Apache Trail

Officially known as Arizona State Route 88, the Apache Trail connects the Phoenix valley with the bustling copper mining town of Globe, passing through a magnificent landscape of multicolored mountains, high desert, and plunging canyons. The route passes three of Arizona’s most popular lakes along the way. It is a ride to be remembered forever.

After traveling across the Apache Trail by automobile in 1911, President Theodore Roosevelt called the route "one of the most spectacular, best-worth-seeing sights of the world." Today the historic road has been improved in many ways, but the spectacular scenery along its 74 mile length remains unspoiled and just as beautiful as it was when Roosevelt crossed it on the way to the dedication of the lake and dam that bear his name. While the road is not as rugged as it was back in 1911, a trip along the Apache Trail is no Sunday ride around the park. The road twists and turns, climbs saguaro studded hills and drops through winding canyons. Along the way the traveler is treated to some of the most spectacular scenery in the West.

The best place to begin your trip along the Apache Trail is in Apache Junction, in the far East Valley. Be sure to top off your fuel tank before hitting the road, and stock up on water and snacks too, because there are only a couple of places to stop for supplies along the way.

Leaving town traveling northeast, the road passes small businesses and a seemingly endless array of mobile homes and RV parks. A little over three miles from Apache Junction, the Superstition Mountain Museum is located on the east side of the road. The museum exhibits mining artifacts, over twenty different maps that at one time or another were purported to lead the way to the Superstition Mountains’ fabled Lost Dutchman Gold Mine, gold ore samples, Native American pottery, and other historical items relating to this region.

Just up the road on the west side is the former 1890s mining town of Goldfield, now a “ghost town” tourist trap. Travel half a mile further and you come to Lost Dutchman State Park, offering camping, picnicking, and hiking trails into the Superstition Wilderness. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the one to find the gold in old Jacob Waltz’ Lost Dutchman Mine!

From here the scenery really start to get pretty, with dramatic views of the Superstition Mountains that will have you stopping every chance you can to take photos or just to drink in the remarkable views. Thirteen miles into the trip you will come to Canyon Lake, popular with fishermen and water sports enthusiasts. This can be a busy place, especially on summer weekends. Take the time to pull into the different scenic pullouts, one of which offers a great view of the famous Four Peaks towering in the background above the lake. The road crosses over a narrow bridge and continues four miles along the south side of the lake, over another bridge, and on to Tortilla Flat.

Tortilla Flat is a popular watering hole for travelers along the Apache Trail, and the turn around point for those who don’t want to continue on any further, as the route becomes more primitive. A hundred years ago this was a stage coach stop, and today visitors can enjoy a cold drink or two, have a great burger or a bowl of chili, buy an ice cream cone, or pick up a few souvenirs. According to the United State Postal Service, Tortilla Flat is the smallest official community in Arizona , with a population of six, a post office, and a voting precinct. At one time the entire town of Tortilla Flat was offered for sale on eBay and a sharp bidder could have owned it for a mere $5.5 million!

From here the road gets more challenging and requires caution. The rest area just before the drop into Fish Creek Canyon offers clean bathrooms and wonderful views. You’ll want a break here before continuing on with the rest of your trip.

At Fish Creek Hill the road is steep, primarily single lane, with turnouts hugging the side of the mountain. As a sign warns at the Fish Creek Viewpoint, this section of the Apache Trail is not recommended for the faint of heart!

The next twenty miles of the Apache Trail are unpaved, including the thrilling descent down Fish Creek Hill, where the route drops about 900 feet within a mile into Fish Creek Canyon. Use caution here, the trip down Fish Creek Hill has a ten percent grade! At the bottom the road passes over a one-lane bridge and the driving gets easier until you each Apache Lake .

Seventeen mile long Apache Lake, with a depth of 266 feet and a surface area of 2,600 acres, is the deepest of the chain of four lakes along the Salt River. The lake was created with the building of Horse Mesa Dam in 1927. Apache Lake Marina offers food and lodging.

Just before Roosevelt Dam the pavement resumes, and the dam has a rest area with clean facilities, a picnic table, and a scenic overlook with a great view of the dam. When it was completed in 1911, Roosevelt Dam was the world’s largest masonry dam, its stone blocks rising to a height of 280 feet. The dam was rebuilt between 1989 and 1996 as a concrete arch structure, and the height was raised to 357 feet to increase the capacity of Roosevelt Lake. Ironically, severe droughts in recent years have instead greatly reduced the size of the lake!

In its time, the project to build Roosevelt Dam was a major undertaking, employing thousands of workmen. The original boomtown of Roosevelt , now beneath the lake’s surface, was home to hundreds of people, and boasted a bowling alley, ice cream parlor, theater, baseball team, and a school. Dam workers and their families lived in tents and small crude adobe buildings.

Dam building was hard and dangerous work, and over forty people lost their lives during the construction project, including famed Indian fighter Al Sieber, who’s death remains a mystery today (see related story in this issue). A monument just northwest of the dam marks the spot where he died. For their efforts, common laborers earned $2.50 a day, while skilled labor such as powdermen, blacksmiths, and masons made $4 to $5.

The rest area at the dam offers a nice view of the handsome 300 foot high Roosevelt Lake Bridge, the longest two lane single span steel arch bridge in North America. The bridge stretches 1,080 feet over the lake and was painted blue to blend in with the lake’s waters. The bridge has been named one of the twelve outstanding bridges in the United States, in company with the Golden Gate and Brooklyn bridges.

A right turn just after the rest area at the dam will lead you 30 easy miles to Globe, where you can find fuel, restaurants, and RV parks. Along the way, a short side trip will take you to the cliff dwellings of Tonto National Monument. Ancient people had a thriving culture here during the 13^th, 14^th, and early 15^th centuries.

Globe was established in 1876 and named after a large globe-shaped boulder of silver that was found nearby. Copper and silver were mined here for a hundred years. A few miles west, huge copper ore operations continue near the small town of Miami, and U.S. Highway 60 passes miles of tailings ponds and slag heaps.

U.S. 60 takes you west 52 miles through scenic Devil's Canyon and back to Apache Junction. Along the way, the high mountains on the left are the Pinal Mountains. The United States Army operated a heliograph station atop 7,812 high feet Signal Peak during the Indian wars. The ride through Devil’s Canyon and Queen Creek Canyon is one of the most memorable in Arizona .

Be sure to stop in Superior and tour the World’s Smallest Museum! Boyce Thompson Arboretum, three miles west of Superior, is one of the west's finest desert botanical gardens, offering miles of beautiful walking trails. Another half hour of riding brings you back to Apache Junction.

The total distance around this loop is about 125 miles, but a lot of them are slow miles. Expect the ride to take most of the day. Exploring the Apache Trail is a wonderful experience, and once you make the trip, I bet you can’t wait to take some friends along the next time to introduce them to this historic highway!