area has a restaurant and gift shop, and the Sky Ride gondola is open all summer. The ski area parking lot marks the end of the scenic drive and is the best place to turn around to retrace the highway back down Mount Lemmon. If you want to continue the adventure, read below on hiking to the peak’s summit.

Mount Lemmon Climb Mount Lemmon, the queen of the Catalinas, by continuing up the narrow road from the ski area parking lot for 1.7 miles to a gate and the Mount Lemmon Trailhead parking lot on the left. This trailhead, closed in winter, accesses mountaintop hikes including the Lemmon Rock Trail, Meadow Trail, and Aspen The Sky Island Byway twists up Mount Lemmon, climbing from the Sonoran Desert to subalpine forests atop the mountain. 178   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

Draw Trail. Peakbaggers who want to tag the peak’s high point need to follow an unmarked path that leads to the outer edge of a fenced astronomical observatory on the mountain’s summit. The peak was named for Sara Lemmon, wife of botanist John Gill Lemmon. The pair arrived in Tucson in March 1881 to explore the botanical diversity of the surrounding mountains. After failing to climb the rugged peak, they contacted rancher and miner Emerson O. Stratton on Mount Lemmon’s north slope. He agreed to guide them through the range. After reaching the summit, Stratton christened the peak Mount Lemmon in honor of Sara, the first white woman to reach the 9,157-foot-­high point. The Lemmons explored the Santa Catalinas and other ranges, finding over 100 new plant species growing on these isolated Arizona sky islands.

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19 Gates Pass–Saguaro National Park Scenic Drive Tucson Mountain Park to Saguaro National Park General description: A 27-mile-­long paved

by returning on the described route to the starting point at Gates Pass Road and Camino de Oeste.

and gravel scenic drive that traverses Gates Pass and Tucson Mountain Park, passes the famed Arizona–Sonora Desert Museum, and explores the spectacular saguaro forests of Saguaro National Park before returning to the drive’s starting point.

Drive route numbers and names: Gates

Special attractions: Saguaro National

hot.

Park, Red Hills Visitor Center, Hohokam petroglyphs, Tucson Mountains, Gates Pass, Arizona–Sonora Desert Museum, Old Tucson, Gilbert Ray Campground, trails, wildlife, picnic areas. Location: West of Tucson. The drive

begins at the junction of Gates Pass Road and Camino de Oeste on the east side of Tucson Mountain Park (GPS: 32.235616, -111.062743). To reach the junction and drive’s start from exit 257 on I-10 and downtown Tucson, drive west on West Speedway Boulevard for 5 miles. Speedway bends left and becomes Gates Pass Road 400 feet before the junction. End the drive

Pass Road, Kinney Road, Bajada Loop Drive, Golden Gate Road, Sandario Road. Travel season: Year-­round. Summers are Camping: Gilbert Ray Campground (520403-8116) is a Pima County camping area on the scenic drive. Reserve sites at apm​.activecommunities​.com/nrpr/ Reserve_Options. Services: All services in Tucson. Nearby attractions: Tucson Botanical Gardens, Fort Lowell Museum, Reid Park and Zoo, Saguaro National Park East, Mission San Xavier del Bac, Pima Air Museum, Santa Catalina Mountains, Mount Lemmon Scenic Byway, Catalina State Park, Sabino Canyon, Colossal Cave, Kitt Peak National Observatory.

The Drive The 27-mile-­long Gates Pass–Saguaro National Park Scenic Drive traverses the western slope of the Tucson Mountains, making an out-­and-­back route west of I-10 and Tucson. The spectacular road passes through a dense saguaro forest that blankets the sloping bajadas, or outwash plains, below the Tucson Mountains, a rumpled range that separates Tucson from the broad Avra Valley to the west. The drive lies within Tucson Mountain Park and the Tucson Mountain District of Saguaro National Park. Spring is the best time to drive the route and visit the national park. April’s high temperatures average 80 degrees, with lows of 50. March is slightly cooler, with highs in the 70s. Summers are hot, with average summer highs hovering

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below 100 degrees. Most of the area’s annual precipitation falls in violent cloudbursts in July and August. Autumn is warm and dry, with extended periods of sunny days. Winter offers ideal weather with daytime highs in the 60s and an occasional rare snowfall that blankets the desert in a brief white mantle.

Tucson Mountain Park The scenic drive begins east of Tucson Mountain Park, a Pima County parkland, 5 miles west of exit 257 on I-10. Drive west on Speedway Boulevard, which turns into Gates Pass Road, to the start of the drive at the junction of Gates Pass Road and Camino de Oeste. Drive west from the junction for a mile, passing scattered large houses, and continue west up a canyon floored with a dry wash. After 1.4 miles, reach a large pullout on the right marked with a Tucson Mountain Park sign and a couple interpretive panels with a park and trail map. Also, note park regulations that include parking only in designated pullouts, no dogs allowed, no alcohol, hiking only on designated trails, and no motorized vehicles on trails. Tucson Mountain Park, established in 1929, sprawls across about 20,000 acres west of Tucson. The parkland, managed by Pima County Natural Resources, Parks, and Recreation (520-724-5000), is one of the largest natural parklands owned and managed by a local government in the United States. The park is open from dawn to dusk daily and boasts 62 miles of nonmotorized multiuse trails, Gilbert Ray Campground, Desert Discovery Center, and three picnic areas. Old Tucson Studios and the Arizona–Sonora Desert Museum are within the park boundaries. Past the park boundary the paved road twists up a canyon to 3,172-foot Gates Pass, passing tall saguaros and rock outcrops. At 2.4 miles, a right turn leads to Gates Pass Overlook, one of Tucson’s best viewpoints and a perfect spot to watch the sunset. The overlook has a shade ramada, interpretive signs, restrooms, and plenty of parking. From the rock-­rimmed overlook, great views unfold from the pass, stately saguaros march up the steep slopes, and 4,170-foot Tower Peak and 4,110-foot Bushmaster Peak fill the northern horizon. The Gates Pass Trail drops west from The sun peeks over the Tucson here. The pass is named for miner and Mountains below Gates Pass.

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Tower Peak looms above the scenic drive as it descends west from Gates Pass.

saloonkeeper Thomas Gates, who came to Tucson in 1874. He later found silver northwest of Tucson, so he spent $1,000 in 1883 to build a road over the pass now bearing his name. The road turns south at the pass and descends the western slope of the Tucson Mountains, hugging a rocky edge. Prominent 4,288-foot Golden Gate Mountain rises south of the drive. At 3 miles, the road swings around a hairpin turn. Turn left here to David Yetman Trailhead (GPS: 32.217506, -111.102984) and a large parking lot. The 12-mile, round-­trip Yetman Trail makes an out-­and-­back hike through the southern Tucson Mountains to Camino de Oeste Trailhead to the east. The Golden Gate Trail, Tucson Estates Trail, and Sarasota Trail branch off the Yetman Trail for shorter hikes. The road continues west across a sloping bajada, or outwash plain. Bajadas are gentle slopes below desert mountains that form when alluvial fans join at canyon mouths. Here, as in Arizona’s other desert ranges, runoff from torrential thunderstorms quickly drops its burden as the water sinks into the ground. The heaviest boulders and cobbles are deposited near canyon mouths, and the finer silt and sand are swept into surrounding basins. The mountain bases hide beneath thousands of feet of gravel and sand, including as much as 7,000 feet in the Tucson Basin. Pullouts along the road allow visitors to stop and enjoy desert views. At 4.4 miles is a pullout on the right with a gated road that leads north to the Desert Discovery Center (520-724-5375). The center offers scheduled events and

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workshops in a classroom and surrounding nature trails. Contact the center for program information.

Old Tucson Studios and Arizona–Sonora Desert Museum After 4.7 miles, reach a T-­junction with Kinney Road. Go right on Kinney to continue the drive. A left turn on Kinney leads 0.2 mile south to Old Tucson Studios (201 Kinney Road; 520-883-0100), a movie set that re-­creates a 19th-­century Wild West town with dusty streets, plank sidewalks, and weathered buildings. The site was erected in 1939 as a replica of 1860s Tucson for the film Arizona, and then was used as the backdrop for many Western movies and television series in later decades, including Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Rio Bravo, Eldorado, Three Amigos, Little House on the Prairie, and Bonanza, and lots of TV commercials. Much of the studio was torched by fire in April 1995, destroying buildings and movie memorabilia. The site was rebuilt with wider streets and reopened in 1997. Old Tucson closed during the COVID pandemic but reopened in 2022 under new management. Arizona Highway 86 is 5 miles south of Old Tucson. The scenic drive continues north from the junction, passing several pullouts with spacious views. At 5.4 miles from the drive’s start or 0.7 mile north from the Gates Pass Road junction is a left turn on 0.5-mile McCain Loop Road that leads to excellent Gilbert Ray Campground (8451 West McCain Loop Road; 520-4038116). The campground, open year-­round, boasts three loops with 135 tent and RV sites scattered among saguaros and palo verde trees. The campground, one of the best near Tucson, makes a fine base camp for exploring the region. Opposite the campground turn on McCain Loop Road is the Browns Mountain Trailhead (GPS: 32.223659, -111.144760). A 4.5-mile loop hike climbs a long ridge to the peak’s 3,110-foot summit and returns below the north slopes to the trailhead. From the campground junction, continue northwest on Kinney Road, passing a side road that leads to the signed northern Browns Mountain Trailhead and a pullout on the right for Ringtail Trailhead at 5.9 miles. Drive past a left turn to Juan Santa Cruz Picnic Area and at 7.3 miles reach the acclaimed Arizona–Sonora Desert Museum (2021 North Kinney Road; 520-883-1380; desert​ museum​.org). The museum, considered one of the world’s best zoos, exhibits the flora, fauna, and natural history of the Sonoran Desert—a 120,000-square-­mile desert that encompasses southern Arizona, southeastern California, Baja California, and Sonora in Mexico. The museum displays over 200 animal species and over 12,000 animals, including rare rattlesnakes, scorpions, spiders, desert bighorn sheep, coyotes, peccaries, mountain lions, ocelots, jaguars, beavers, and otters, as well as bizarre desert plants like the elephant tree and boojum. A walk-­in aviary is alive with over 10 species of native birds. An underground replica of a desert cave and GATES PASS –SAG UARO NATIONAL PAR K SCE N IC DR IVE    185

earth science exhibits detail the region’s geological history. Allow at least a half day to explore this fascinating zoo, which has a mission to foster “love, appreciation, and understanding of the Sonoran Desert.” Just past the museum is King Canyon Trailhead (GPS: 32.247290, -111.167174). The trail, also named Wasson Peak Trail, makes a 7.8-mile loop that heads northeast up King Canyon, site of the only permanent spring in the range, and climbs to the rocky summit of 4,687-foot Wasson Peak, the high point of the Tucson Mountains.

Saguaro National Park Continue northwest on the road and at 8.6 miles make a right turn into Saguaro National Park West on Kinney Road. Drive to the Red Hills Information Center (2700 North Kinney Road; 520-733-5158) at 9.5 miles. The center, open every day except Christmas, acquaints visitors with the park’s wonders through natural history and cultural exhibits, a short film, and ranger-­led talks and walks. The accessible paved 0.3-mile Cactus Garden Trail on the west side of the center identifies various native plants and their uses. Two separate units, one east of Tucson in the Rincon Mountains and one west of Tucson, form 91,716-acre Saguaro National Park. The park, established as a national monument in 1933 and a national park in 1994, protects some of Arizona’s finest stands of saguaro cactus along with almost untouched tracts of pristine Sonoran Desert. Tucson’s urban sprawl now approaches the park’s boundary, leaving it as an isolated sanctuary of wildness and beauty. Saguaros, the mightiest of desert plants, astound the imagination simply with their sheer size and height. The largest, having lived for 200 years, reach heights of 50 feet and weigh as much as 8 tons. Mature saguaros, over the course of a century of bearing fruit, produce over 40 million seeds. Only four or five of these seeds sprout and live to maturity. The saguaro is also slow growing. A seedling is a mere ¼ inch high at one year, and they do not grow arms (not branches) until they reach adolescence at 75 years. Other cactus here include teddy bear cholla, chain cholla, prickly pear, and hedgehog and fishhook barrel cactus. Trees growing in washes and arroyos include mesquite, catclaw acacia, ironwood, and palo verde, the Arizona state tree. Spring brings showy wildflowers to the Tucson Mountains and the national park. Yellow brittlebush is among the first perennial plant to bloom. Other colorful flowers include lupine, desert marigold, and bladderpod. A variety of animals range across the park, including desert tortoises, rattlesnakes, horned lizards, Gila monsters, javelinas, coyotes, and jackrabbits. Gila woodpeckers, elf owls, and gilded flickers nest in holes excavated in saguaros.

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Afternoon light rims saguaros along the Gates Pass–Saguaro National Park Scenic Drive.

The road runs northwest, passing a pullout with a wildlife viewpoint, and reaches the 0.5-mile Desert Discovery Trail (GPS: 32.262573, -111.210527) at 10.5 miles. The accessible paved trail is a family-­friendly hike with interpretive signs detailing Sonoran Desert plants and animals.

Bajada Loop Drive Continue northwest on Kinney Road to 11.1 miles and turn right onto Bajada Loop Drive on gravel Hohokam Road. The road heads northeast alongside a dry

wash below a rounded 2,676-foot knob and ventures into a magnificent saguaro forest. The Lower Sonoran Life Zone, particularly the palo verde–saguaro plant community, dominates the park. The higher mountaintops to the east tower over 2,000 feet above the saguaro-­studded bajadas. A relict oak grove, a remainder from wetter times, tucks onto Wasson Peak’s north slope. After a half mile of dirt, Sus Picnic Ground (GPS: 32.271905, -111.210870) and Bajada Wash Trailhead are down a short road on the left. The picnic area offers restrooms and sunny tables with marvelous lunch views, while the 1.9-mile trail follows the wash, paralleling the road to another trailhead. Past the turn, the drive narrows and continues to Hugh Norris Trailhead (GPS: 32.271407, -111.203062) on the right at 12 miles. The popular 4.9-mile Hugh Norris Trail, named for a former Tohono O’odham policeman, climbs through a saguaro forest to a high ridge and, after gaining 2,125 feet of elevation, ends atop Wasson Peak.

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At 12.5 miles, reach the Valley View Overlook Trail (GPS: 32.277062, -111.197780), an excellent 1.6-mile round-­trip introduction to the saguaro cactus that ends on a ridgeline. The trail, built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, offers sprawling views across the Avra Valley to ranges to the west and Picacho Peak to the north. Candelabra-­like saguaro cacti scatter across dry ridges alongside the trail. The drive continues to a T-­intersection with Golden Gate Road at 13.4 miles. Apache Butte, a 3,026-foot knoll, towers left of the road. A right turn on dirt Golden Gate Road heads 1.2 miles northeast to Ez-­Kim-­In-­Zin Picnic Area (GPS: 32.285519, -111.169678), a remote site with views of Wasson Peak, restrooms, and tables, including one shaded by a stone ramada on a hillock. Across the road is Sendero Esperanza Trailhead (GPS: 32.284640, -111.167266). The trail crosses the bajada and climbs to a junction with the Hugh Norris Trail on a ridge, which is then followed to Wasson Peak’s summit. The road is closed and gated at the trailhead and, as of 2019, is a 2.6-mile multiuse trail from here to Picture Rocks Road

Petroglyphs pecked by the ancient Hohokam decorate a boulder at Saguaro National Park. 188   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

to the north. The road, open to mountain bikers, hikers, and equestrians, was closed permanently after torrential rains washed out sections every summer. Continue the scenic drive by turning left at the T-­junction with Golden Gate Road. This road section is part of Bajada Loop Drive. Head west on the two-­way dirt road for a mile to a signed right turn to Signal Hill. Go right for 0.1 mile to Signal Hill Picnic Area (GPS: 32.289621, -111.208417) and a short trail that leads to ancient Hohokam petroglyphs. The picnic area has shaded tables, some with stone ramadas built in the 1930s, and restrooms. A 0.25-mile trail heads north from a parking lot to the petroglyphs pecked on dark boulders on the top of 2,490-foot Signal Hill. Expect not only an outdoor gallery of Native American art but also expansive views across the saguaro-­studded bajada below the Tucson Mountains. Return to Golden Gate Road and go right. Drive southwest across the bajada, passing many saguaros, and dip across a dry wash. After 15.9 miles reach a T-­junction with paved Sandario Road and turn left. Drive south for 0.2 mile on Sandario to an intersection with Kinney Road. Turn left on Kinney and drive 0.2 mile to the start of the Bajada Loop Drive on the left. This point is 16.3 miles from the drive’s start. Finish the scenic drive by returning south on Kinney Road for 6.4 miles, passing the Red Hills Visitor Center and Arizona–Sonora Desert Museum, to Gates Pass Road. Go left on it and return east to the start of the drive at the intersection of Gates Pass Road and Camino de Oeste for a 27-mile desert driving adventure.

