Back Road Adventure

Back Road Adventure DISCOVER RARE VIEWS OF SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA BEYOND RIGGS LAKE

Like almost all mountain ranges throughout southern Arizona, the Pinalenos in the Coronado National Forest near Safford are a popular oasis during the summer months. When it is 100° F. in the valley below, it may be 70° at the campgrounds 9,000 feet up the mountain. As a result, every year hundreds of desert dwellers get in their cars and campers and head for Swift Trail, the scenic road that delivers relief. You can count on one hand the places on the mountain where most of these visitors will congregate; you can count on one finger the place where most visitors will never be found. It's a road without a name that meanders through a forest of pines and aspens and leads to natural "windows" - places where the trees stand apart to provide extraordinary views of the surrounding countryside.

The majority of visitors to the Pinaleno Mountains stay at developed campgrounds where drinking water and rest rooms are available. Many will also go to Riggs Lake, partly because they can fish there. Hardly anyone ever travels beyond Riggs because most maps give the impression that that's the end of the road. Also, Riggs is the last spot on the mountain where there is a developed campground.

Our advice: if you have a high-clearance vehicle, ignore the cutoff to Riggs Lake and follow your nose. The good dirt road not shown on most maps does indeed continue. It leads to a ridge where the tall trees open up to offer imposing views of the surrounding valleys.

Two miles after passing the cutoff for Riggs, there is a cement slab on the left. At this point, the casual observer may think that he or she has once again reached the end of the road. Resist such thoughts and look to the left. There it is: the road to an alpine paradise where the aspens stand like armies of white broomsticks at the edges of emerald meadows. On the U.S. Geological Survey map, this route is marked as a jeep road. In 1972, when the map was made, that label undoubtedly was accurate, but today a four-wheel drive vehicle is not necessary. This does not mean the road is suitable for a standard sedan. It does contain some rockyHigh spots, and it can get downright muddy after a heavy rain. Before you start down this track, notice that a hiking trail begins just west of the cement slab on the other side of the road. Though the beginning of the trail looks steep, it climbs for only about 50 feet. For the next mile, it undulates gently along a path through flowering bushes and tall pines. Along the way, there are wide views of the agricultural fields in the Gila Valley to the north (or right) and the sparsely populated Sulphur Springs Valley to the south.

The trail will lead to the base of Clark Peak (elevation 9,006 feet). Watch for small rock piles on the right that mark the point where you climb through the pines to the peak. At the top, you'll encounter delicate stands of aspen saplings, the remnants of a dismantled fire lookout, and a 360-degree view of the surrounding mountain ranges.

TIPS FOR TRAVELERS

Back-road travel can be hazardous if you are not prepared for the unexpected. Whether traveling in the desert or in the high country be sure you and your vehicle are in top shape and your gear includes at minimum - the following: appropriate clothing and footwear, food and water, medication, a first-aid kit, sunglasses, water-purification tablets, a shovel, maps (road and topographic), a compass, survival gear, tools, spare tire and parts, and a tow chain. Last, don't travel alone and let someone at home know where you're going and when you plan to return.

When you return to your vehicle, drive the dirt road that begins in front of the cement slab. It forms a crescent that will return to Swift Trail .4 of a mile from the Riggs Flat cutoff. When you get to Swift Trail, turn right, and you'll be on the direct route down the mountain to Safford.

It is advisable to drive this one-lane dirt crescent slowly, not only because it is perilous to do anything else, but also because otherwise you may miss the many small pullouts that lead to promontories from which you can watch the sun set. (Walk through the pine needles and find yourself a rock or a downed tree to use as a bench.) On most days, you can see 60 miles to the west, north, and south from this side of the mountain. The tablelands to the north are the top of Aravaipa Canyon, a wilderness where vertical cliffs rise from the bed of Aravaipa Creek. Some 60 miles in the opposite direction look for Dos Cabezas, an aptly named peak that looks like two heads.

As the road curves back to Swift Trail, it bisects wide, grassy meadows where you may see deer browsing on aspen leaves.

To reach the Pinalenos from Phoenix, drive southeast from Apache Junction and follow U.S. Route 60 to Globe and then U.S. 70 from Globe to Safford. Swift Trail is off U.S. 666, about 9 miles south of Safford. To reach that junction of 666 and Swift Trail from Tucson, drive east on Interstate 10 to Exit 352, which is U.S. 666. It is 25 miles from the exit to the junction of the Swift Trail

cutoff and 36 miles farther from that point to Riggs Lake.

If you have to stop to ask directions, keep in mind that most people in Arizona refer to the Pinalenos as "the Grahams" because of the prominence of the range's highest peak, Mount Graham (also called High Peak), which pokes the clouds at a towering 10,717 feet.

Swift Trail, the road up the mountain, is paved at the beginning but, 21 miles up, in the vicinity of Hospital Flat Campground, it turns to graded dirt. The road has many hairpin curves, and the Forest Service prohibits trailers longer than 22 feet. The dirt portion of the ride is easily handled with a two-wheel-drive vehicle. You will not find restaurants, gas stations, or overnight accommodations, other than campgrounds, on the mountain, Though nearby Safford, with a population of about 8,000, has several motels and restaurants. Medical services also are available in Safford.

If you camp on the mountain, take note of the tall trash barrels in the developed campgrounds. They are bear-proof, and therein lies a message: the Pinalenos are reputed to have the largest concentration of black bears in the West. The chances that you will see a bear are slight, but they may be attracted by garbage. If you camp, get your garbage into the trash barrels at night.