Scenic Drives

Queen Valley, Superstition Mountains

Some scenic drives require a hefty time commitment and a lot of miles on the odometer. They’re worth it, of course, but sometimes you don’t have much of either to spare. That’s part of what makes the route to Elephant Butte so appealing. If you’ve got a high-clearance vehicle, you can make this trek to an appropriately named rock formation and be back on a major highway in 45 minutes or so — and encounter a thriving desert ecosystem along the way.

Blake Ranch Road starts and ends on two of Arizona’s busiest roadways, but it’s not unusual to drive this 22-mile road near Kingman on a weekday and not see another vehicle. Those who opt instead for blacktop and 70 mph travel are missing out: Blake Ranch Road offers amazing panoramas and a dose of mining history as it meanders through the eastern foothills of the verdant Hualapai Mountains.

Kofa Mountains, Quartzsite

If Arizona redesigned its flag today, the new version might feature a palm tree instead of a star. For residents of Phoenix and Tucson, the tall, leafy trees known as Washington fan palms (Washingtonia robusta) are as much a part of desert life as cactuses and coyotes. Which is ironic, since those palms are transplants from Mexico.

Sonoran Desert, Wikieup

Sometimes, you have to venture far from paved routes to find stunning Arizona scenery. Other times, that beauty is hiding just off the road. The Chicken Springs Loop, which begins amid the Joshua trees along U.S. Route 93​ northwest of Wickenburg, falls into both categories. From strange plants and mountain views to a well-preserved ghost town, this 50-mile loop drive has something for everyone as it ventures from a heavily traveled highway into a remote desert environment.

Tonto National Forest, Payson

The drive along Forest Road 200, near Young, is beautiful any time of year. But it’s particularly rich in fall, which features warm days, cool nights, and copper and gold foliage along Haigler Creek.

On a warm October day, we head east from Payson on State Route 260, a scenic, forested highway with views of the Mogollon Rim. We glimpse our first fall color in Star Valley. Here, Fremont cottonwoods above the Lamplighter RV Resort light up like torches in the morning sun, as though nature itself were advertising the vacation community.

Coconino National Forest, Flagstaff

In the Flagstaff area, the San Francisco Peaks get much of the attention — but, despite the best efforts of John Weatherford in the early 1900s, you can’t summit the Peaks in a car. For a good look at Arizona’s highest mountains and a whole lot more, go southeast of town and head up the Coconino National Forest’s Hutch Mountain, which offers 360-degree views and a break from the summer heat.

Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe

Monument Valley is one of the Southwest’s iconic landscapes. But sometimes, a drive through it can leave you longing for more solitude and fewer tourists standing in the road with selfie sticks. Fortunately, there’s another “Monument Valley” on the Navajo Nation, and this one is well off the beaten tourist path. Take the scenic route from Winslow to Second Mesa, and you’ll be treated to a dazzling array of otherworldly buttes in a land where the only creatures in the road are cows. 

Kaibab Plateau, Kaibab National Forest

Have you ever put on a jacket for the first time in months and found a dollar in the pocket? Have you ever done that, then reached into the other pocket and found 20 dollars? If so, you’re pretty lucky. And you also have some idea of what the drive to Marble Viewpoint, on the Kaibab Plateau, feels like. At the end of this gorgeous drive, you’ll reach a nice vista that you’ll think is the destination. And then you’ll go a little farther, and … wow.

Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, Winslow

It might be hard to imagine when you’re driving 75 mph down a smooth stretch of blacktop, but many north-south routes in Arizona were carved by the wagon ruts of Mormon pioneers. These roads, built in the last half of the 19th century, generally followed paths of least resistance across seemingly impassable terrain. Many have long since been paved over, but Forest Road 504, the road to Chevelon Crossing, is as rugged and beautiful as when settlers pulled their wagons through Northern Arizona 140 years ago.

Tonto National Forest, Globe

‘‘Harquahala” might not look like a four-letter word, but it serves as one in the Austin household. My son, Westley, loves to bring up the time I took him up a remote peak west of Phoenix: “What were you thinking with that Harquahala Mountain drive, Dad?”