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20 Willcox to Chiricahua Scenic Drive Willcox to Chiricahua National Monument General description: A 42-mile-­long drive

that swings along the southern flank of the Dos Cabezas Mountains before climbing up Bonita Canyon to scenic Massai Point in Chiricahua National Monument. Special attractions: Chiricahua National

Monument, Bonita Creek Loop Trail, Faraway Ranch, Sugarloaf Mountain, Massai Point, Echo Canyon Trail, Heart of the Rocks, Wonderland of Rocks, Dos Cabezas Mountains, Fort Bowie National Historic Site, trails, bird-­watching, camping, nature study. Location: Southeastern Arizona. Start

in Willcox off I-10 at the intersection of Haskell Avenue and Maley Street/AZ 186 (GPS: 32.252575, -109.832482) in the town’s business district. Haskell Avenue is easily reached from I-10. Drive southeast on AZ 186. The drive ends at Bonita Canyon Road’s end parking lot at Massai Point

in Chiricahua National Monument (GPS: 32.252575, -109.832482). Drive route numbers and names: Arizona

Highways 186 and 181, Bonita Canyon Drive. Travel season: Year-­round. Snow may temporarily close the road in the national monument. Expect hot weather in summer. Camping: Chiricahua National Monument’s 25-site Bonita Canyon Campground is open year-­round 0.5 mile north of the visitor center. Reserve sites at recreation​.gov. Pinery Canyon in Coronado National Forest south of the monument has campgrounds, including Rustler Park, Sunny Flat, and Idlewilde. Services: All services in Willcox. No ser-

vices in the monument. Nearby attractions: Coronado National

Forest, Portal, Cave Creek, Bisbee, Tombstone, Cochise Stronghold, Aravaipa Creek, Mount Graham, Swift Trail.

The Drive Southeastern Arizona is a dry land punctuated by rugged mountain ranges that loom above broad, dusty basins like islands in the sky. This 42-mile-­long scenic drive, following AZ 186 and AZ 181, traverses the northeastern edge of broad Sulphur Springs Valley along the western fringe of two sky islands—the Dos Cabezas and Chiricahua Mountains—in the state’s southeastern corner. Gorgeous views line the drive: towering peaks; the wide valley and its alkaline playa, or dry lakebed; grasslands dotted with grazing cattle; and Chiricahua National Monument—the drive’s best scenery—anchoring its eastern end in the Chiricahua Mountains. The drive, with elevations from 4,160 feet at Willcox to 6,860 feet at Massai Point, offers mild weather year-­round. Winter days are pleasant, with occasional

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snowfalls in the national monument. Spring and autumn days are warm, with daily temperatures between 50 and 80. Summers can be hot. Expect highs in the 90s in the lower elevations. Most of the annual precipitation falls in summer thunderstorms and winter snowstorms.

Willcox and Willcox Playa Willcox (population 3,733 in 2020), a rural community astride I-10, marks the beginning of the scenic drive. The town, named for Arizona army commander General Orlando B. Willcox, began in 1880 as a whistle stop and camp for construction crews on the Southern Pacific Railroad and quickly became a supply and shipping center for ranches that sprawled across southeastern Arizona. Willcox continues to be a center for ranching and agriculture. Artesian water, trapped in deep gravel layers, irrigates cotton fields and orchards in the surrounding valleys. The area’s mild climate and daily temperature range are ideal for wine grapes. The area, growing over 70 percent of Arizona’s wine grapes, boasts over a dozen wineries, with most offering vineyard tours and tasting rooms. Willcox wineries include Aridus Wine Company (520-766-9463), Coronado Vineyards (520-3842993), Zarpara Vineyard (520-222-7114), Carlson Creek Vineyard (520-766-3000), and Bodega Pierce (602-320-1722). An annual wine festival is held each year. Contact Willcox Wine Country (480-516-8848; willcoxwinecountry​.org) or Wines of Willcox (520-824-6972; willcoxwines​.com) for more information. Start the drive in downtown Willcox at the intersection of Haskell Avenue and Maley Street/AZ 186. Drive southeast on Maley. In a mile the highway leaves Willcox in the rear­view mirror and heads across a flat plain, crossing sandy hummocks on the eastern edge of Willcox Playa, a National Natural Landmark and the lowest part of Sulphur Springs Valley. Vegetated sand dunes and gravel terraces alongside the road and the lower slopes of the Dos Cabezas Mountains to the northeast trace the ancient shoreline of Lake Cochise. The 20-mile-­long lake, filled with meltwater from glaciers to the north, drained south into Mexico during Pleistocene ice ages when the climate was cool and wet. The lake, as deep as 50 feet and covering over 50 square miles, dried up about 12,000 years ago as the climate warmed. Now the lake has shriveled to a 40-square-­mile dry lakebed called Willcox Playa. Without an outlet, the lakebed fills with spring runoff and after heavy thunderstorms, forming a glistening shallow lake that eventually evaporates, leaving a dusty white alkali crust. When water covers the playa, it teems with protozoans, algae, fairy shrimp, and many bird species, including avocets, killdeer, and sandpipers. During wet winters as many as 10,000 sandhill cranes visit the playa and surrounding wetlands. The best places to view the cranes is the power plant ponds

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viewpoint on the southwest edge of the playa and 595-acre Willcox Playa Wildlife Area on the southeast side. The best birding is from October through March, but the sandhill cranes fly north in February. Each January is the Wings over Willcox Birding and Nature Festival. For more info about the state wildlife area, contact the Tucson office (520-628-5376). After 6 miles the highway swings east and reaches a junction with South Kansas Settlement Road on the right (GPS: 32.195256, -109.756207). To visit Willcox Playa Wildlife Area, go right here and drive straight south for 3.7 miles to the wildlife area parking lot on the right (GPS: 32.141859, -109.756787). Several trails explore the surrounding wetlands. From the junction, AZ 186 crosses a wide bajada, or outwash plain, toward the ragged outline of the Dos Cabezas Mountains. A semi-­desert scrub ecosystem thrives on the bajada and the lower mountain flanks, including sotol yucca, creosote, agave, and clusters of prickly pear cactus on the hot south-­facing slopes, and twisted mesquite trees in dry arroyos. The Dos Cabezas Mountains, named by an early Spanish passerby for the two

Dos Cabezas Peaks rise beyond an abandoned house in the town of Dos Cabezas. WI LLCOX TO CH I R ICAH UA SCE N IC DR IVE    193

rocky heads atop the highest peak, are a roughly chiseled range of tilted sedimentary layers and ancient granite and schist.

Dos Cabezas and Fort Bowie The highway runs straight east for 2.7 miles and then bends southeast and twists past a couple low barren hills after 12 miles. The road passes the old Dos Cabezas Pioneer Cemetery on the right and at 14.4 miles enters the almost deserted village of Dos Cabezas (GPS: 32.175412, -109.617900). The town began as a stage stop in the 1870s since nearby Ewell Spring was a dependable water source. It was officially founded in 1879 and the following year the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railway in Willcox allowed Dos Cabezas to prosper with gold and silver pouring from surrounding mines like the Elma, Leroy, Gold Prince, and Mascot. The crumbling village of adobe ruins and tin-­roofed houses, still home to a handful of residents, once boasted three stamp mills, a newspaper, saloons, churches,

Evening light on an adobe wall at Fort Bowie National Historic Site. 194   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

hotels, a brewery, and over 300 inhabitants. After 18 miles the drive leaves the rounded foothills below the Dos Cabezas Mountains and heads southeast across a sloping grassland, broken by shallow arroyos and rolling hillsides. Grazing cattle and windmills dot the pastoral scene. Eastward towers the long north–south ridge of the Chiricahua Mountains, a fault block range that reaches 9,795 feet atop Chiricahua Peak, the range high point. The range, mantled with a dark forest, stretches across the horizon like cardboard cut-­out scenery. At 22.7 miles is a junction on the left with Apache Pass Road, which heads northeast for 8.2 miles to Fort Bowie National Historic Site. The dirt road climbs The gravesite of Little Robe, son of Geronimo, over Apache Pass, a low point at Fort Bowie National Historic Site. between the Dos Cabezas and Chiricahua Mountains. The site, one of Arizona’s best historical parks, is reached by a 1.5-mile-­long trail (3 miles round-­trip) northeast of Apache Pass. From a roadside parking lot, start the hike at a signed trailhead next to toilets (GPS: 32.156645, -109.452891). Follow the marked trail southeast, passing the Apache Pass Stage Station ruins, Fort Bowie Cemetery, and shady Apache Spring. The trail ends at the monument visitor center with exhibits of cultural artifacts from indigenous people, military objects recovered at the site, and a bookstore. A loop trail explores the site. Call ahead for current visitor center hours and programs (520-847-2500). Fort Bowie, now a sunbaked adobe ruin, was established in 1862 to protect settlers, travelers, and stage and mail traffic on the Butterfield Stagecoach line. The fort was an important post during the war with the Chiricahua Apache and their chiefs, Cochise and Geronimo, until the late 1880s. It was abandoned in 1894. The site, operated by the National Park Service, preserves the fort ruins, the Battle of Apache Pass site, the post cemetery, and part of the Old Butterfield Overland Trail. Many of the cemetery graves read “Unknown. Killed by Indians.”

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Chiricahua National Monument From the turn to Fort Bowie, the drive travels southeast across a grassy bajada, dips over tree-­lined Pinery Creek, and reaches a junction on the left at 31.4 miles with AZ 181. Turn left on AZ 181 and drive east for 3 miles to the abrupt base of the Chiricahua Mountains and the entrance to 12,025-acre Chiricahua National Monument (GPS: 32.006962, -109.389488) at 34.3 miles. The monument, established in 1924, protects 18 square miles of the Chiricahua Mountains, one of Arizona’s unique and most remote mountain ranges and the ancestral homeland of the Chiricahua Apache. Five of North America’s seven life zones, ranging from the desert scrub of the Upper Sonoran life zone to climax fir and pine forests in the Canadian zone, spread over the park’s rugged terrain. The range’s plants and animals more closely resemble the highlands of Mexico’s Sierra Madre than surrounding ranges. As of press time in 2023, the national monument is close to receiving a national park designation, making it Arizona’s fourth national park. The US Senate passed a bill in March 2022 for national park status, and it currently awaits a vote by the US House of Representatives. A right turn at the boundary on dirt Pinery Canyon Road/FR 42 heads southeast up Pinery Canyon, past dispersed camping areas, over 7,600-foot Onion Saddle, and down spectacular Cave Creek Canyon to Portal on the east side of the range. This rough, narrow road, closed in winter by snow, is an excellent backroad drive.

Faraway Ranch Historic District and Bonita Canyon The scenic drive, now following Bonita Canyon Road, passes through the entrance station and swings around the north end of Erickson Ridge, named for early Swedish settlers Neil and Emma Erickson who settled here in 1886. At 34.7 miles, or 0.3 mile from the entrance station, a left turn goes to a parking lot for 0.2-mile Bonita Creek Loop (GPS: 32.009713, -109.384035), an accessible paved trail that explores the bottomland along Bonita Creek. The site has an accessible picnic area and restrooms. The Bonita Creek Trail also begins here and runs east for a half mile to Faraway Ranch Picnic Area. The turn for the picnic area and end of the trail is 0.5 mile to the east. From Faraway Ranch Picnic Area, the road passes sycamore trees and the Faraway Ranch Historic District (GPS: 32.007959, -109.372697). The Ericksons first had a cabin on their 160-acre homestead along Bonita Creek but as their family grew with three children, they expanded the structure to a two-­story frame house. Neil Erickson, the first ranger in the Chiricahua Forest Reserve, was later transferred to Flagstaff in 1917, so his daughter Lillian took over the ranch, running the cattle operation and then turning it into a dude ranch, charging $2.50 a

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night. The ranch operated until the 1970s. Now it’s a preserved slice of Chiricahua history that can be visited on a ranger-­led tour. Continue east and at 36.5 miles turn right to the park’s visitor center (520824-3560), a historic stone building erected in the 1930s by Civilian Conservation Corps masons. Discover displays here that detail the monument’s natural history, cultural history, archeology, and geology, along with a short film. The center also has a bookstore. The visitor center is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except on Christmas Day. The visitor center parking lot is also the trailhead for Lower Rhyolite Canyon Trail, which heads east for 1.5 miles to a junction with the Upper Rhyolite Canyon Trail and Sarah Deming Trail. The drive turns north here and passes the park’s shady 25-site Bonita Canyon Campground after another 0.5 mile. Bonita Canyon Road, floored with a dense mixed forest, climbs north and east for 4 miles up Bonita Canyon. Steep canyon walls lined with eroded pinnacles and buttresses tower above the twisting asphalt road. At 37.3 miles, stop in a pullout on the left side of the road for a stunning view of the Organ Pipes looming overhead. Farther up the road at 37.3 miles, or 1.3 miles from the visitor center, is a pullout on the left (GPS: 32.022229, -109.349188). The Natural Bridge Trail, a 4.8-mile, out-­and-­back hike, starts here. It follows North Bonita Canyon, climbs over a ridge to Picket Park, and ends at a unique natural bridge spanning a dry creek. The trail, crossing the burn scar of the 2011 Horseshoe 2 Fire, is in 87,700acre Chiricahua Wilderness Area. The monument, with an average of 19 inches of annual precipitation, boasts a diverse variety of trees, including seven oak species, six pine species, Arizona cypress, alligator juniper, Arizona madrone, and many shrubs, cacti, and yuccas. The startling changes in elevation, terrain, and habitats allow for an equally wide array of animals and birds. Mammals include black bear, coyote, mountain lion, bobcat, peccary, coati, ringtail, deer, and four skunk species. Seven rattlesnake species, coral snakes, and 24 other snake species roam the canyons and cliffs. The range shelters an extraordinary number of birds, including rare Mexican species like the elusive elegant trogon and the thick-­billed parrot, attracting birders wanting to add to their life lists. Continue east up Bonita Canyon, passing more rock formations with pullouts, including Sea Captain and China Boy Rock. Cochise Head Trailhead is at a pullout on the left 3.6 miles from the visitor center, or 40.1 miles from Willcox, in Bonita Park. The 8-mile, round-­trip hike climbs 8,113-foot Cochise Head, a rugged peak northeast of the park. The strenuous hike follows an old road past a mine and then descends across a canyon and up the rocky mountain. Much of the trail was damaged after a 2011 wildfire, so bring route-­finding skills.

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Massai Point Past Bonita Park, the drive turns south on a shelf road that climbs across the steep eastern flank of 7,310-foot Sugarloaf Mountain. At 5.2 miles from the visitor center, or 41.7 miles from the drive’s start, a right turn leads to Echo Canyon Trailhead and Sugarloaf Mountain Trailhead at the end of the 0.6-mile road (GPS: 32.016230, -109.321330). Descending west, the Echo Canyon Trail accesses some of the park’s best scenery. The best loop hike from here combines the Echo Canyon, Hailstone, and Ed Riggs Trails for a 3.3-mile trek through the Grottoes, Wallstreet, and wooded Echo Park. The trailhead has restrooms, hiking info, and a bear-­proof trashcan. The Sugarloaf Mountain Trail heads west from the parking lot and climbs to expansive views and a fire lookout atop conical Sugarloaf Mountain. Return to the trailhead for a 1.8-mile, round-­trip hike. The parking area has picnic tables and restrooms. From the Sugarloaf turn, the road continues another half mile to the drive’s end and a parking area at 6,870-foot Massai Point. The point offers lofty views across the monument’s iconic rock formations, including the Heart of the Rocks. Beyond the viewpoint stretch the wooded Chiricahua Mountains and shimmering Willcox Playa. Massai Point has plenty of parking, including accessible spots, restrooms, and an exhibit hall reached by a short hike, and it accesses several trails. A good introductory hike is the 0.2-mile, paved, accessible Massai Nature Trail, which forms a loop north of the parking lot to the exhibit building. The first 0.17 mile is wheelchair-­accessible to the building, while the last 0.03 mile has steps and a gravel surface. Another fine short hike is the 0.5-mile Massai Point Nature Trail, which begins at the same spot as the paved trail but goes left and follows the parking lot’s perimeter. From Massai Point, many trails explore the Wonderland of Rocks, including the Echo Canyon, Ed Riggs, Mushroom Rock, and Inspiration Point trails, and the fabulous Heart of Rocks Loop. The Heart of Rocks explores dramatic hoodoos, minarets, and spires, bizarre formations that the Apache called “standing-­up rocks.” The 1.1-mile loop, reached from either the visitor center or Massai Point on various trails, threads below formations like Punch and Judy, Totem Pole, Balanced Rock, and Duck on a Rock. For detailed hike maps and descriptions of the Chiricahua trails, ask a ranger at the visitor center (520-824-3560) or download info from the park’s website (nps​.gov/chir) The fantastic rock sculptures below Massai Point are the result of violent volcanic eruptions from Turkey Creek Caldera south of the monument about 27 million years ago. The cataclysm, forming the 12-mile-­wide caldera, spewed about 100 cubic miles of hot ash, magma, and rock debris during eight eruptions, forming a 2,000-foot-­thick layer that fused into rhyolitic tuff. Erosion by wind, water,

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Looking west from Massai Point across Chiricahua National Monument.

ice, and time weathered the rock along cracks into the bizarre jumble of spires, buttresses, gargoyles, and castles now seen at Chiricahua. After enjoying the Massai Point views and hiking to iconic stone formations, return to Willcox on the same route for an 84-mile, round-­trip drive. Alternatively, if weather conditions permit, drive the rough Pinery Canyon Road to Portal on the east side of the range.

