Back Road Adventure

Listen to the Quiet on the High Country's Blue River Loop

There comes a time when thermometers in Phoenix and other desert environs begin popping their tops. The “snowbirds” have all flown away, the Zonies are firmly entrenched on the West Coast, and the rest of us are dreaming of long cool vacations, preferably ones that don't involve mortgaging our firstborn to pay for them.

Take a tip from a couple of native Arizonans my photographer husband, Jerry, and me: head for the hills. And we think there are no better ones to head for than the mountains of eastern Arizona with their numerous lakes, lush forests, and cool high-country breezes.

The Blue River area along the Arizona-New Mexico border is a special place. It's only a few hours from Phoenix or Tucson, but a million light-years away from urban cacaphony.

Several campgrounds give you the option of camping in the pines or at Luna Lake or down along the Blue River. If you're a fisherman, plan to drop a line a time or two. Both the lake and river are stocked with trout.

And regardless of your outdoor likes and dislikes, you can enjoy the Blue River loop drive. Make it a day trip from Springerville, which has several restaurants and motels, plus the Casa Malpais Archaeological Museum and Park. More Indian relics, at Raven Site Ruins, are farther north.

Drive east on Springerville's Main Street (U.S. Route 60) for approximately one mile, then turn south onto U.S. Route 191, the Coronado Trail. You'll cross the high plateau country, pass the Nelson Reservoir Recreational Site (another good fishing spot), travel through pine forest, and wend your way through the town of Nutrioso, noted for having one of the world's smallest post offices. A couple of miles farther south, Forest Service Road 56 leads to 10,955-foot Escudilla Mountain, one of the highest summits in Arizona, to some spectacular scenery that makes the side trip well worth it.

Back on the highway, you'll pass the Alpine Divide Campground and Tal-Wi-Wi Lodge, then drop down into Alpine, a little town nestled in a mountain valley. Set in the midst of ranches, forest, and numerous summer vacation homes, it has a country club, small motels and restaurants, a market, gas station, and tackle shop.

The Blue River loop actually begins in Alpine, and a left turn onto U.S. 180 takes you to the Blue River turnoff. However, you may want to stop off at Luna Lake first. It's only about a halfmile east and has rest rooms, fishing, a campground, and boat rental (small motors only).

Now backtrack to the turnoff and a sign reading Blue River 22 Miles. Turn south onto County Road 2104 (also FR 281). It's a good gravel road that winds past a few scattered homes and ranches. Through the pine and cottonwood trees, you'll begin catching glimpses of the Blue River, which in summer might more appropriately be called a stream. Wildflowers grow in profusion - everything from wild irises to Indian paintbrush to wild roses, depending on the time of year. Stop and take a forest stroll, but do respect the privacy of ranchers and other landowners. There's a great spot for a picnic lunch 15 miles down that gravel road, just past the Kilgore's Blue River Ranch, in a grove of huge cottonwood trees where the road crosses the Blue River. On down the road around a bend or two is a Welcome to Arizona sign that comes as something of a surprise, but you did just lunch in New Mexico. You'll find several beautiful picnic spots in this area but no tables or other facilities, so plan to “tailgate” your lunch. The Upper Blue Campground, three miles further down canyon, has rest rooms, a few tables and fireplaces, and several small ramadas.

The Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in this area is rather primitive. Trees felled by snow, wind, and rain intermingle with vines climbing helterskelter. Wildflowers poke out of cracks in rotted logs, and, in places, huge beaver dams almost block the stream.

You'll probably see more wildlife than people; we rarely pass more than two or three cars in an entire afternoon. The serenity and solitude are what make this trip so special. Stop and take a walk along the stream. Listen to the quiet. The only sounds are the wind in the trees, the stream burbling its way down the canyon, and perhaps a couple of birds talking things over in the treetops. Sit on an old weather-whitened log and enjoy the “splendid isolation” where ferns peek from behind river boulders and wildflowers wave in the breeze. When you can bear to tear yourself away, you'll travel on through a tunnel of trees to Jackson Box, a canyon lined with red cliffs and sculptured rock formations. Chances are that thunderheads may start to build in the afternoon, but even that can be enjoyable. Those fluffy cotton-candy clouds will graduallly darken, and thunder will begin to rumble. A drenching rain may sweep through, but mountain thunderstorms are usually of short duration; take refuge in your car and let it come. Once the storm has passed, revel in the Earth's renewal; breathe in the inimitable scent of a freshly rain-washed world. The stream sparkles in the sunlight, the red cliffs seem brighter, the sky bluer, the clouds whiter, the greenery greener.

Back on the road along the Blue, you'll soon reach Red Hill turnoff, 20 miles from where you turned onto the gravel road. Make a right turn at Blue Crossing here onto FR 567. Crossing the Blue River for the last time, you come to Blue Crossing Campground, which has a few facilities and some ancient petroglyphs pecked into cliffs near the camp farthest from the entrance.

Red Hill Road (FR 567) is narrower than the one on which you've been traveling, but there is even less traffic. It climbs upward through juniper and small piñon pines toward Red Bluff, a picturesque rock formation rising in the distance. The road continues to wind upward to the summit and some spectacular vistas. Then the forest begins to change; the ponderosa pines are taller, the vegetation lusher. Soon you'll find yourself on U.S. 191 and pavement.

A nine-mile side trip south on U.S. 191 will take you to the lodge and restaurant at Hannagan Meadow. Watch for wildlife all along this road, especially in late afternoon and evening. There's rarely a time when you won't see elk, sometimes as many as 75 in a herd.

Leaving Hannagan Meadow, you're on the last leg of the loop. From there to Alpine is a gorgeous 25-mile drive down a highway lushly lined with ferns, vines, and New Mexican locust trees, their magenta blooms brightening the dense forest of pine, fir, and aspen.

From Alpine to Springerville, you're retracing your tracks, but it's still a beautiful drive, especially at twilight.

That's also the time of day when the deer and antelope play, and you may very well spot both. If you've timed it right, you may just see that perfect sunset after which you'll be ready to head for these hills at the slightest hint of an excuse.

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 aware of weather and road conditions, and make sure you and your vehicle are in top shape and you have plenty of water. Dirt roads are often slick when wet, and unbridged creek crossings should always be approached with caution.

Don't travel alone, and let someone at home know where you're going and when you plan to return. For Alpine area information, call the Alpine Chamber of Commerce at (602) 339-4330 and the Alpine Ranger District, (602) 339-4384.