SCENIC DRIVE

scenic drive APACHE TRAIL Teddy Roosevelt said of this route: It offers “the most sublimely beautiful panorama nature has ever created.” What more do you need to know?

BY TOM CARPENTER PHOTOGRAPHS BY TOM DANIELSEN The essence of Arizona is bottled along State Route 88, the Apache Trail. You'll find all of the state's essential qualities d desert, mountains, water, sky, past, present and future here on Arizona's first designated historic and scenic road. The 47-mile trip from Apache Junction to Roosevelt Dam takes about two and a half hours. The last 21 miles are unpaved, but well-maintained. Begin at the junction of Idaho Road and State Route 88, traveling north toward the Salt River the Apache Trail's raison d'être. For a thousand years, native cultures roamed the Salt River's shoreline through the Mazatzal Mountains, and the surrounding valley's fertile soil enticed the first settlers to restore canals built by the ancient Hohokams. Unfortunately, the unpredictable hydrologic cycle of drought and flood made the Salt uncontrollable. In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt signed into law the National Reclamation Act, which led to the damming of most of the West's major rivers, including the Salt. To build the dam, they first needed a road to transport men, equipment and materials from Phoenix. Road construction began in 1904, and mule teams started hauling freight wagons a year later. Apache laborers helped build the road, dubbed the Apache Trail, and it's as scenic as it was practical. The 5-mile stretch of the Goldfield Mountains beginning at the unmarked Apache Gap, at Mile 4.6, has been called the "Little Alps." President Roosevelt said it best: "The Apache Trail combines the grandeur of the Alps, the glory of the Rockies, and the magnificence of the Grand Canyon, and then adds an indefinable something that none of the others has. To me it is the most awe-inspiring and most sublimely beautiful panorama nature has ever created." At Canyon Lake Vista, Mile 6.6, you'll encounter a spiritlifting view of Canyon Lake, which formed as a result of the Mormon Flat Dam in 1926. At 11.3 miles, you'll reach Tortilla Flat, the first overnight stop on the three-day wagon trip from Mesa to the dam site. Take the time to enjoy a snack on the saddle stools in the restaurant and ask about the origin of the town's name. The paved road ends at 16.7 miles. At the Fish Creek Hill Scenic Vista, uphill 2 more miles, you can reflect on the challenges faced by teamsters moving freight along this road. At Mile 24.5, you'll glimpse Apache Lake, created by Horse Mesa Dam in 1927. The road follows the gorge, rising and falling with the contours of the land, sometimes as close as 15 feet from the lake. The Theodore Roosevelt Dam looms into view at Mile 36.5. Dedicated by its namesake on March 18, 1911, the dam rises 280 feet and cost $10.3 million. This classic Arizona road trip wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Tonto National Monument, 4 miles southeast of Roosevelt Dam on State Route 188. The visitors center displays artifacts of the ancient agrarian Salado Indians, who occupied these pueblos. To reach the lower ruins requires a half-mile uphill slog, but the solitude and natural beauty found there proves worth the effort.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For more scenic drives, pick up a copy of our book, The Back Roads. Now in its fifth edition, the book ($19.95) features 40 of the state's most scenic drives. To order a copy, call 800-543-5432 or visit arizonahighways.com.

DIRECTIONS: From Phoenix, go east on U.S. Route 60 to Exit 196 (Idaho Road), turn left, and go 2.2 miles to State Route 88 (the Apache Trail). Turn right and continue 47 miles to Roosevelt Dam. From there, continue 4 miles on State Route 188 to Tonto National Monument.

VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS: A high-clearance vehicle is recommended, but not required.

INFORMATION: Tonto National Forest, 928-402-6200 or www.fs.fed.us/r3/tonto.

Travelers in Arizona can visit az511.gov or dial 511 to get information on road closures, construction, delays, weather and more.