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21 Patagonia-­Sonoita Scenic Road Interstate 10 to Nogales General description: A 56-mile-­long paved drive that skirts the eastern edge of the Santa Rita Mountains, crosses the rolling Sonoita Plains, follows Sonoita Creek, and drops down to Nogales and the Mexican border. Special attractions: Las Cienegas National

Conservation Area, Sonoita wineries, Santa Rita Mountains, Coronado National Forest, Borderlands Wildlife Preserve, Patagonia, Paton Center for Hummingbirds, Patagonia-­ Sonoita Creek Preserve, Patagonia Lake State Park, Sonoita Creek State Natural Area, Nogales, camping, trails. Location: Southern Arizona. Begin at exit

281, Mountain View exit, on I-10 east of Tucson (GPS: 32.006602, -110.690190) and drive south on AZ 83. After 25 miles reach a junction with AZ 82 (GPS: 31.679422, -110.655765) and turn right on AZ 82. End the drive after 56

miles at Grand Avenue in Nogales (GPS: 31.351038, -110.927611). Go left on Grand Avenue to I-19 North to Tucson. Drive route numbers and names: Arizona

Highways 83 and 82, Sonoita Mountain View Highway. Travel season: Year-­round. Camping: Patagonia Lake State Park offers 105 campsites and 12 boat-­in sites. Reserve at 877-MY-­PARKS or azstateparks​ .com/reserve/#patagonia-­lake/camping. Services: All services in Nogales, Patago-

nia, and Sonoita. Nearby attractions: Madera Canyon, Pena Blanca Lake, Tumacacori National Monument, Tubac Presidio State Historic Park, Tucson, Saguaro National Park, Arizona– Sonora Desert Museum, Colossal Cave, Coronado National Memorial, Tombstone, Mexico.

The Drive The Patagonia-­Sonoita Scenic Road, following AZ 83, sweeps south across undulating grasslands east of the Santa Rita Mountains to the old ranching town of Sonoita. Here the drive swings southwest on AZ 82, passing through Patagonia and following tree-­lined Sonoita Creek before rolling down to the Santa Cruz River and Nogales, the border gateway to old Mexico. This 56-mile road trip, with a return on I-19, makes a scenic loop drive from Tucson. The paved highway, open year-­round, lies above 4,000 feet except for a section south of I-10. The road climbs to a 5,085-foot high point at a low pass on AZ 83 between the Empire Mountains on the east and the Santa Rita Mountains on the west. The elevation makes summer temperatures pleasant, with highs seldom climbing above 100 degrees. Heavy thunderstorms build over the Santa Ritas almost every July and August afternoon. Autumn is gorgeous along the drive, 200

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Border Control Checkpoint

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CORONADO NATIONAL FOREST SONOITA PLAIN

Mount Wrightson 9,453 ft.

Fort Crittenden Site

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Santa Rita Peak 5,780 ft. Borderlands Wildlife Preserve

Patagonia Patagonia–Sonoita Creek Preserve Patagonia Lake State Park Sonoita Creek State Natural Area

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particularly when Sonoita Creek’s trees change color. Winters are pleasant with warm days and cool nights.

South from Interstate 10 Arizona Highway 83, the scenic drive’s first leg, begins at exit 281 on I-10 about 20 miles east of Tucson. Pass a junction on the left with Old Sonoita Highway and head south across a sloping bajada densely covered with ocotillo, prickly pear cactus, mesquite and palo verde trees, sotol yucca, and barrel cactus. After crossing several dry washes, reach Sahuarita Road on the right at 3.1 miles. About 100 feet west of the junction is the Arizona Trail’s Sahuarita Trailhead (GPS: 31.963098, -110.672783). The 800-mile Arizona National Scenic Trail stretches north to Utah from the Mexican border to the south. The trail section here is a good singletrack hike or mountain bike ride that goes south across undulating desert with wide views. Hikers can turn around when the feet tire, while bikers can do an 18-mile, out-­and-­back ride to the Coronado National Forest boundary. After 6 miles the highway drops into wide Davidson Canyon, an arid canyon coated with scrubby brush named for O. Davidson, an Indian agent at Tubac. The canyon separates the Empire Mountains on the east from the Santa Rita Mountains, topped by pointed 9,453-foot Mount Wrightson, to the west. An early road followed the canyon in the 1860s and 1870s, connecting Tucson with Forts Crittenden and Buchanan near today’s Sonoita. Apache often attacked army convoys that traveled the route. One of the worst atrocities occurred in 1872 when two soldiers separated from their escort party were set upon by an Apache war party. One was immediately killed, and the other, Corporal Joe Black, was abducted. Black, in view of the escort party, was tied to a tree, set afire, and murdered with over a hundred knife and lance wounds. At 6.8 miles, turn left on an unnamed dirt road that heads east for 0.7 mile to Charron Vineyard and Winery (18585 South Sonoita Highway; 520-762-8585; charronvineyards​.com). Since 1995, the winery has offered over 16 different wines, including dry and white merlots. A big attraction is the tasting patio with stellar views of the Santa Ritas. Leashed dogs are welcome on the patio. It’s open Thursday through Sunday; call or check the website for winter and summer hours. The highway continues south through the broad canyon. The Empire Mountains, with a 5,588-foot high point, lift a bold escarpment along the eastern horizon. The range is a geological mishmash with sedimentary layers intruded with quartz monzonite, granodiorite, and basalt dikes. The 7-mile-­long range, containing gold, silver, copper, and lead, was first mined in the 1870s by grizzled prospectors.

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Its most famous mine was the Total Wreck Mine, 4 miles east of the drive, discovered by John T. Dillon. When he was filling out the paperwork for his claim, the clerk asked him what the mine was named. Dillon famously said, “Well, the mineral foundation is almost a total wreck.” The clerk responded, “That’s your name.” A town sprang up around the prosperous mine, which had about 300 residents by 1883. The Los Angeles Times described it in 1882: “The town of Total Wreck has no appearance of a wreck. It is a thrifty, neat-­looking village, the streets laid out at right angles. The main street is named Dillon Street in honor of the discoverer of the mine, and the first to discover minerals in this district. . . . The town has two stores, two hotels, a restaurant, five saloons, a carpenter, blacksmith, butcher and shoeshop; also a dressmaker’s store, a brewery and about thirty-­five houses.” Plenty of gold and silver was pulled from the mine, including a specimen of horn silver that weighed 30 pounds and was 75 percent silver. Mining declined in the 1890s, and by 1900 Total Wreck was deserted. Little remains of the ghost town now except tailing piles, a cemetery of unmarked graves, and a few foundations.

Sonoita Plain and Las Cienegas National Conservation Area After 10 miles, the highway bends right and leaves Davidson Canyon, climbing across stony slopes by Barrel Canyon, and after another mile it enters Coronado National Forest. Scrubby foothills on the eastern slope of the Santa Rita Mountains rise to the west. Clumps of juniper scatter on rounded grassy ridges and in shallow canyons. At 11.7 miles is a picnic pullout on the west side of the highway (GPS: 31.852333, -110.697034). The site has a couple of tables and marvelous views southwest to 9,453-foot Mount Wrightson. The highway continues southeast and rolls onto the undulating Sonoita Plain, a rich grassland that is one of America’s finest ranchlands. The open range, mostly above 4,000 feet, stretches eastward from the Santa Ritas to the Whetstone and Dragoon Mountains. The plain, watered by 17 inches of annual precipitation, is an old Pleistocene, red-­earth land that was deposited by heavy runoff from surrounding mountain ranges during moist ice age cycles. The gravel deposits are as thick as 5,000 feet. Vast herds of ancestral horses, camels, and other large mammals populated the ancient plain. Erosion by oak-­lined streams, including Sonoita, Cienega, and Babocamari Creeks, cut into the fertile plain, leaving wide swaths of grassland seamed with shallow valleys. The drive runs across this plain for almost 10 miles to Sonoita, offering tableaus reminiscent of eastern Montana or Wyoming—trickling creeks riffle over gravel bars, tall grass ripples in summer breezes, and cattle graze under a vault of

PATAGON IA- ­S ONOITA SCE N IC ROAD    203

turquoise sky. It’s an immense land of faraway views with a pastoral beauty unlike other Arizona drives. Most of this landscape is part of Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, a tract of over 45,000 acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The area, established by Congress in 2000, contains the Empire and Cienega Ranches as well as parts of the Rose Tree and Vera Earl Ranches. The main features are perennial Cienega Creek—a lush ribbon of vegetation with cienegas, or wetlands—and a cottonwood and willow habitat. Other habitats here are semidesert grasslands, mesquite bosques, and oak-­studded hills. A remarkable diversity of wildlife calls the area home, including 230 bird species, 60 mammals, 40 reptiles and amphibians, and several endangered species. One of these is the black-­tailed prairie dog, which became extinct in Arizona in 1960. Reintroduced to Las Cienegas in 2008, the prairie dog is making a comeback. The area also has grazing livestock on open grasslands. To visit the conservation area, drive south to a Border Control Checkpoint at 17.8 miles and continue another mile to a left turn on Empire Ranch Road near milepost 40. Drive east for 3.2 miles to a T-­junction with Empire Ranch Road and Yucca Farm Road (GPS: 31.784272, -110.639007) at the old ranch buildings, now the headquarters for the Empire Ranch Foundation. Roads branch out from here that explore the further reaches of the conservation area, including Oak Tree Canyon, Cieneguita, and Road Canyon Campgrounds; bird and wildlife watching spots; and points of interest like Fresno Gap and The Narrows. Drinking water is from a hand-­pump by the ranch headquarters. Nearby is a good picnic spot at the ranch’s stone corral. For more information, call the BLM’s Tucson Field Office (520-258-7200).

Sonoita to Patagonia The highway straight-­lines south across the wide plain and reaches the crossroads town of Sonoita (2020 population is 727) after 25 miles and the end of the AZ 83 segment of the scenic drive. At the intersection with AZ 82, make a right turn on AZ 82 and continue southwest. Sonoita, from the O’odham word ṢonʼOidag, meaning “place where corn grows,” was founded as a stop on the New Mexico and Arizona Railroad line between Nogales and Benson in 1882. The railroad hauled Arizona cattle and ore to the Mexican seaport of Guaymas on the Sea of Cortez. Earlier the area was the site of Native American villages, a 1701 Jesuit mission, and the San Ignacio del Babocomari Spanish land grant. Mount Wrightson, high point of the Santa Rita Mountains, towers beyond the Patagonia-­Sonoita Scenic Road. PATAGON IA- ­S ONOITA SCE N IC ROAD    205

Sonoita, with an elevation of 4,680 feet, is the hub of Arizona’s wine country with its hilly countryside, water-­retaining soil, and California-­style climate. In 1984, the Sonoita area became Arizona’s first to receive a coveted American Viticultural Area (AVA) designation, which indicates grape-­growing regions with specific geographic and climactic features. For a taste of southern Arizona, the area offers about 20 wineries, including Dos Cabezas Wineworks (520-455-5141), Wilhelm Family Vineyards (520-455-9291), Arizona Hops and Vines (301-237-6556), Rancho Rossa Vineyards (520-455-0700), Autumn Sage Vineyards (602-9042120), Callaghan Vineyards (602-904-2120), Sonoita Vineyards (520-455-5893), and Rune Wines (520-338-8823). Heading southwest on AZ 82, the drive dashes down a picturesque valley carved by Sonoita Creek. West of the highway rise the Santa Rita Mountains, called wa Kuswo Doʼag in O’odham. The sky island range is one of Arizona’s most biodiverse areas, providing crucial habitat for birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals, including the elusive jaguar. Madera Canyon on the range’s northwest side is one of the best bird-­watching areas in the United States, with over 256 bird species sighted, including 15 species of hummingbirds and 36 species of wood warblers. A historic marker, 3 miles west of Sonoita and 28 miles from the drive’s start (GPS: 31.658690, -110.697074), commemorates Fort Buchanan and Fort Crittenden. Southern Arizona from the Gila River south to today’s Mexican border was purchased by the Gadsden Treaty in 1854 for $10 million. For two years after the treaty, Mexican troops protected both American and Mexican settlers in the area around Nogales. Fort Buchanan, established in March 1856 by Major Enoch Steen and named for President James Buchanan, was built to protect miners, settlers, and ranchers populating the newly acquired land from Apache depredations. The area’s history recounts many stories of brutal murders at the hands of both the Apache and the US Army. The fort closed during the Civil War and was then rebuilt as Fort Crittenden on a nearby hill in 1867 before being abandoned in 1872. Both forts are on private property north of the highway. The road continues south on the west edge of Sonoita Creek’s broad valley. At 34.7 miles is a junction with a gated road on the left for Sonoita Springs Ranch and an unnamed road on the right. Turn right to visit Borderlands Wildlife Preserve (520-216-4148; borderlandswildlifepreserve​.org). Drive 500 feet on the dirt road to a parking lot and trailhead on the left (GPS: 31.573894, -110.731788). The 1,800-acre preserve, part of the Sonoita Creek Wildlife Corridor, is owned by Wildlife Corridors and co-­managed with Borderlands Restoration Network. This critical wildlife habitat was in danger of becoming a housing subdivision, but in 2014 concerned citizens purchased 1,200 acres of lots, setting the land aside for the wildlife corridor. In 2022, funding from the US Forest Service and the Nature

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Conservancy enabled the preserve to purchase an additional 480 acres. The preserve offers three easy and moderate trails—the 2.06-mile Cross-­Corridor Trail, 2.29-mile Smith Canyon Loop, and 0.5-mile Connector Trail—as well as part of the Arizona Trail. Reach a southern trailhead on Fox Trail Lane by turning right on Tanglewood Lane from the highway 0.9 mile south of the north trailhead. The drive enters charming Patagonia (population 804 in 2020) at 37 miles. Patagonia, named with the Spanish term for the local Natives, patagon, meaning “big foot,” is surrounded by some of Arizona’s best rangeland—rolling grassy hills studded with oaks. With plentiful game, the Tohono O’odham had seasonal villages in the area. In 1698 Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, a Spanish priest, encountered Native people living along Sonoita Creek here. Later, American prospectors dug silver and lead from the Patagonia Mountains and in 1896 the town was founded. Town surveyor Rollin Rice Richardson wanted the new town named for him, but townsfolk petitioned the US Postal Service to name it for the nearby mountains. The name Patagonia was approved in 1900, but Richardson ruled the town until his death in 1923. Patagonia offers groceries, lodging, and restaurants, including the Velvet Elvis Pizza Company (520-394-2102) with its gourmet pies and a velvet painting of the King himself. To understand local history, stop by the Patagonia Museum (520-343-5641) in the old 1914 elementary school for exhibits about ranching, mining, and railroads. For entertainment and culture, watch a film or play at the Tin Shed Theater (520-394-9369) or catch a classy music performance at the Benderly-­Kendall Opera House (888-202-1942). A popular attraction is the Paton Center for Hummingbirds (520-415-6447), dedicated to the conservation of hummingbirds and the diverse life of southern Arizona. At least 213 bird species have been spotted on this lot in Patagonia. It’s open sunrise to sunset and is free, but consider a donation to maintain the site. The town is also the gateway to the Patagonia Mountains, a rough sierra dotted with old mines and ghost towns. A gravel road climbs south from Patagonia up Harshaw Creek into the mountains, offering scenic views of the Sonoita Valley and Santa Rita Mountains, and passing the ghost towns of Harshaw, Washington Camp, Duquesne, and the famed Mowry Mine, which produced over $1.5 million in silver and lead in the 1860s.

