Apache Trail - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 477

10. Tonto National Monument
Just east of the dam lies Tonto National Monument, which preserves two apartment-style
cliffdwellingsoccupiedmorethan600yearsagobytheSaladosIndians.Thelowerpartof
these ancient ruins, nestled in caves, can be visited on a short self-guiding tour.
11. Queen Creek Canyon
Near the town of Globe, the drive leaves the Apache Trail and heads back west on Rte.
60. Along the way, it passes through Queen Creek Canyon, a dramatic stretch where the
highway is lined with ridges, buttes, and pinnacles. Just beyond Queen Creek Tunnel, you
arrive at Superior, an old mining town. Nearby Apache Leap was allegedly named for a
large party of warriors who, after being cornered by the U.S. Cavalry, chose to plunge off
the cliff in a suicide pact rather than surrender.
12. Boyce Thompson Arboretum
Desert marigold, Mexican gold poppy, and crimson sage are but a few of the more than
2,000desertplantsyou'llseealongthetrailsofthisrenownedresearchfacility,foundedby
mining mogul William Boyce Thompson. Colors are at their peak in spring, of course, but
with so many species from around the world on display here, every season brings its share
of blooms.