Queen Valley Road

Superstition Mountains, Tonto National Forest

Relationships are funny things. To make them work, you have to compromise. The same rule can be applied to scenic drives. Some scenic drives, anyway. Queen Valley Road in the Superstition Mountains is a good example. If you’re like my driving companion, Jon, who loves the adrenaline rush that comes from plowing across boulder-strewn terrain, then you’ll love the second half of this drive. It requires four-wheel-drive, which makes me nervous, because all I can think about in those scenarios is driving off a cliff.

Green Valley to Vail

Madera Canyon, Coronado National Forest

The drive from Green Valley to Vail, with a side trip into Madera Canyon, winds into and around the Santa Rita Mountains of Southern Arizona. Inhabited for thousands of years and rich in lumber and mineral deposits, the area is as alive with history as it is famed for its biodiversity. Pack a lunch and plan a full day to enjoy all this drive has to offer.

Ruby Road

Coronado National Forest, Nogales

If you’ve never driven down Interstate 19, which runs from Tucson to Nogales, you might not know that the distances on signs along that highway are in kilometers, rather than miles. You also might not know the highway passes some rugged and visually striking terrain. Ruby Road, which runs for 35 miles (that’s 56 kilometers) from I-19 to Arivaca, is a prime example.

Saguaro National Park East

Saguaro National Park, Tucson

For tourists and locals alike, the word “forest” usually conjures trees, not a stand of saguaro cactuses covered in spines. But candelabra-shaped saguaros, found exclusively in our Sonoran Desert, are classified as arborescent (tree-like), so the “forest” label is hardly a stretch. Nomenclature aside, Tucson’s cactus forest — tucked within Saguaro National Park East and nestled up against the Rincon Mountains — is as starkly beautiful as any primeval forest you’ve ever seen or imagined.

Stockton Pass Road

Coronado National Forest, Safford

Sometimes, big things really do come in small packages. And big scenery often comes on little roads. State Route 266 is one of the shortest state highways in Arizona — with just under 20 miles of pavement cutting across the rugged rangeland south of Safford — but every mile dishes up dramatic vistas as the road rambles westward along the fringe of the Pinaleño Mountains, making this quick journey a big one for memories.

Monument Valley Drive

Monument Valley, Navajo Nation

There’s a reason John Wayne once described Monument Valley as “the place where God put the West.” The landscape unfolds and extends until it touches the horizon, then massive monoliths erupt from the red clay. There’s nothing like it — sky and Earth come together to create this sacred place — and there’s no better way to see it than along Valley Drive.

Sycamore Canyon Vista

Kaibab National Forest, Williams

Sycamore Canyon is Arizona’s second-largest gorge — second only to the natural wonder that can be seen from outer space. The attributes of the Grand Canyon are many, but the state’s runner-up has a few of its own, including the 13-mile drive to reach it. It’s a picturesque route through the Kaibab National Forest that gets less traffic than a Sonoran Desert highway in the dead of summer.

Mount Ord

Payson Ranger District, Tonto National Forest

Some scenic drives require a certain amount of commitment. Whether it’s time, vehicle requirements or sheer guts, you often have to give a little in order to get Arizona’s spectacular views in return. Fortunately, the drive to Mount Ord is the exception. No sacrifice is required. In fact, this drive is more about bang than buck, so to speak. The views are breathtaking, the trip itself is quick and the fist-clenching moments are few and far between.

Prescott to Camp Wood

Chino Valley Ranger District, Prescott National Forest

Both ends of this drive are scenic, but the nature of that scenery — from Prescott’s small-town charm to Camp Wood’s quiet isolation — couldn’t be more different. You’ll need a reliable vehicle and a three-hour block of time, but that’s a small price to pay for views as varied and breathtaking as any you’ll find in Arizona.

Ghost Town Trail

Tombstone to Pearce

History can be fickle. Long after the last gunfighter was planted on Boot Hill, Tombstone survived to grow into an international tourist attraction. Yet neighboring towns with pasts nearly as colorful have faded into oblivion, leaving behind faint scars on the landscape.

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