Patagonia-­Sonoita Creek Preserve The Patagonia-­Sonoita Creek Preserve, beginning in Patagonia and following Sonoita Creek west along the scenic drive, preserves 873 acres of southern Arizona’s best riparian or streamside ecosystem. Riparian zones, especially in arid or semiarid country, are among the most species-­rich habitats, and this is no

PATAGON IA- ­S ONOITA SCE N IC ROAD    207

A grassy wetland at the Patagonia-­Sonoita Creek Preserve. Alan Schmierer, Wikimedia Commons

exception. Trees shade the creek’s bottomland, making a twisting corridor lined with Fremont cottonwood, oak, velvet ash, and sycamore trees. Some of the Fremont cottonwoods, reaching heights of 100 feet and ages of 130 years, are among the oldest and tallest cottonwoods in the country. Grassy hillsides above the creek are green with mesquite, mountain mahogany, alligator juniper, and white oak. Mammals thrive here, including peccary, whitetail deer, coyote, fox, coati, and skunk. It’s the birds, however, that visitors flock to see. The Nature Conservancy sanctuary, lying a scant 20 miles north of Mexico, attracts an astounding number and variety of birds—almost 300 species—from both the Rocky Mountains and Mexico’s Sierra Madre. Birds seen include gray hawk, meadowlark, cardinal, pygmy nuthatch, rose-­throated becard, several hummingbird species, and the colorful elegant trogon from Mexico. The preserve’s visitor center (150 Blue Heaven Road; 520-394-2400) is easily reached from Patagonia by turning right on Fourth Avenue from AZ 82, left on Pennsylvania Avenue, and driving southwest for 1.5 miles on Pennsylvania and Blue Heaven Road to the center (GPS: 31.528009, -110.775733). The area is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. April through September, and 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. October through March.

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Patagonia Lake and Nogales The highway leaves Patagonia and heads south in Sonoita Creek’s valley, which narrows to a cliff-­lined canyon in a couple miles. The cliffs, tinted with smoldering hues of red and orange, are mostly tuff and breccia tossed out by a nearby volcano and later tilted, faulted, and eroded by Sonoita Creek, which drops steeply west from here to the Santa Cruz River north of Nogales. This road section also passes through San Jose de Sonoita, the smallest Spanish land grant given in Arizona. The 8,000-acre grant was bought by Tubac rancher Leon Herraras in 1821 for $105. The Telles Family Shrine, with a statue of the Virgin Mary, candles, and offerings, lies midway through the canyon. Pass a rest area on the left at 41.3 miles. Below ragged 4,703-foot Sanford Butte, the drive turns south, crosses Mary Kane and Three R Canyons, and climbs grass- and oak-­covered ridges to the turnoff to Patagonia Lake State Park (520-287-6965) at 44.8 miles. Visit the park and adjoining Sonoita Creek State Natural Area by following Lake Patagonia Road for 4 miles to the park complex, which includes a campground, marina, swimming beach, grocery market, boat ramps, picnic area, and fishing for crappie, bass, bluegill, catfish, and trout. The 265-acre lake formed after Sonoita Creek was dammed in 1968. The Sonoita Creek State Natural Area (520-287-6965) is a sprawling preserve covering over 10,000 acres around Patagonia Lake. The area offers over 20 miles of hiking on 10 trails, nature study, bird-­watching, and horseback riding. Start your adventure by visiting the Patagonia Lake State Park Visitor Center or gatehouse, paying an entrance fee, and obtaining a hiking permit, and then driving a 1.1-mile dirt road to a parking lot and trailhead on the lake’s south side (GPS: 31.487897, -110.866182). Head out on the Sonoita Creek Trail, which leads west to more trails, or do the short Overlook Trail up a 4,318-foot knob. Past the lake turnoff, the highway rolls southwest over ridges and valleys to Nogales International Airport at 48.7 miles. The highway dips across the braided Santa Cruz River and climbs scrubby Proto Canyon before dropping down to the Nogales city limits at 53.4 miles. Continue past houses to a final sharp curve that leads to the drive’s end at 56 miles at the highway’s junction with Grand Avenue in Nogales (population 19,770 in 2020). Turn left and drive north on Grand Avenue for 3 miles to I-19, which heads north to Tucson. Before heading north, take some time to linger in Nogales (pronounced nuh-­ gal-­is), Arizona’s main gateway to Mexico. The city, 95 percent Hispanic, offers road travelers a warm welcome with its old history, vibrant Latino culture, and many authentic Mexican restaurants. To learn about Nogales history, visit Pimeria Alta Historical Society and Museum (520-287-4621), see white stucco Sacred

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The sun sets over Patagonia Lake in Patagonia Lake State Park.

Heart Church, or take a stroll through downtown Nogales with its historic buildings and shops. For more sights and adventures, stroll across the border and visit Nogales, Sonora, the city’s sister in Mexico. Bring your passport and walk across at the Dennis DeConcini or Morley Ports of Entry. Obregon Street is the happening place in old Nogales, with plenty of shopping, Mexican crafts, restaurants blaring mariachi music, and the colors and ambience of old Mexico.

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22 Historic Route 66 Back Country Byway Kingman to Golden Shores General description: This 47-mile-­long drive, a designated Back Country Byway, climbs from the Sacramento Valley south of Kingman over Sitgreaves Pass in the rugged Black Mountains to the historic gold mining camp of Oatman. The drive then runs south to Golden Shores north of Topock. Special attractions: Oatman, Goldroad,

Cool Springs, Ed’s Camp, Sitgreaves Pass, Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, old mines, trails, wildlife. Location: Western Arizona. The drive runs

between Kingman and Golden Shores. Start in Kingman and drive south on I-40 to exit 44. Go right at the exit to the drive’s start (GPS: 35.136440, -114.103182). The drive ends at exit 1 on I-40 by the Colorado River and California border (GPS: 34.718360, -114.478322). Route numbers and names: Old Route

66, Oatman Road.

Travel season: Year-­round. The road is dry except for occasional winter rain and summer cloudbursts. Expect hot temperatures in summer. Camping: No public campgrounds along the drive. Private campgrounds in Kingman and Bullhead City. Hualapai Mountain Park southeast of Kingman has a campground in the Hualapai Mountains. Primitive camping on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands along the drive. Check with the Kingman BLM office (928-718-3700) for information. Services: All services in Kingman and

Bullhead City. Limited services in Golden Shores and Oatman. Nearby attractions: Kingman, Hualapai Mountain Park, Hualapai Mountains Back Country Byway, Lake Havasu, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Grand Canyon Caverns, Chloride, Bullhead City, Laughlin, Lake Mohave, East Mojave National Scenic Area.

The Drive The Oatman Road, a designated National Back Country Byway, traverses a 47-mile section of beloved Old Route 66, a 2,400-mile-­long highway that linked Chicago’s Lake Michigan with the Pacific Ocean’s billowing surf in Los Angeles. For over 50 years, from the mid-1920s through the mid-1970s when parts of five different interstate highways replaced it, Route 66 was America’s national road. Dubbed the “Mother Road” in John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath, Route 66 crossed eight states and crept through so many small towns it became known as the Main Street of America. Arizona Route 66 traversed a railroad corridor surveyed by Lieutenant Edward F. Beale and his exotic caravan of soldiers, camels, and Arabian camel 211

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Mount Nutt 5,062 ft.

Battleship Mountain 4,165 ft.

Sitgreaves Pass 3,556 ft. ) (

Goldroad

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Thimble Mountain 4,062 ft.

Shaffer Spring Elephant’s Tooth 3,666 ft.

Boundary Cone 3,430 ft. Wrigley Peak 3,062 ft.

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drivers in 1857. Beale predicted his route—later followed by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad and then Route 66—would “inevitably become the great emigrant road to California.” In the early 1930s, Route 66 did become a major emigrant road, what novelist John Steinbeck called in The Grapes of Wrath the “mother road, the road of flight,” when as many as 500,000 dispossessed, jobless refugees from Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas escaped the Dust Bowl, mechanized farming, and the Great Depression’s poverty by migrating west along the highway to California, the fabled land of dreams and plenty. The Historic Route 66 scenic drive follows one of the last and best-­preserved stretches of Route 66 in the United States, from exit 44 on I-40 south of Kingman to Golden Shores a few miles north of exit 1 on I-40. The twisting highway, built for leisurely driving in puttering 1920s cars, takes a couple of hours to drive. Allow extra time to explore Oatman, a historic mining town, and other sights along the way. The road offers spectacular overlooks across the Mojave Desert, crumpled mine ruins, wild burros and bighorn sheep, and hiking access to the rugged Black Mountains, mostly protected in 28,080-acre Mount Nutt Wilderness Area north of the drive. The road’s midsection over Sitgreaves Pass is sometimes called the “Arizona Sidewinder” with its 191 curves in 8 miles—keep both hands on the steering wheel! Weather atop the drive is pleasant year-­round, although summer temperatures are usually sizzling. Bullhead City, about 15 miles northwest of Oatman, is one of the nation’s hotspots, with high temperatures regularly soaring above 110 degrees. Oatman and the higher Black Mountains are cooler, but expect summer highs in the 90s and 100s. Spring, winter, and fall bring mild weather, with daily highs ranging from 50 to 90 degrees. Rainfall is infrequent, and snow dusts the highest peaks a few times each winter.

Sacramento Valley to Sitgreaves Pass The Historic Route 66 scenic drive begins 5 miles south of Kingman at exit 44, the McConnico exit, on I-40. The road, passing scattered homes, ranchettes, and random businesses, heads arrow-­straight southwest across the flat Sacramento Valley, a broad basin bordered by the Hualapai Mountains to the east and the Black Mountains to the west. The valley’s bedrock floor hides beneath thousands of feet of gravel and sand washed down from the mountains. After a few miles the road crosses sandy Sacramento Wash, a dry arroyo that drains the wide valley, and then Secret Pass Wash, another wide arroyo that begins at remote Secret Pass in the Black Mountains, before climbing across a bajada, or alluvial outwash apron, east of the Black Mountains.

H ISTOR IC ROUTE 66 BACK COU NTRY BYWAY    213

After 12 miles the highway dips across Meadow Creek’s dry drainage and bends west up its wide valley into the southern Black Mountains. Thimble Mountain (also called Thimble Butte), a 4,062-foot-­high volcanic neck, lifts its castellated rampart to the north. The Black Mountains, one of Arizona’s longest ranges, measures over 100 miles from its northernmost point at Lake Mead to its southern tip at I-40 near the California border. The range is a jumbled chaos of volcanic rocks deposited by volcanic eruptions in Cretaceous and Tertiary times, between 50 and 100 million years ago. The sharp, toothed peaks, like Thimble Mountain, that stud the range are the petrified inner conduits of long-­extinct volcanoes that once belched fire and ash. Horizontal-­lying lava flows cap the mountaintops, forming bands of dark basalt cliffs along the range crest. After 14.6 miles, the Mother Road reaches Cool Springs (928-514-1904) on the north edge of the sunbaked asphalt (GPS: 35.027405, -114.308856). Thimble Mountain looms beyond a low-­slung building fronted with stone and topped with a modest, red-­and-­white sign reading “Cool Springs Cabins Tasty Foods.” Opening as a gas station in 1927, Cool Springs quickly became a stopover for Tin Lizzies, packed to the gills with children and a few valuables, for Dust Bowl refugees creeping west to California and the sundown shore. Cool Springs offered a chance to gas up, cool down the engine, tank up the waterbags, munch a famed chicken dinner at the cafe, and spend the night in a one-­room cabin before attempting the serpentine road over the mountains.

Cool Springs, a stopover for Dust Bowl migrants, lies along Historic Route 66. 214   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

The Black Mountains above Historic Route 66 Back Country Byway.

The roadside spot flourished through the next decades, including the post– World War II era when tourists sped across Route 66 to California, the Pacific Ocean, and scenic destinations like the Grand Canyon. Increased traffic, while great for Cool Springs, also led to increased congestion and accidents on the curvy highway over Sitgreaves Pass. In the early 1950s, US 66 was realigned down Yucca Valley, bypassing Cool Springs and Oatman. Business dwindled to a handful of travelers a day in the early 1960s, and soon after Cool Springs closed for good. In 1966 a fire burned the landmark to the ground, leaving bare foundations and a couple of stone pillars. The final insult came in 1991 when the site was used as a set for the film Universal Soldier. A frame building erected on the foundations was blown up in the movie, ruining the remaining ruins. Good news came in 1997 when Ned Leuchtner, a Chicago real estate agent, stopped at the ruins in 1997 and mulled over the spirit of the place and the vanished people that lived here. He decided to buy the site and resurrect Cool Springs. For three years he tried to purchase it from Nancy Schoenerr Waverka, the last person to live there and the surviving niece of Floyd Spidell, the last owner. Finally, she relented and sold Ned the property in 2001. The site was cleaned up and a new Cool Springs was built based on existing plans and old photographs and opened for business in 2005. While it is a reconstruction, Cool Springs remains an iconic slice of Route 66 history and is worth a stopover to investigate the museum and gift shop, and then to sit in the shade of the stone portico and

H ISTOR IC ROUTE 66 BACK COU NTRY BYWAY    215

Ed’s Camp, now private property, sits alongside Historic Route 66.

remember the safe harbor this site once provided to thirsty travelers with busted radiators. Continue west from Cool Springs for 1.2 miles to the crumbling remains of Ed’s Camp in Little Meadows on the bank of dry Meadow Creek. This stop, once shaded by many trees, nestles in the scrubby hills alongside the highway. Once it was one of the last intact self-­contained Route 66 roadhouses. The camp, established by miner Ed Egerton, opened in 1919 and boomed in the 1930s and 1940s, like Cool Springs, when streams of travelers crept over the Black Mountains. At Ed’s Camp they could linger, gas up, top off their radiator, gather information on road hazards and detours ahead, and rest up for the rigors of driving across the broiling California desert. Egerton’s yard was filled with belongings that travelers pawned for an extra dollar’s worth of gas to bring them closer to the Pacific shore, and the only saguaro cactus on Route 66 lifted stately arms in front of the Texaco gas station. Here, too, nervous lowlanders could hire a local to drive the family sedan over the steep, spiraling road where abrupt drop-­offs bordered the outside lanes and grades reached 17 percent. Today Ed’s Camp is deserted, its yard filled with piles of junk, metal bedframes, rusted machinery, old tires, and silvered pieces of wood. The site, posted with many No Trespassing signs, is closed to visitors, and rumor has it that trespassers have been ordered off the property by the barrel of a shotgun, so stop, look, but don’t linger like the first travelers. The highway twists and switchbacks west from Ed’s Camp, steadily climbing past low lava-­capped hills sparsely covered with Joshua trees, scrubby junipers, ocotillos, creosote bushes, prickly pear cacti, and teddy bear cholla cacti. After driving 2.2 miles from Ed’s, the highway makes a sharp right bend in a stony draw. Pull off left on a shoulder to see Shaffer Spring, sometimes called Shaffer’s Fish Bowl. Climb a worn 30-step stone staircase to a concrete and rock pool 216   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

Shaffer Spring trickles into a pool on a rock shelf above Route 66.

that captures the meager flow of a natural spring. Early drivers filled waterbags at the spring, and in the 1950s the state highway department installed a hand-­pump drinking fountain, which was removed a few years later. The pool, sometimes populated with goldfish, offers fabulous views east to Thimble Mountain. The highway twists across steep mountain slopes. In the early days, the steep upper grades were almost impossible for cars like 1920s Model Ts to drive up, since they were low powered and had gravity-­fed fuel systems. The problem was solved by putting the car in reverse and driving backwards up the road. Flatland drivers were petrified to attempt the feat, so they hired locals to do the driving or use a horse team to pull the horseless carriage to the range crest at 3,556-foot Sitgreaves Pass (GPS: 35.045728, -114.360489). The pass summit offers a pullout and an overlook with stunning views east to the forested Hualapai Mountains and the Sacramento Valley and north to the rocky heart of the Black Mountains. The pass was named for Captain Lorenzo Sitgreaves, the leader of an 1851 expedition that explored and mapped the Zuni, Little Colorado, and Colorado Rivers to determine if their flow was sufficient for steam riverboats. Continue west from the summit to a large pullout on the right at Sitgreaves Pass Viewpoint for more great vistas. The road loops below, the spiny ridges of the Black Mountains march northward, the turquoise ribbon of the Colorado River glistens in its deep valley, and distant, hazy California mountain ranges poke above the dry barrenness.

