Scenic Drives

North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park

The North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park has a short season, but there’s another reason it sees about as much vehicle traffic in an average year as the South Rim sees in an average month. Actually, there are 130 reasons. That’s the difference, in miles, between North Rim and South Rim driving distance from Flagstaff. It’s hard to believe — until you look at a road map. There are no shortcuts to the North Rim. No interstates. Just a long trip up U.S. routes 89 and 89A, across Navajo Bridge, past the Vermilion Cliffs and down State Route 67.

Tonto National Forest, Pine

Don’t let the prosaic name fool you: Control Road north of Payson is a lovely historical route that runs below the Mogollon Rim — the dramatic ridge that defines the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau. Beginning near Pine, the meandering road rises and dips in and out of ponderosa pine forest for 23.4 miles, crossing seasonal streams and the East Verde River.

Prescott National Forest, Prescott

We get lucky. The dining room at Lynx Lake Café is small, and we wait to get a table on this beautiful day. Our apologetic server settles us at a back table just as the best table in the place opens up. “Can we sit there?” we ask. 

And just like that, we have a picture-perfect view of the 55-acre lake and its paddle-boaters and kayakers. Just out the window, hummingbirds fuel up for their journey south. Below us, a steady stream of walkers amble along the lakeside trail.

Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, Southern Arizona

Some of Arizona’s roads are deceptively named. Take Rural Road in the Phoenix area, for example. If you’ve driven it in the past half-century or so, you know there’s no longer anything rural about it. But Pronghorn Drive isn’t one of those roads. It’s a scenic 10-mile loop at Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in Southern Arizona, and it offers a chance to see its namesake ungulates, plus rare birds, rolling grasslands and an iconic peak.

Hualapai Valley, Northwestern Arizona

Listen, birds, these signs cost money. So roost awhile, but don’t get funny.

Ironwood Forest National Monument, Tucson

Desert ironwoods aren’t as iconic as saguaros, but the trees — officially known as Olneya tesota — are the unsung heroes of much of the Sonoran Desert. They can live for centuries in the scorching heat, they provide valuable shade for young saguaros and other desert flora, and their wood is among the hardest and densest in the world — hence the name.

Harquahala Mountains, near Wickenburg

The average 5-year-old, it’s been said, asks about 400 questions per day. But you can double that number by taking your child up Harquahala Mountain. I learn this when my son, Westley, comes along on my Arizona Highways assignment. As we tackle this rugged, challenging 10.5-mile drive, I hear queries that include: “How much farther?” “Is it always going to be this bumpy?” and “What if we get a flat tire?”

Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Navajo Nation

The Navajo Nation is big. Really big. At more than 27,000 square miles, it’s the largest of all tribal lands in the United States, and it includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Since it’s such a big place, traveling through it often requires a lot of driving, and the 102-mile trip from Lupton to Chinle is no exception. But don’t be intimidated: You can do most of this drive at highway speeds, and the dramatic views and culture along the way are worth the extra miles on your odometer.

Kaibab National Forest, Tusayan

Unless you’re a time traveler or a re-enactor, your experience with stagecoaches is probably limited to films such as 3:10 to Yuma. But before trains came along, stagecoaches were a popular method of travel in the American West, and the history of Territorial Arizona is full of them. You’ll find a bit of that history at the end of this 19.4-mile drive south of the Grand Canyon, but the scenery along the way is worth the trip, too.

Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, Alpine

"It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish.” That’s the mantra of gym teachers and campaign consultants everywhere, but it also can apply to scenic drives. Take the Blue Range Loop, a 49-mile jaunt that starts and ends in the idyllic White Mountains town of Alpine. The first leg of the loop is dotted with reminders of the worst wildfire in Arizona’s recorded history. But beyond that are pristine forest and riparian areas, plus expansive views of one of the most remote and unspoiled places in the Southwest.