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Goldroad to Golden Shores The narrow highway drops steeply beyond the viewpoint, switchbacking down mountainsides strewn with broken volcanic crags. Some of these switchbacks and roadcuts were excavated in the 1920s by Chinese laborers. Many switchbacks are still adorned with original dry-­laid, rock-­retaining walls. Farther down on a pinched corner lie a few crumpled walls and weathered foundations that mark the site of Goldroad, the area’s first boom town, along with modern diggings and an open-­pit mine. Gold was discovered in the Black Mountains in the 1860s, but rich strikes in the Cerbat Mountains to the northeast emptied the area of prospectors. In 1902, however, Jose Jenerez and his grubstake partner struck a wealthy lode that assayed at 40 ounces to the ton. They sold the mine for $50,000 a few months later. A town named Goldroad grew up around the mine and housed hundreds of miners. By the time the richest ore was exhausted in 1931, the Goldroad lode yielded $7.3 million of low-­grade ore. The town was razed in 1949 to save on taxes. Under Arizona law, buildings, whether in use or not, are taxed—a law that has led to the needless destruction of many of Arizona’s historic structures. The road winds downhill, passing sharp mountainsides littered with mine tailings and weathered head frames. After a few miles the drive swings south and enters the historic town of Oatman (GPS: 35.026807, -114.384163), an old mining camp that now boasts more burros than residents. The quirky town nestles in a shallow valley among knobby hills on the west flank of the Black Mountains. The Elephant’s Tooth, a stony white 3,666-foot peak, dominates the abrupt mountain escarpment above Oatman. Oatman got started in 1902 when Ben Taddock discovered a vein of gold ore. In the next three years, his Vivian Mine yielded over $3 million in gold, and the rush for riches was on. In 1909 the clapboard town was renamed Oatman, supposedly for Olive Oatman, a 14-year-­old girl kidnapped along with her sister Mary Ann by Native Americans, thought to be Tolkepayas or Yavapai, in 1851 and sold a year later as a slave to the Mohave people on the Colorado River. She was released five years after her capture and co-­wrote a book of the ordeal. Her famous face featured a Mohave blue cactus ink tattoo on her chin. During its prosperous heyday, Oatman hosted 2 banks, 7 hotels, 20 saloons, a stock exchange, the Mohave and Milltown Railroad, and almost 20,000 residents. Mining thrived until 1942, when the federal government shut down all working gold mines for the war effort. Overnight the town’s population was decimated. The Oatman mines, at the center of Arizona’s richest gold district, had yielded more than $36 million in paydirt. After the war, labor costs rose, and mining gold became too expensive. The crowning blow came in 1952, when

218   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

Burros rule the streets in Oatman on Old Route 66.

Route 66 was rerouted south around the Black Mountains, bypassing Oatman altogether. Today the town subsists on a growing tourist trade. It’s a good place to stop and wander. The setting is spectacular, and numerous rickety old buildings survive, including the false-­fronted Lee Lumber Company, the Glory Hole Antique Shop, and the old Oatman Hotel, built in 1902 and now a restaurant and small museum. Many movie stars, politicians, and deep-­pocketed miners spent nights in the two-­story adobe building, including Clark Gable and Carol Lombard, who honeymooned here in 1939. The town was also featured in many movies, including How the West Was Won and From Here to Eternity. Oatman, with a walkable four-­block downtown lining the highway, makes a great stop to stretch your legs and relive a couple of hours in the Wild West. There are quaint gift shops, art galleries, and restaurants like the Oatman Hotel Restaurant, its walls papered with dollar bills, and Olive Oatman Restaurant. Travelers also delight in the daily gunfights held at high noon. Oatman’s real attraction, though, are its burros, or donkeys. The hundreds of burros that live in the surrounding mountains are descended from a few that were released after the mines were shuttered. Now the burros roam the streets, block the highway through town, beg tourists for treats, and pose for photos. In the evening, like

H ISTOR IC ROUTE 66 BACK COU NTRY BYWAY    219

the travelers, they mosey out of town and head for the hills. Remember that the burros are wild critters, and act accordingly. Keep your dog away from them too. They might get stomped since they smell like coyotes. The drive runs southwest from Oatman, passing scrubby volcanic peaks pockmarked with abandoned mines, including the fabulously wealthy Tom Reed Mine and the Gold Dust and White Chief Mines. After 2 miles reach a junction. The drive turns left (south) onto Old Route 66. Arizona Highway 95, south of Bullhead City, lies 12 miles down the other fork. The road swings around prominent 3,430-foot Boundary Cone south of the junction and then rolls across a wide bajada of coarse gravel that slopes west to the Colorado River. This 17-mile leg glides southwest to Golden Shores, dipping through shallow arroyos, crossing greasewood-­covered gravel terraces, and curving around low hills. Golden Shores, a small resort community at the drive’s end, lies alongside Topock Marsh and Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, which preserves crucial desert bighorn sheep habitat along the 20-mile-­long Topock Gorge. The refuge is a birding hotspot with 318 species. The shimmering thread of the Colorado River runs west of the marsh. Topock, from a Mojave word meaning “water crossing,” and I-40 and its bridge to California sit 4 miles south of Golden Shores.

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23 Hualapai Mountain Road Scenic Drive Kingman to Hualapai Mountain Park General description: A 16-mile-­long paved and gravel road that climbs from Kingman to a wooded saddle in the heart of the rugged Hualapai Mountains. Special attractions: Hualapai Mountain

Park, Hualapai Mountains Back Country Byway, Wild Cow Springs Recreation Site, Hualapai Peak, Hayden Peak, Aspen Peak, camping, picnicking, trails, bird-­watching. Location: West-­central Arizona. Start the out-­and-­back drive in Kingman at the junction of Andy Devine Road and Stockton Hill Road, which becomes Hualapai Mountain Road (GPS: 35.194549, -114.032064). The drive ends at Wild Cow Springs Recreation Area (GPS: 35.065156, -113.871627).

Drive route numbers and names: Huala-

pai Mountain Road, Hualapai Ridge Road (BLM Road 2123). Travel season: Year-­round. Winter snow can block the road’s gravel section beyond Hualapai Mountain Park. Camping: Hualapai Mountain Park Campground is in Hualapai Mountain Park (877757-0915); dry campsites are first-­come, first-­served. Wild Cow Springs, a BLM campground, is south of the drive. Services: All services in Kingman. Nearby attractions: Hualapai Mountains Back Country Byway, Kingman, Mount Nutt Wilderness Area, Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, Grand Canyon Caverns, Old Route 66 Back Country Byway, Oatman, Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

The Drive The paved 12-mile-­long Hualapai Mountain Road, beginning on the southeast edge of Kingman, heads up Sawmill Canyon to popular 2,320-acre Hualapai Mountain Park, a Mohave County parkland. This scenic route continues for 4 more miles on Hualapai Ridge Road, an unpaved, mostly one-­lane road that ends at the BLM’s Wild Cow Springs Recreation Site, before turning around and retracing the roads back to Kingman. For more backroad adventure, those with four-­ wheel-­drive vehicles can continue south for another 21 miles along the Hualapai range crest to scenic Boriana Canyon. This entire route, from Kingman to Boriana Canyon and Yucca on I-40, is the 45-mile-­long Hualapai Mountains Back Country Byway. The Hualapai Mountains, the highest range in western Arizona, lifts craggy summits above scorching desert valleys. From I-40 the mountains shimmer in summer like a mirage on the horizon. Temperatures in Bullhead City, Needles, and Lake Havasu City, less than 40 miles to the west along the Colorado River, 221

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regularly spike as the nation’s official hot spot. July highs in Bullhead City average a toasty 110 degrees. For relief, drive 5,000 feet up Hualapai Mountain Road from Kingman, where summer temperatures average a cool 78 degrees. Winter days are often cold up in the park, but it can often feel springlike. Snow and rain close the gravel section of the drive, although the paved Hualapai Mountain Road is always passable. Annual precipitation above 6,000 feet ranges between 18 and 20 inches, while Kingman receives a meager 8.2 inches of rainfall and 0.1 inch of snow.

Climbing Sawmill Canyon Begin the scenic drive in Kingman, off I-40, at the intersection of Andy Devine Avenue and Stockton Hill Road on the southeast edge of town. While plenty of mines dot the Black and Hualapai Mountains, Kingman, the seat of Mohave

The Hualapai Mountain Road Scenic Drive climbs Sawmill Canyon to the heart of the Hualapai Mountains. H UALAPAI MOU NTAI N ROAD SCE N IC DR IVE    223

County, began as a railroad siding after track was laid between Needles and Albuquerque in 1883. The dusty town was named for Lewis Kingman, a civil engineer who supervised the building of the railroad from Winslow to Beale Springs, a longtime watering hole in today’s Kingman. During World War II, Kingman flourished when the Kingman Army Airfield, run by the US Army Air Force, trained over 35,000 soldiers and pilots for the war effort. The Hualapai Mountain Road heads southeast from Kingman across wide sloping bajada, or outwash plain, dotted with houses on the northwest flank of the Hualapai Mountains. The name Hualapai (pronounce it wah-­lah-­pie) means “people of the tall pines” in the Hualapai language. The Hualapai people, divided into numerous bands, once lived in small villages across western Arizona. The Hualapai Mountain band, called Hual’la-­pai, lived in the mountains and valleys around Kingman. After fighting the enemy Yavapis to the south, the band was almost wiped out during the five-­year Hualapai War in the 1860s by the US Army,

Looking south from the summit of Hualapai Peak to Wabayuma Peak in the rugged Hualapai Mountains. 224   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

who destroyed fields and villages. About one-­third of the Hualapais were killed in fighting or by disease before surrendering in 1870. Afterwards, the tribe was relocated northeast to their present reservation bordering Grand Canyon National Park. After a few miles, the road enters Sawmill Canyon and climbs quickly above the scrubby bajada. The drive passes from Mojave desert scrub into a piñon pine and juniper forest that sprawls across the lower mountain slopes. Piñon-­juniper forests provide excellent animal habitat, particularly for mule deer, which use the woodland for shelter and forage in the cold winter months. After 10 miles, the road reaches Hualapai Mountain Park, a Mohave County parkland spread across a wide bowl cupped between 8,013-foot Dean Peak and 8,390-foot Hayden Peak. The range’s high point, 8,417-foot Hualapai Peak, rises south of the park’s boundary. Granite crags, cliffs, and boulders jut boldly above a ponderosa pine and oak woodland that blankets the steep mountainsides. Groves of wind-­ruffled quaking aspen and white fir flourish atop the range crest. These high-­elevation ecosystems offer an isolated diversity of plants, trees, and animals above the surrounding Mojave Desert.

The Hualapai Mountains The Hualapai Mountains sit at an ecological crossroads. Driving 10 miles up the road to the county park is like taking a telescoped journey from Mexico to Montana, passing through a wide variety of ecosystem and life zones. To the west along the Colorado River and extending into California stretches the Mojave Desert with its characteristic Joshua trees and basin-­and-­range topography. Southward into Mexico stretches the Sonoran Desert and its many species of cacti and colorful wildflower displays that splash color across the spring landscape. The colder Great Basin Desert and the Colorado Plateau lie across northern Arizona and into Utah and Nevada. In the Hualapai Mountains, these three great deserts meet and mingle. Stately saguaro cacti, in Arizona’s northernmost stand, and spindly ocotillos grow along the range’s southern margin. Joshua tree forests spread across wide bajadas beneath the range’s western escarpment in the broad Sacramento Valley. The piñon pine and juniper woodland on the mountain’s lower slopes forms a typical Great Basin ecosystem that is commonly found farther north. This remote sierra also harbors a unique and rich variety of wildlife. Over 80 bird species—including hawks, owls, warblers, Gambel quail, whippoorwills, hummingbirds, and flycatchers—live in the mountain forests. Mammal species include the only elk herd in western Arizona and mule deer, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, rabbits, raccoons, squirrels, and skunks. The endangered Hualapai

H UALAPAI MOU NTAI N ROAD SCE N IC DR IVE    225

Mexican vole inhabits Antelope Wash below Wild Cow Springs. The rare rosy boa, Sonoran mountain kingsnake, western black-­headed rattlesnake, Arizona black rattlesnake, and black-­tailed rattlesnake are some of the 15 reptile species found in the range. The Hualapais, composed of ancient Precambrian schist, gneiss, and granite, are famed for a variety of rocks and minerals, including one of the world’s purest mica deposits. Miners have extracted gold, silver, and tungsten from the range.

Hualapai Mountain Park Hualapai Mountain Park (GPS: 35.099281, -113.884783) at the end of the paved

road is a wonderful place to explore the remote range and discover its pine-­shaded secrets. The park offers a 70-site campground with sites for both tents and RVs, rental cabins, a compact visitor center, and picnic facilities. Some of the stone

The Aquarius Mountains rim the skyline east of Aspen Peak and an unnamed pinnacle in the Hualapai Mountains. 226   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

Hualapai Peak, the high point of the Hualapai Mountains, rises south of Hayden Peak’s summit.

cabins date back to the 1930s when Civilian Conservations Corps (CCC) workers designed and built the park’s first trails, campground, and facilities. Fifteen trails wind through the park, offering hikers over 15 miles of walking adventures that scramble to viewpoints and reach the Hualapais’ highest summits. Trails range from family-­friendly strolls to toughies with plenty of elevation gain. A fine 6-mile, round-­trip hike follows three trails from the campground to an antenna field on the rocky summit of 8,390-foot Hayden Peak, the second-­ highest point in the range. The unobstructed view from the summit includes the Black and Cerbat Mountains to the west, the Aquarius Mountains to the east, and the high plateaus above the Grand Canyon on the northern horizon. For more high adventure and forever views, climb 8,417-foot Hualapai Peak, the range high point, via the East Potato Patch Loop Trail and the Hualapai Peak Trail. After enjoying the wonders and trails of Hualapai Mountain Park, turn around here to head down to Kingman on the paved road or continue the drive for 4 more miles on a dirt road. South of the park the drive follows Hualapai Ridge Road (BLM Road 2123), a narrow track that twists across steep hillsides and dips through narrow canyons below the east side of the range crest. Gambel oak, manzanita, juniper, mountain mahogany, walnut, and ponderosa pine trees crowd the wooded slopes.

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The end of the drive comes at the BLM’s Wild Cow Springs Recreation Site near New Years Cabin Spring in a shallow valley. The primitive campground

offers pit toilets, grills, and tables. Bring your own water—none is available here. The campground is also the end of the road for passenger cars. Turn around and head back to Kingman—the scenery is just as nice the second time. Four-­wheel-­drive vehicles can continue south on the rough Hualapai Mountains Back Country Byway, driving 21 miles from Wild Cow Springs to Boriana Mine on a rough, single-­lane track. The last section of the byway, suitable for passenger cars, runs 12 miles west from the mine to Yucca on I-40. Consult Scenic Driving Back Country Byways (FalconGuides, 2001) for details on the backcountry byway.

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24 Lake Havasu Scenic Drive Parker to Interstate 40 General description: This 57-mile scenic drive parallels the scenic east bank of the Colorado River from Parker through Lake Havasu City to I-40, 9 miles east of the California border.

temperatures average between 60 and 90. Summers are scorching hot. Lake Havasu City’s daily May high is 95 degrees, and July’s average reaches 108 degrees. September cools to an average of 102 degrees.

Special attractions: Buckskin Moun-

Camping: La Paz County Park (114 sites), Buckskin Mountain State Park (80 sites), Lake Havasu State Park (45 sites), Cattail Cove State Park (61 sites). To reserve a state park site, call 877-MY PARKS or visit azstateparks​.com/reserve. Empire Landing and Crossroad Campgrounds (90 sites) in California. Private campgrounds and RV parks are in Parker and Lake Havasu City.

tain State Park, Lake Havasu State Park, Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, Topock Gorge, Lake Havasu City, London Bridge, camping, trails, boating, waterskiing, canoeing, wildlife observation. Location: Western Arizona. The road fol-

lows the Colorado River between Parker and I-40. Start the drive at the junction of Riverside Drive and California Avenue in Parker (GPS: 34.150416, -114.289139). Go north on Riverside Drive/AZ 95. End the drive at the junction of AZ 95 and I-40 north of Lake Havasu City (GPS: 34.729046, -114.316627). Drive route numbers and names: Arizona

Highway 95. Travel season: Year-­round. Spring, fall, and

Services: All services in Parker and Lake

Havasu City. Nearby attractions: Oatman, Route 66 Back Country Byway, Hualapai Mountain Park, Kingman, Hualapai Mountains Back Country Byway, Alamo Lake State Park, Kofa Mountains, Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Quartzsite, Bullhead City, Lake Mojave, Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

winter are ideal times to drive the highway;

The Drive The 57-mile-­long Lake Havasu scenic drive, following AZ 95, parallels the lower Colorado River from Parker to I-40 on the north. The road unfolds through spectacular desert terrain—a river gorge lined with ancient volcanic rocks, cactus-­ studded mountains that lift craggy summits into the turquoise sky, and Lake Havasu shining like a watery jewel against a tawny desert carpet. The elemental land has been lifted, heaved, twisted, and faulted, and then rubbed down to bare-­ bones rock and left exposed to the scorching sun and restless wind. The paved, two-­lane highway is best in spring, fall, and winter. Daily temperature highs range between 60 and 90 during these months, although winter days can be cool. Parker’s average January high temperature is a balmy 67 degrees. Summers are blistering hot. July, the hottest month, averages 108 degrees daily 229

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in Lake Havasu City. On July 7, 1905, Parker recorded an Arizona record high of 127 degrees. However, Lake Havasu City topped that on June 29, 1994, with a new high of 128 degrees.

Along the Parker Strip The drive begins in Parker (2020 population is 3,174), a modest town lying at 420 feet on the Colorado River’s east bank across from California. The town, named for US Commissioner of Indian Affairs General Ely Parker, the first Native American commissioner for the United States government, was founded in 1865 at Parker’s Landing about 4 miles south of its present location. In 1905 the Arizona and California Railroad laid track to the north, and the town moved upriver alongside the railroad and incorporated in 1948. Parker, surrounded by the Mojave and Chemehuevi tribes’ Colorado River Indian Reservation, is the southern gateway to Lake Havasu. Start the drive by turning northeast in downtown Parker onto AZ 95 at the junction of Riverside Drive and California Avenue. The highway crosses a wide plain, paralleling the Colorado River to the west. Ubiquitous creosote bushes are widely spaced on the dry desert floor. The drive crosses the Bouse Formation, a puzzling layer of limestone, siltstone, and mudstone that ranges from a few inches to over 2,000 feet thick. The origin of the formation, deposited about five million years ago, is vigorously debated by geologists. Some believe that evidence shows the sediment was deposited in the Gulf of California when its rift valley reached this far north, forming a large marine estuary. Other geologists see evidence in the lower Colorado River Basin that indicates Blythe Basin deposits are from a huge paleo-­lake that swamped today’s river channel and extended northwest into California, forming a lake larger than Utah’s Great Salt Lake. After a few miles the road passes Cienega Springs and enters rough, barren hills between the river and the Buckskin Mountains to the east. Much of the range is protected in 18,790-acre Gibraltar Mountain Wilderness Area, named for its 1,568-foot namesake peak. This isolated range trends northwest across the river to the Whipple Mountains in California. The highway, between two and four lanes in this stretch, is flanked by outcrops and roadcuts of ancient Precambrian gneiss, a metamorphic rock, that forms the Buckskin Mountains. Towering volcanic crags scatter across the mountains east of the drive, forming high cliffs and buttresses. The Whipple Mountains west of the highway in California form a foreboding wall broken by spires, buttes, mesas, and mountains. Miners explored and picked at every corner of the Buckskin Mountains after 1863 when a rich copper discovery, the Planet Mine, was made by Richard

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Ryland. A town sprung up around the diggings and acquired a rowdy reputation by 1867, when over 500 people lived and worked at the mine. But the following year the boom went bust as the high-­grade copper ore played out. After the boom, the mine produced ore, depending on the price of copper, until 1937 when the town was abandoned. The mine yielded over three million pounds of copper in its lifetime. Several ghost towns scatter along backroads in the mountains. The best preserved is Swansea, a company town founded to smelt the area’s copper in 1909. The town site is marked by the smelter’s brick ruins, a few crumbling buildings, foundations, and tailings from the mill and mine. The highway section from Parker to Parker Dam is called the Parker Strip. While it is easy to blast north on AZ 95, bypassing the Strip on a divided highway east of the river, take a left turn onto Riverside Drive on the south edge of Cienega Springs and follow it north along the river’s edge for about 8 miles before rejoining AZ 95 at the Buckskin Mountain State Park exit. Motels, resorts, restaurants,

Boaters ply the playful Colorado River on the Parker Strip along the Lake Havasu Scenic Drive. 232   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

and campgrounds line Riverside Drive and the Colorado River. La Paz County Park (928-667-2069), 8 miles north of Parker, offers 114 campsites with utilities, picnic areas, showers, tennis courts, a swimming beach, a boat ramp, and 18-hole Emerald Canyon Golf Course. Three miles north sits 1,677-acre Buckskin Mountain State Park (928-667-3231), a popular destination for campers, hikers, water-­ skiers, and anglers. Just upriver is River Island State Park (928-667-3386), with camping, picnicking, trails, and river access. The glassy river on the Parker Strip is called Lake Moovalya, a reservoir formed by Headgate Rock Dam at Parker. Moovalya is a Chemehuevi word meaning “blue water.”

Parker Dam and Lake Havasu The turnoff to Parker Dam is 15 miles from Parker. Visit the dam and Take Off Point by taking a left turn onto signed AZ 95 Spur/Parker Dam Road. Follow the road to a pullout and view of the massive concrete dam. The top of the dam is open to foot and vehicle traffic. Afterwards, go right on Takeoff Point Road and climb to a scenic viewpoint and shaded picnic table above the lake (GPS: 34.297553, -114.137442). The road descends to the lakeshore and Take Off Point (GPS: 34.300586, -114.136632) with a boat launch, restrooms, and wheelchair-­ accessible fishing piers. Another side road leads to a paved accessible trail to more piers. The dam, reputed to be the world’s deepest, reaches down through 235 feet of river-­bottom gravel to its bedrock anchor. Only the top 85 feet of the 385-foot concrete dam rises above the river. The dam forms 45-mile-­long, 25,000-acre Lake Havasu, storing water that is diverted to southern California via the 392mile Colorado River Aqueduct and to the 336-mile Central Arizona Project Aqueduct, which supplies water to central and southern Arizona. Parker Dam was completed in 1938. Past the dam the highway swings east for a couple miles, passing a turnoff on the right for Planet Ranch Road at 17.7 miles, a rough track that explores the southern edge of Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, and swings across the Bill Williams River branch of Lake Havasu on the Bill Williams Memorial Bridge. The river, originating in the mountains near Prescott, is named for early 19th-­century trapper and guide Bill Williams. He was described as “long, sinewy and bony, with a chin and nose almost meeting, he was the typical plainsman of the dime novel. . . . His buckskin suit was bedaubed with grease until it had the appearance of polished leather; his feet were never encased in anything but moccasins, and his buckskin trousers had the traditional fringe on the outer seam.” Williams, born in St. Louis in 1781, went to the Osage tribe as a missionary but instead was converted to their way of life.

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The Bill Williams National Wildlife Area provides lush wildlife and bird habitats.

The marshy wetlands along the river upstream from the bridge provide excellent wildlife habitats and are protected in the south section of 37,515-acre Havasu National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge, established in 1941, preserves 30 miles of the Colorado River, including 20 miles of free-­flowing river in Topock Gorge, and over 300 miles of rocky shoreline. This birding hotspot, recognized as a “Globally Important Bird Area,” yields 318 bird species as well as mammals including desert bighorn sheep, bats, and mountain lions, and fish like the endangered desert pupfish. The refuge also protects the largest native stand of cottonwood and willow trees along the lower Colorado River. After crossing to the north side of the long bridge at 18.2 miles, go right onto a long pullout on the right side of the highway (GPS: 34.301369, -114.093335) for picturesque views of the river, dense thickets of cattails on its well-­watered banks, and the basalt-­rimmed Buckskin Mountains beyond. The lush refuge and its clear water form a dramatic counterpoint to the barren, sun-­burnt mountains above the lake. This pullout is an ideal spot to set up a spotting scope on a tripod and look for shorebirds, waterfowl, raptors, and songbirds. The highway runs northwest from the bridge and skirts the western edge of the Bill Williams Mountains and the Aubrey Hills. These dark mountains formed when lava flows ebbed across the land between 10 and 15 million years ago. The A desert oasis of palm trees and precious water lies off the Lake Havasu Scenic Drive. 234   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

mountains, however, are much older, with their ancient rock core deposited over a billion years ago. Heat and pressure later changed the original deposits, forming metamorphic rocks like bands of gneiss. A turnoff to 928-acre Lake Havasu State Park is 6 miles north of the Bill Williams River. A left turn on Lake Shore Boulevard at 23.9 miles heads west for a mile to 2,000-acre Cattail Cove State Park (928-855-1223), with 61 campsites, boat-­in campsites, trails, fishing, and boating access (GPS: 34.351278, -114.169964). The Aubrey Hills is protected as a bighorn sheep sanctuary in the state park. Lake Havasu State Park (877-697-2757), once Arizona’s largest state parkland, stretches north from the London Bridge Channel in Lake Havasu City on the lake’s eastern shore. The lake, a popular destination for boaters, water-­skiers, and anglers, is stocked with bluegill, crappie, largemouth bass, and catfish. It is a well-­ known striped bass fishery, with the stripers ranging from 5 pounds to over 50. A good park hike is the 1.5-mile Mohave Sunset Trail along the shoreline.

Lake Havasu City The highway drops north into the Chemehuevi Valley and Lake Havasu City across thick gravel terraces deposited by the ancestral Colorado River. Lake Havasu City began in 1964 with 24 square miles of desert adjoining the lake and a dream. California industrialist Robert McCulloch, who bought the land for $75 an acre, teamed up with Texan C. V. Wood to create a new city out of the arid barrenness. What really put the new town on the map and brought attention, money, and tourists was their purchase of the London Bridge in 1968. The bridge, bought for $2.46 million, was disassembled, shipped by sea and land, and its 10,275 granite blocks rebuilt above a lake channel. Dedicated in 1971, the bridge is Arizona’s most popular attraction after the Grand Canyon. Lake Havasu City (2020 population of 55,463) is a complete resort community with hotels, restaurants, and campgrounds scattered across the busy town. Visitor activities include fishing, golfing, houseboating, waterskiing, lake boat tours, and, of course, strolling beneath the London Bridge. To visit the bridge, go left at signs on London Bridge Road for 0.1 mile to free parking for the bridge at the Lake Havasu City Visitor Center (422 English Village; 928-453-3444). Walk through an ornate gateway past a gushing fountain to a wide sidewalk that passes beneath the arching bridge. From Lake Havasu City, the drive runs north across dry alluvial gravels deposited by the Colorado River and after a few miles bends northeast and climbs into the rugged Mohave Mountains. Towering volcanic necks, the inner conduits of long-­extinct volcanoes, punctuate the landscape along with power lines carrying Colorado River energy to distant cities. Dikes, formed when molten magma

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The London Bridge, one of Arizona’s most popular attractions, was bought in 1968, shipped to Lake Havasu, and reassembled where it stands today.

seeped into cracks and fissures, radiate from the rocky peaks. Creosote bushes, ocotillos, cacti, and wildflowers—including yellow brittlebush—spread over the dry mountains and washes. About 10 miles north of Lake Havasu City the road crests the range and steadily descends for 5 miles across a broad, gravel apron to Sacramento Wash and I-40, the drive’s end point, east of the Colorado River. Kingman lies 35 miles northeast up the interstate, and Topock and the California border sit a scant 9 miles west. Topock is the setting-­off point for an excellent 17-mile-­long canoe trip down Topock Gorge in Havasu National Wildlife Refuge. The Black Mountains, traversed by the Historic Route 66 Back Country Byway (Drive 22), lift their rugged ramparts north of the highway’s end.

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25 Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Scenic Drives Puerto Blanco and Ajo Mountain Drives General description: The paved 21-mile Ajo Mountain Drive and dirt 47-mile Puerto Blanco Drive make scenic loops through the cactus-­studded backcountry of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Special attractions: Ajo Range, Arch Can-

yon, Estes Canyon, Bull Pasture, Red Tanks Tinaja, Dripping Springs, Dripping Springs Mine, Golden Bell Mine, Bonita Well, Senita Basin, Quitobaquito Springs, visitor center, wildflowers, wildlife, nature study, bird-­ watching, picnicking, trails. Location: Southwestern Arizona. Both

drives begin near the visitor center on AZ 85 about 32 miles south of Ajo and 22 miles south of Why. Start and end the Ajo Mountain Drive at the junction of AZ 85 and Ajo Mountain Drive (GPS: 31.953844, -112.799677) east of the monument visitor center. Start the Puerto Blanco Drive on the west side of AZ 85 at the same four-­way junction (GPS: 31.953816, -112.799906) and go west past the visitor center on Puerto Blanco Drive. End the drive at the south junction of Puerto Blanco Drive and AZ 85 (GPS: 31.893695, -112.812161). This junction is 4.3 miles south of the starting point and 1 mile north of Lukeville and the Mexican border.

Drive route numbers and names: North

Puerto Blanco Drive, South Puerto Blanco Drive, Senita Basin Road, Ajo Mountain Drive. Travel season: Roads are open year-­round, although thunderstorms may wash out and close them. Summer temperatures are usually in the 100s. Carry sufficient water. Early morning is the best time to travel in summer. Motor homes over 25 feet long and trailers are not allowed on either drive. Smaller motor homes may have trouble with sharp curves and rough road sections. Call the visitor center (520-387-6849) to check road conditions. Camping: Twin Peaks Campground, with 34 tent-­only sites and 174 RV sites, is open year-­round. Reserve sites at recreation​.gov. Alamo Campground, with four tent sites, is off AZ 85 north of the visitor center. Private campgrounds in Lukeville, Why, and Ajo. Services: No services on drives. Complete

services in Lukeville, Why, and Ajo. Fill gas tank before driving the Puerto Blanco loop. Nearby attractions: Sonoyta, El Pinacate y

Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve, Puerto Peñasco, Sea of Cortez, Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, Tohono O’odham Reservation, Painted Rocks State Park.

The Drive Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, sprawling across 330,688 acres of southern Arizona along the Mexican border, preserves one of the last great expanses of pristine Sonoran Desert. The monument belies the image of deserts as being dead and inhospitable environments. It fits every definition of a desert with

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a scorching hot climate and a scant 8.7 inches of annual precipitation, yet this dry land supports a rich flora and fauna, including over 500 plant species, from delicate wildflowers to giant saguaro cacti. Organ Pipe supports this diversity of life and a unique blend of five different plant communities because two subdivisions of the Sonoran Desert—the Lower Colorado Subdivision and the Arizona Upland Subdivision—merge here. Two of Arizona’s best scenic drives—the 21-mile Ajo Mountain Drive and the 53-mile Puerto Blanco Drive—explore this spacious parkland of craggy mountains, abrupt canyons, sweeping bajadas, and some of America’s rarest and most unusual plants. The graded dirt and paved roads, both one-­way for extended sections, twist through the scenic desert and stop at overlooks, picnic areas, and points of interest. A National Park Service printed guide, keyed to numbered roadside posts, is available at the Kris Eggle Visitor Center for each drive. Trailers and motor homes longer than 25 feet are not allowed on the narrow roads. The drives are open year-­round. October through April offers pleasant weather, with dry days between 60 and 80 degrees and occasional rain showers. January highs average 67 degrees. Intense heat occurs between May and September, with daily highs regularly above 100 degrees. July, the hottest month, averages 25 days above 100, while June and August have 20 and 22, respectively. The monument’s highest recorded temperature, 119 degrees, was set in June 2016. July, August, and September also bring rain, with August receiving an average of 1.41 inches. Torrential thunderstorms drop most of the monument’s annual rainfall. Be aware of flash flooding and road washouts when driving the roads during and after storms. In 2006, sections of South Puerto Blanco Drive and North Puerto Blanco Drive were closed or subject to closure due to fluctuating international border conditions, illegal border activity including drug trafficking, and concern for visitor safety. The Puerto Blanco Drive reopened in 2014, but check with the park before visiting for possible restrictions and closures.

Ajo Mountain Drive The Ajo Mountain Drive begins east of the Kris Eggle Visitor Center and loops for 21 miles through the Diablo Mountains and beneath the Ajo Range, a rugged escarpment of peaks on the monument’s eastern boundary. The paved road, with a one-­way 17-mile loop, traverses rugged country with deep canyons, steep rock ribs and cliffs, cactus-­studded mountainsides, and unforgettable views across the Sonoran Desert. The drive threads along a vehicle corridor within 312,600-acre An organ pipe cactus flanks the Ajo Mountain Drive below the range’s rocky crest. 240   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

Organ Pipe Cactus Wilderness Area. A free guide to the Ajo Mountain Drive with 18 interpretive stops is available at the visitor center or can be downloaded from the park website. Allow two to three hours to drive the loop. The road heads northeast, passing saguaros and dipping across dry washes, for 2 miles before reaching a Y-­junction and the start of the one-­way section. Keep left at the junction and pass through a mixed scrub community of brittlebush, bursage, and palo verde trees that scatters across volcanic hills west of the road. The broad bajada sloping away from the Diablo Mountains on the right is covered with cigar- and candelabra-­shaped saguaros, chain and teddy bear cholla cacti, creosote bushes, and palo verdes. At 5.7 miles, pass a picnic area on the left next to sandy Diablo Wash. This is stop 6 in the drive booklet, which describes the dry-­land farming methods used by the ancient Hohokam people who planted corn, beans, and squash in the floodplain. Continue north on the road and at 6.2 miles reach Diablo Canyon Picnic Area (GPS: 32.010160, -112.731742), a fine lunch spot with a couple ramada-­ covered tables tucked against a ridge. The road heads north on the western skirt of the Diablo Mountains, crosses a bridge over a dry wash in Canyon Diablo, and swings around the craggy north end of the mountains to an overlook (GPS: 32.019372, -112.728746) in a saddle between 3,374-foot Tillotson Peak to the west and the towering Ajo Range on the east. The view south encompasses the wide Sonoyta Valley and the outline of the distant Cubabi Mountains in northern Mexico. Tillotson Peak is named for M. R. Tillotson, a national park regional director who worked for the Park Service from 1920 until his death in 1955. The drive continues northeast, dipping in and out of canyons and climbing over gravel ridges. Organ pipe cacti line the road and cover nearby hot south-­ facing slopes. The cacti, growing mainly within the national monument in the United States, are characterized by numerous long, slender stems that reach a maximum height of about 10 feet. Organ pipe cacti can live over 150 years and do not begin producing flowers and fruit until they are about 35 years old. Thriving in the monument’s frost-­free climate, the cacti flourish during the summer monsoon, soaking up moisture and growing an average of 2.5 inches annually.

Arch Canyon and the Ajo Range The road climbs north, bends sharply east on the south side of a broad wash flooring lower Arch Canyon, and reaches the Arch Canyon Trailhead (GPS: 32.038349, -112.716159) at 9.1 miles, the road’s northernmost point. High in the rhyolite cliffs to the east is a double arch with the main window stretching 90 feet wide and 25 feet high on an eroded rock fin above deep Arch Canyon. On the skyline above the large arch is a smaller window. The trailhead has interpretive 242   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

signs detailing the arch’s formation and picnic tables. A good 1.2-mile, round-­trip hike starts here, following the easy Arch Canyon Trail east on the canyon’s south slope to a turnaround point below a steep side-­canyon on the south. Experienced hikers, carrying trekking poles, water, a hat, sunscreen, and snacks, can follow a rugged social path up the gully, scrambling over rock and gaining about 600 feet in another 0.6 mile to the arch. The Ajo Range, like the Puerto Blanco Mountains to the west, was formed by alternating episodes of volcanism between 14 and 20 million years ago that deposited the light-­colored tuff, or compressed ash, and lava flows that spread across the earth’s surface and formed thick layers of andesite and rhyolite. Erosion-­resistant lava flows cap the range’s prominent summits, including 4,808-foot Mount Ajo, the monument’s highest peak. Later the range was uplifted by block faulting and then sculpted by erosion, mostly water, cutting canyons, exposing cliffs, depositing debris along the mountain base, and forming wide valleys. The Ajo Range, with a diversity of plants, higher rainfall than the lowlands, and cool temperatures, is home to many wildlife species. Bobcats, gray foxes, badgers, javelinas, coyotes, whitetail deer, and skunks roam the area. The elusive and shy desert bighorn sheep lives atop the mountains. Gila monsters and western diamondback rattlesnakes inhabit the monument, particularly in the lower elevations. The drive turns south at Arch Canyon and runs along the western edge of the craggy Ajo Range. Drive over a sloping bajada and cross a wash at 9.5 miles in lower Boulder Canyon, which slices deeply into the abrupt mountain wall. The steep canyon is flanked by soaring cliffs and ramparts. The road descends stony hills and washes and after 10.8 miles reaches a picnic area and the trailhead for the Estes Canyon and Bull Pasture Trails (GPS: 32.015987, -112.711913). Trailhead parking is on the road’s east side, while the parking on the west side accesses a ramada with shaded picnic tables and vault toilets.

Bull Pasture, Diaz Range, and Teddy Bear Pass While the Estes Canyon Trail makes an easy out-­and-­back hike up Estes Canyon, it is best combined with the Bull Pasture Trail for an excellent 3.7-mile loop, one of the monument’s best hikes. The first section follows the Estes Canyon Trail up a wide wash in its namesake canyon, passing a cactus garden filled with organ pipes, saguaros, senitas, chain chollas, teddy bear chollas, prickly pears, and an assortment of barrel cacti. Some of the saguaros are 40 feet tall, while organ pipes soar almost 20 feet. After crossing the wash, the trail begins a steady uphill climb, making 13 switchbacks up a steep slope to a junction with the Bull Pasture Trail after 1.6 miles. Go left here and continue climbing switchbacks to a ridgeline breather. Finish up the snaking trail to the western edge of Bull Pasture (GPS: 32.014306, -112.698132), an open amphitheater used by early ranchers as a cattle ORGAN PI PE CACTUS NATIONAL MON U M E NT SCE N IC DR IVES    243

wintering area, and then return down the Bull Pasture Trail. To climb Mount Ajo, the range’s high point, continue east on an unmaintained trail that contours around Bull Pasture and scrambles up a canyon to the range crest. Follow a rough trail along the ridge to the airy summit. The 9-mile, round-­trip hike gains almost 3,000 feet of elevation. The road goes south down widening Estes Canyon and swings around the southern edge of the Diablo Mountains. Look southeast for marvelous views of 4,024-foot Diaz Peak and 3,892-foot Diaz Spire, high points of the Diaz Range. Both are named for Spanish Captain Melchior Diaz, who explored the region with a 15-man group in 1540 and died in a freak accident near here in 1541. The drive runs southwest, passing dense stands of cacti, and after 13 miles heads away from the mountains and the big cacti into a valley broken with low hills and washes. Reach Teddy Bear Pass after 17 miles on the southern end of the Diablo Mountains. Deceptive-­looking teddy bear cholla thrive on the scorching hillsides along the road. The cholla’s soft, fuzzy-­looking joints readily break off when brushed against, embedding their long, sharp spines in a new host. It’s a good idea to carry pliers when hiking in teddy bear cholla country. The road continues west and rejoins the two-­way section after 17.9 miles. Go left on the two-­ way road and return southwest for 2.1 miles to AZ 85 and the drive’s end after 21 miles.

Puerto Blanco Drive The 53-mile-­long Puerto Blanco Drive, beginning at the visitor center off AZ 85, makes a loop through the monument’s southwest sector. The road, following North Puerto Blanco Drive, swings around the northern flank of the Puerto Blanco Mountains, follows a broad wash to historic Quitobaquito Springs, and then parallels the US-­Mexico border on South Puerto Blanco Drive to AZ 85 north of Lukeville. The road is one-­way for 17.2 miles from the turnaround at Pinkley Peak to a junction 2 miles north of Quitobaquito Springs. The road may require high-­clearance vehicles past Pinkley Peak, depending on washouts. Ask at the visitor center for current road conditions. Allow four to five hours to drive the route. The Puerto Blanco Scenic Drive has had illegal activity in the past, including drug smuggling. Part of the drive was closed for about 10 years because of smuggling until it reopened to travel in 2014. Smugglers and migrants continue to cross the international border, but visitors are unlikely to encounter anyone on the roads. If you do encounter someone it is probably because they need water, are in medical distress, or lost. The monument advises that you call 911 if you have a phone signal or contact a ranger to report suspicious activity. If you encounter a

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Spring wildflowers spread across the desert floor along the Puerto Blanco Drive.

person or group hiking cross-­country, do not contact them but instead continue driving and call for assistance. Do not invite strangers into your vehicle. If you are hiking, stick to the official trails and move away from people you encounter. The national monument, however, says that the rugged environment and lack of water is a greater danger to drivers and hikers. Carry plenty of water and be prepared for emergency situations. Also, watch where you place hands and feet because rattlesnakes are present. Start at the junction of AZ 85 and Puerto Blanco Drive (GPS: 31.953827, -112.799897), opposite the turn onto Ajo Mountain Drive. Turn west on Puerto Blanco Drive and drive 350 feet to the monument visitor center on the right. The Kris Eggle Visitor Center (GPS: 31.954775, -112.801263), named for a park ranger who died in pursuit of drug cartel members fleeing into the United States in 2002, is an excellent stop to learn about the monument through natural history, geology, and cultural history exhibits, a short film, an information desk, and a bookstore. On the center’s east side is the 0.1-mile Visitor Center Nature Trail, a wheelchair-­accessible trail with interpretive signs. Head northwest on the paved road from the visitor center, passing the turnoff to Twin Peaks Campground and several service roads and crossing a wide bajada that gently slopes northward. After 0.3 mile the pavement ends, and the road becomes dirt for the rest of the drive except for a few paved spots to avoid washouts. The road swings around the north side of rugged 2,615-foot Twin Peaks, its

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dark summits—Gadsden Peak and Levy Peak—lifting high above the road. Heading northwest the drive tilts, dips, and winds through sandy arroyos and across stony desert pavement. The wide gravel bajada, formed by runoff depositing sand and gravel from surrounding mountains at their bases, forms the monument’s most species-­rich ecosystem—the mixed scrub community. A diverse number of plants live here, including palo verde, yellow-­blossomed brittlebush, ocotillo, and a variety of cactus including saguaro, organ pipe, and cholla. At 2.6 miles, pass a pullout on the right (GPS: 31.983076, -112.817773) that offers spacious views of the Ajo Range and Mount Tillotson to the east. The dirt road bends west and rolls over low hills and across dry washes and short paved sections to Red Tanks Tinaja Trailhead (GPS: 31.984797, -112.839803) at 4.1 miles in the southern Puerto Blanco Mountains. The easy Red Tanks Tinaja Trail heads southwest along an old road for 0.8 mile (1.6 miles round-­trip) to a series of tinajas, or bedrock potholes, that hold water for wildlife after rainstorms. Near the tinajas is a trail junction with the left trail heading 1.3 miles to scenic Senita Basin and 3.4 miles to Senita Basin Trailhead at the end of a spur road from South Puerto Blanco Drive, and the right fork following the Baker Mine Trail for 1.8 miles to its namesake mine, a tailings pile alongside a wash. The scenic trails have minimal elevation gain and gorgeous scenery. Don’t forget to carry water and wear a hat when it’s sunny.

Pinkley Peak and Puerto Blanco Mountains Geology From the trailhead, the road bends north, runs along the eastern edge of the mountains, and at 5.1 miles reaches a picnic area with shade ramadas and accessible vault toilets. This is the turnaround point to return to the visitor center for most drivers. Here the road narrows and becomes one-­way for the next 17.2 miles. The pullout offers fabulous views of pointed 3,145-foot Pinkley Peak, the high point of the Puerto Blanco Mountains, to the southwest. The mountain is named for Frank “Boss” Pinkley (1881–1940), a park ranger and the superintendent of the Southwestern National Monuments, including Organ Pipe Cactus, between 1924 and 1939. Pinkley Peak and the Puerto Blanco Mountains are mostly volcanic in origin. Massive eruptions during Tertiary times between 14 and 22 million years ago deposited thick layers of volcanic ash, or tuff, and lava flows. The alternating layers of yellowish tuff and dark lava give Mount Pinkley a layered-­cake look. Older granite, gneiss, and schist form the southern part of the range. Block faulting along north-­to-­south-­trending fault lines uplifted the mountains above the surrounding basins, which are fault troughs filled with debris washed down from the mountains. 246   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

The drive’s first 10 miles offer a wildflower extravaganza in March and April. Springtime brings a riot of color to the north-­facing bajadas below the mountains after nourishing winter rains. Masses of lavender lupine adorn roadside gardens; carpets of orange poppies nod in afternoon breezes; pink owl clover spreads among prickly pear cacti; and brittlebushes enliven the dry hillsides with swatches of gold. Later, when temperatures warm, the cacti burst forth with blossoms. The saguaros and organ pipes begin blooming in mid-­May, while palo verdes are plastered with yellow flowers. Continue north on the dirt road and at 7.3 miles bend west around the north flank of the range, passing a pointed volcanic peak. Look east for marvelous views across the broad Valley of the Ajo to the jagged Ajo Range on the horizon. The drive runs west across a sloping bajada and after 10.8 miles reaches a junction with a rough track that heads north. Keep left on the main road and drive southwest toward several volcanic peaks in the northern Puerto Blanco Mountains. At 11.3 miles the road reaches a gap between peaks and a parking area on the right for the 0.5-mile Dripping Springs Trail (GPS: 32.030780, -112.890377). Start the 1-mile, round-­trip hike across the road and follow the trail south over the bajada to the base of a 2,389-foot mountain. Follow cairns up the trail to a ledge system with a small opening and the dripping springwater that collects in a pool. Watch for swarms of Africanized bees here. The site offers stunning views north across the desert. Past the gap and trailhead, the road rolls west across a bajada on the south side of a wash between mountains. For the next few miles, the road generally parallels Aguajita Wash, a dry arroyo that runs southwest to the Rio Sonoyta in Mexico. Palo verde, ironwood, and mesquite trees line sandy washes that drain west from the mountains to Aguajita Wash. At 12.1 miles arrive at a parking area on the left at the Dripping Springs Mine Trailhead (GPS: 32.031792, -112.903030). The 1.3-mile trail, following an old mining road, twists south along a wash to the mine site. Continue west on the drive, twisting over outwash hills and crossing dry washes on the northwestern edge of the mountains.

Bates Mountains, Golden Bell Mine, and Bonita Well As it heads west, the road offers views northward to the Bates Mountains and 3,197-foot Kino Peak, its blocky high point. The mountains, named for early prospector W. Bates, are, like the Ajo and Puerto Blanco ranges, fault-­block sierras layered with volcanic tuff and lava flows. The mountains are capped with erosion-­ resistant basaltic lava. Kino Peak is named for Padre Eusebio Kino, a Jesuit priest who traversed the area while establishing a chain of missions in the Southwest in the late 1600s. He founded the Mission of San Marcel in what is now the Mexican border town of Sonoyta in 1698. ORGAN PI PE CACTUS NATIONAL MON U M E NT SCE N IC DR IVES    247

The Bates Mountains harbor the monument’s wildest country. The remote range can be accessed from the scenic drive via an ancient Native American trail that runs north from Quitobaquito Springs. The cross-­country trail was used by early paleo-­hunters over 9,000 years. The Hohokam later walked the trail over a thousand years ago on shell- and food-­gathering trips to the Sea of Cortez. The O’odham followed the trace in historic times. Drive southwest with the Cipriano Hills on the western skyline to a parking area for the Golden Bell Mine at 17.1 miles. Prospector Charlie Bell operated the mine in the 1930s, finding small quantities of gold and silver. Other mines, including the Victoria, Martinez, Lost Cabin, Milton, and Baker Mines, were also worked in the mineralized southern reaches of the Puerto Blanco and Sonoyta Mountains. The Victoria, the richest mine, produced about $125,000 in gold and silver in the late 1800s. Take care when walking around any of the monument’s mines—uncovered prospect holes and cisterns riddle the hillsides. The site also has picnic tables. After 18.5 miles, Bonita Well (GPS: 32.009258, -112.975057) sits on the west side of the road above Aguajita Wash. An old stock corral and watering trough, shaded by spindly trees, sits alongside the road. The well was dug in the 1930s by rancher Robert Gray as a stock tank. A unique trap gate allowed thirsty cattle to enter the corral. The gate would shut after the cows entered, trapping them in the pen. A small picnic area and vault toilets are near the now-­dry well.

Quitobaquito Springs The drive continues southwest and after 22.3 miles reaches a T-­junction with Pozo Nuevo Road and the end of the one-­way road segment. A right turn heads north up a four-­wheel-­drive track to Growler Valley and Bates Well in the remote northwest sector of the monument. Go left and drive south for 2 miles to the turnoff to Quitobaquito Springs at 24 miles. Go right and drive 0.4 miles to a parking area by the Mexican border (GPS: 31.941562, -113.018650) and hike 0.15 mile to the spring-­fed pond. Quitobaquito, probably meaning “little many springs” in the O’odham language, is a true desert oasis. Because plentiful water flows from springs and seeps here, the oasis has long been a popular stopover. Early Native people watered here as long as 16,000 years ago; Spanish explorers paused at its refreshing pools, and the California-­bound forty-­niners stopped at the lovely oasis for one long, last drink before trekking across the dreaded El Camino del Diablo, the Devil’s Highway, which led to the Yuma Crossing of the Colorado River. The oasis, an oblong pool about 200 feet long, lies a stone’s throw north of the Mexican border. Bullrushes and willows thickly line its banks. Many bird species, lured by water, insects, and shelter, flock to the pond. Look for phainopepla, Gila 248   S CE N I C D R IVI N G AR I Z ONA

woodpecker, vermilion flycatcher, house finch, killdeer, heron, and ducks. The pond has traditionally been the home of the rare desert pupfish, a small minnow, as well as the Quitobaquito spring snail and the Sonoyta mud turtle, which are both endemic to the springs. A natural spring of 80-degree water that gushes out of a fault in the granite hillside fills the pond. Quitobaquito Springs, one of the few permanent aboveground water sources in the Sonoran Desert, is an endangered place. It began drying up in the 1980s, but construction of a wall on the border of the United States and Mexico after 2016 has hastened the pond’s decline. Contractors building the wall have withdrawn large quantities of groundwater for making concrete, lowering the water table. Reduced springwater flow, high summer temperatures, and leaks in the pond’s clay liner, which was installed by the National Park Service in 1962, has also lowered the pond’s level. The springs flowed as much as 30 gallons a minute in the 1980s but by July 2020 had fallen to 6 gallons per minute. A new liner was installed in the spring of 2022 to protect this vital habitat for endangered animals and plants and to continue to provide water for mammals.

South Puerto Blanco Drive and Senita Basin The last drive section follows South Puerto Blanco Road east for 13.5 miles from the junction with the road to Quitobaquito Springs to AZ 85 and Lukeville. The dirt road, crossing a saltbush plant community on the sandy La Abra Plain, parallels a wall along the border between the United States and Mexico on the south and the boundary with Organ Pipe Cactus Wilderness Area on the north. The two-­lane, graded dirt road is easily driven in a passenger car, but motor homes over 25 feet, trailers, and buses are prohibited. The road is often washboarded, so take your time when driving it. A spur road heads north to Senita Basin and its stands of senita cactus. From the junction, the road runs east, crossing deep washes and running over dry terrain studded with saguaros. At 3.8 miles the road dips south and reaches the border wall and heads east alongside it for 8.5 miles to a left turn on Senita Basin Road (GPS: 31.900641, -112.883848). Turn left and drive north for 4.5 miles to a parking area, picnic table, and the Senita Basin Trailhead (GPS: 31.950849, -112.861532). Senita Basin, a broad, shallow valley between the Puerto Blanco Mountains to the north and the Sonoyta Mountains to the south, provides a wild home to some of the monument’s rarest plants. The dry basin is one of the few places in the United States where the senita cactus grows. Senitas, one of the three columnar cacti in the monument (the others are saguaros and organ pipes), are a yellow-­ green cactus that looks like an organ pipe cactus, with long arms growing up 10 to 13 feet from the plant’s base. At the end of the stems are long, whiskery spines ORGAN PI PE CACTUS NATIONAL MON U M E NT SCE N IC DR IVES    249

that resemble an old man’s beard and give the cactus its Spanish name, senita, meaning “old one.” Senitas, common in the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California, grow only in the monument and a few locales on the Tohono O’odham Reservation. Most of the senita cacti here grow along the road to the trailhead and in the basin. Stunted elephant trees, more common to Baja California, also grow in the basin. The best way to see senita cacti is on the 2.9-mile Senita Basin Loop Trail. Start at the trailhead and hike east for 0.2 mile to a junction. Follow three trail segments to make the loop hike past impressive clumps of the rare cactus before returning to the junction and trailhead. The trailhead is also the jumping-­off point for hikes to Victoria Mine and Lost Cabin, the monument campground, Red Tanks Tinaja, Baker Mine, and Milton Mine. Consult a monument hiking map for directions and mileages. After hiking, return south on the road to South Puerto Blanco Drive and turn left. Drive along the border and across the outwash plain to the drive’s end at the junction of the dirt road and paved AZ 85 after 37.5 miles on North and South Puerto Blanco Drives. The total length of the excursion, including side trips to Quitobaquito Springs and Senita Basin, is 47 miles. A mile south of the junction is Lukeville on the Mexican border and beyond are the towns of Sonoyta and Puerto Peñasco on the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. The monument visitor center and the start of the drive is 4.3 miles to the north.

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Index

A Acacia Day Use Site, 154 Adamana, 93 Agate Bridge, 97 Agate House Trail, 99 Agathla Peak, 44 Aguajita Wash, 247 Ajo Mountain Drive, 240 Ajo Range, 240, 243 Aker Lake, 106 Alpine, 105 Alpine Divide, 105 Antelope House Overlook, 37 Antelope House Ruin, 38 Antelope Prairie, 69 Apache Falls, 135 Apache Gap, 152 Apache Junction, 150 Apache Lake, 158 Apache Lake Marina and Resort, 158 Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, 115 Apache Trail Scenic Byway, 148 Arcadia Campground, 143 Arch Canyon, 242 Arch Canyon Trailhead, 242 Arizona National Scenic Trail, 202 Arizona Nordic Village, 56 Arizona Snowbowl, 54 Arizona–Sonora Desert Museum, 185 Artist Point, 49 Aspen Vista, 178

Audrey Headframe Park, 88 Awat’ovi Ruins, 23 B Babad Du’og Vista, 172 Bajada Loop Drive, 187 Baker Butte Lookout, 122 Baldy Peak, 117 Bates Mountains, 247 Battle of Big Dry Wash, 125 Bear Canyon, 174 Bear Canyon Lake Recreation Area, 126 Beautiful Valley, 23 Becker Butte Overlook, 137 Benderly-Kendall Opera House, 207 Besh-ba-gowah Ruins, 131 Big Lake Recreation Area, 114 Bill Williams Mountain, 83 Bill Williams River, 233 Black Mountains, 214 Blue Mesa, 96 Blue Vista Overlook, 107 Bonita Canyon, 197 Bonita Well, 248 Bonito Park, 63 Bootlegger Picnic Area, 76 Borderlands Wildlife Preserve, 206 Boulder Canyon, 243 Boulder Recreation Site, 154 Bouse Formation, 231 Bright Angel Point, 8 Buckskin Mountains, 231

Buckskin Mountain State Park, 233 Bull Pasture, 243 Burnt Point, 125 Butterfly Trailhead, 177 C Call of the Canyon Picnic Site, 76 Cameron, 13 Canyon de Chelly National Monument, 29 Canyon Lake, 153 Canyon Lake Marina, 154 Canyon Lake Vista Point, 153 Carr Lake Trailhead, 126 Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, 168 Casa Malpais Archeological Park and Museum, 102 Catalina State Park, 163 Cattail Cove State Park, 236 Charron Vineyard and Winery, 202 Chase Canyon, 109 Chase Creek Overlook Observation Site, 109 Chemehuevi Valley, 236 Chimney Rock, 175 Chiricahua Mountains, 196 Chiricahua National Monument, 196 Chrysotile, 133 Cibicue Falls, 135 Cinder Hills, 65 Citadel Ruin, 69

251

Clifton, 110 Clifton Cliff Jail, 111 Clifton Visitor Center, 111 Coal Mine Canyon, 28 Colorado River, 234 Columbine Visitor Center, 146 Cool Springs, 214 Coronado Trail Scenic Byway, 100 Crystal Forest, 97 D Davidson Canyon, 202 David Yetman Trailhead, 184 DeMotte Park, 6 Desert Discovery Center, 184 Desert View, 14 Diablo Canyon Picnic Area, 242 Diablo Mountains, 240 Diablo Wash, 242 Diaz Range, 244 Doney Mountain, 67 Dos Cabezas, 194 Dos Cabezas Mountains, 193 Dripping Springs Mine Trailhead, 247 Dude Fire, 123 Dude Lake, 125 E Eagar, 114 East Kaibab Monocline, 13 East Rim Drive, 15 Ed’s Camp, 216 Empire Mountains, 202 Erickson Ridge, 196 Escudilla Mountain, 104 Escudilla Wilderness Area, 104 Estes Canyon, 243

252    I N D E X

Estes Canyon and Bull Pasture Trails, 243 Ez-Kim-In-Zin Picnic Area, 188 F Face Rock, 36 Face Rock Overlook, 36 Falcon Divide, 163 Faraway Ranch Historic District, 196 First Mesa, 25 Fish Creek Bridge, 157 Fish Creek Hill, 155 Fish Creek Vista, 155 Flagstaff, 53, 73 Florence, 167 Fort Apache Reservation, 116, 137 Fort Bowie National Historic Site, 195 Fort Buchanan, 206 Fort Crittenden, 206 Fort Grant Vista Point, 146 Four Peaks, 153 G Gates Pass, 183 Gates Pass Overlook, 183 General George Crook National Recreation Trail, 122 General Hitchcock Campground, 175 Geology Vista, 175 Giant Logs Trail, 99 Gibraltar Mountain Wilderness Area, 231 Gilbert Ray Campground, 185 Globe, 131 Golden Bell Mine, 248 Golden Shores, 220

Goldfield Ghost Town, 151 Gold King Mine and Ghost Town, 87 Goldroad, 218 Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Area, 174 Goulding’s Lodge, 45 Grand Canyon National Park, 3, 9 Grand Canyon Village, 16 Grand Falls, 65 Grasshopper Point, 77 Greer, 115 H Hannagan Meadow, 106 Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, 220, 234 Hayden Peak, 227 Heliograph Peak, 145 Historic Blue Mesa Trailhead, 94 Historic Route 66, 93 Hitchcock Pinnacle, 175 Hi-View Point, 125 HL Saddle Picnic Site, 109 Hondah, 119 Hopi Cultural Center, 24 Horse Mesa Vista, 155 Horseshoe Cienega Lake, 117 Horseshoe Vista, 126 Hospital Flat, 146 Hotevilla, 27 Hualapai Mountain Park, 225, 226 Hualapai Mountain Road, 221 Hualapai Mountains, 224, 225 Hualapai Mountains Back Country Byway, 228 Hualapai Peak, 227

Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site, 22 Hugh Norris Trail, 187 Humphreys Peak, 54 J Jackson Butte Recreation Area, 132 Jacob Lake, 3 Jasper Forest, 97 Jerome, 86 Jerome Artists Cooperative Gallery, 88 Jerome Historical Society Mine Museum, 87 Jerome State Historic Park, 87 John Ford Overlook, 48 Junction Overlook, 34 K Kaibab National Forest, 4 Kaibab Plateau, 1, 4 Kayenta, 43 Keams Canyon, 23 Kehl Canyon, 123 Kendrick Cabin, 59 Kendrick Park, 59 Kingman, 223 Kinlichee Ruin, 20 Kino Peak, 247 Knoll Lake, 126 Kris Eggle Visitor Center, 245 Kris Eggle Visitor Center Nature Trail, 245 L Ladybug Peak, 143 Ladybug Saddle, 143 Lake Havasu, 233 Lake Havasu City, 236

Lake Havasu City Visitor Center, 236 Lake Havasu State Park, 236 Lake Moovalya, 233 La Paz County Park, 233 Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, 205 Lenox Crater, 64 Lewis-Pranty Bridge, 157 Little Colorado River, 114 Little Colorado River Gorge, 14 Little Daisy Mine, 87 Lomaki Ruin, 70 London Bridge, 236 Long Logs Trail, 99 Lost Dutchman State Park, 151 Lost Lake, 125 Lower Northside Overlook, 137 Lower Sonoran Life Zone, 187 Luna Lake, 105 M Madonna of the Trail, 102 Manzanita Vista, 175 Massacre Cave, 39 Massai Point, 198 McFarland State Historic Park, 167 McMillenville, 131 McNary, 117 Midgley Bridge Observation Site, 78 Mix, Tom, 165 Moenkopi, 28 Moenkopi Formation, 13 Moenkopi Plateau, 28 Mogollon Mesa, 125 Mogollon Rim, 108, 120, 122

Mogollon Rim Visitor Center, 128 Mohave Mountains, 236 Molino Basin, 173 Molino Basin Road, 173 Molino Campground, 173 Molino Canyon Vista, 173 Monument Upwarp, 43 Monument Valley, 43, 45 Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, 43 Monument Valley Tribal Park, 47 Morenci, 110 Morenci Mine, 109 Mount Ajo, 243, 244 Mount Baldy, 116, 117 Mount Baldy Wilderness Area, 117 Mount Graham International Observatory, 146 Mount Lemmon, 176, 178 Mount Lemmon Ski Valley, 178 Mummy Cave Ruins, 39 Museum of Northern Arizona, 53 Myrtle Lake, 125 Myrtle Point, 126 N Navajo Buttes, 44 Navajo Fortress, 38 Navajo Nation, 17 Navajo Nation Museum, 20 Navajo Zoological Park, 20 Nelly Bly Kaleidoscopes, 88 Nelson Reservoir, 104 Newspaper Rock, 94 Nogales, 209 North Rim, 4, 6

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North Rim (Canyon de Chelly), 37 North Rim Drive, 37 North Rim (Grand Canyon), 3 North Window, 50 Nutrioso, 104 O Oak Creek Canyon, 71, 73, 75, 76 Oak Creek Vista, 73 Oatman, 218 Oatman Road, 211 Old Oraibi, 27 Old Tucson Studios, 185 Oracle Junction, 163 Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, 238 Original Jerome Winery, The, 88 P Painted Desert, 66, 92 Painted Desert Community Complex Historic District, 92 Painted Desert Inn, 92 Painted Desert Vista, 66 Palisades Visitor Center, 177 Palo Verde Recreation Site, 154 Parker, 231 Parker Dam, 233 Parker Strip, 232 Patagonia, 207 Patagonia Lake State Park, 209 Patagonia Museum, 207 Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve, 207 Patagonia-Sonoita Scenic Road, 200

254    I N D E X

Paton Center for Hummingbirds, 207 Perkins Ranch, 85 Perkinsville Road, 80 Perkinsville Verde River Bridge, 85 Petrified Forest National Park, 89, 98 Picacho Peak, 164 Pimeria Alta Historical Society and Museum, 209 Pinal County Historical Museum, 167 Pinaleño Mountains, 144 Pinal Peak, 131 Pinal Pioneer Parkway, 160 Pinkley Peak, 246 Pioneer Museum (Flagstaff), 53 Pole Knoll Recreation Area, 116 Poston Butte, 168 Potato Lake, 122 Promontory Butte, 126 Puerco Pueblo, 94 Puerco River, 93 Puerto Blanco Drive, 244 Puerto Blanco Mountains, 244, 246 Q Quitobaquito Springs, 248 R Rainbow Forest Museum, 99 Raku Gallery, 88 Red Hills Information Center, 186 Red Mountain, 59 Red Tanks Tinaja Trailhead, 246 Richmond Mountain, 131 Riggs Flat Lake, 147

Rim Lakes Vista, 128 Rim Lookout, 123 River Island State Park, 233 Roosevelt Dam, 153, 158 Roosevelt Lake, 159 Rose Canyon Lake, 176 Rose Peak Picnic Site and Trailhead, 108 Route 66, 211 S Sacramento Valley, 213 Saguaro National Park, 186 St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery, 165 Salt Banks, 135 Salt River, 135, 153 Salt River Canyon, 129, 134 Salt River Canyon Rest Stop, 135 Salt River Canyon Viewpoint, 134 San Carlos Apache Reservation, 133 San Francisco Mountain, 56. See San Francisco Peaks San Francisco Peaks, 56, 63 San Pedro Vista, 177 Santa Catalina Mountains, 174 Sawmill Canyon, 225 Second Mesa, 26 Sedona, 79 Seneca Falls, 133 Seneca Ghost Town, 133 Seneca Lake, 133 Senita Basin, 249 Senita Basin Loop Trail, 250 Senita Basin Trailhead, 249 Shaffer Spring, 216 Shannon Campground, 145 Shongopavi, 26 Show Low, 137

Signal Hill Picnic Area, 189 Sitgreaves National Forest., 137 Sitgreaves Pass, 217 Skiddy Canyon, 137 Sky Island Scenic Byway, 169 Slate Mountain, 59 Slide Rock State Park, 76 Sliding Rock Ruin, 36 Snow Flat, 144 Soldier Camp, 177 Soldier Canyon, 171 Sonoita, 205 Sonoita Creek State Natural Area, 209 Sonoita Plain, 203 Sonoran Desert, 185, 186 South Rim (Canyon de Chelly), 34 South Rim Drive, 34 South Rim (Grand Canyon), 9 Spider Rock, 36 Spider Rock Overlook, 36 Springerville, 102, 114 St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery, 165 Sterling Spring, 75 Strayhorse Divide, 108 Sugarloaf Mountain, 198 Summerhaven, 178 Sunrise Park Resort, 117 Sunset Crater, 64 Sunset Crater Visitor Center, 64 Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, 61 Supai Formation, 75 Superstition Wilderness Area, 152

Sus Picnic Ground, 187 Swift Trail Parkway, 139, 141 Sycamore Point, 84 T Take Off Point, 233 Teddy Bear Pass, 244 Teepees, The, 94 Theodore Roosevelt Dam Overlook, 158 Thimble Mountain, 214 Thimble Peak Vista, 174 Third Mesa, 27 Timber Camp Mountain, 132 Timber Camp Recreation Area, 133 Tin Shed Theater, 207 Tomb of the Weaver, 38 Tonto National Forest, 151 Tonto National Monument, 159 Tortilla Flat, 154 Tortilla Flat Museum, 154 Tortilla Vista Point, 154 Total Wreck Mine, 203 Totem Pole, 48 Treasure Park, 146 Tsegi Overlook, 34 Tuba City, 28 Tucson Mountain Park, 183 Tunnel Overlook, 34 Twin Peaks, 245 U Upper Green Mountain Trailhead, 176 V Valle, 60

Valley Drive (Monument Valley), 47 Valley View Overlook Trail, 188 Velvet Elvis Pizza Company, 207 Verde Canyon Railroad, 86 Verde River, 85 Verde Valley, 85 Vista Point, 84 W Walpi, 25 Wasson Peak Trail, 186 Weaver’s Needle, 152 Weaver’s Needle Vista, 152 Wet Canyon Picnic Area, 143 White House Ruin, 34 White House Ruin Trail, 35 White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area, 114 White Mountains, 112, 116 Wild Cow Springs Recreation Site, 228 Willcox, 192 Willcox Playa, 192 Willcox Playa Wildlife Area, 193 Williams, 82 Willow Canyon, 176 Window Rock, 20 Windy Point Vista, 175 Wonderland of Rocks, 198 Woods Canyon Lake, 127 Woods Canyon Vista, 127 Wukoki Ruin, 67 Wupatki National Monument, 61, 66 Wupatki Ruin, 67

I N DEX    255