Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
462
If you'd rather leave the driving to someone else,
Apache Trail Tours
(
&
480/982-
7661;
www.apachetrailtours.com) offers guided half-day and full-day tours along the
Apache Trail. This company also offers off-road adventures in the Superstition Moun-
tains and Four Peaks area. Tours range in price from $65 to $189.
To start this drive, head east on US 60 to the town of Apache Junction, and then go
north on Ariz. 88. About 4 miles out of town is
Goldfield Ghost Town,
a reconstructed
gold-mining town (see “Wild West Theme Towns” under “Seeing the Sights,” earlier in
this chapter). Allow plenty of time if you plan to stop here.
Not far from Goldfield is
Lost Dutchman State Park,
6109 N. Apache Trail (
&
480/
982-4485;
www.azstateparks.com), where you can hike into the rugged Superstition
Mountains and see what the region's gold seekers were up against. Springtime wildflower
displays here can be absolutely gorgeous. Park admission is $5 per vehicle ($3 during the
summer); the campground here charges $12 per site.
Continuing northeast, you'll reach
Canyon Lake,
set in a deep canyon flanked by
colorful cliffs and rugged rock formations. It's the first of three reservoirs you'll pass on
this drive. The lakes provide much of Phoenix's drinking water, without which the city
would never have been able to grow as large as it is today. At Canyon Lake, you can swim
at the Acacia Picnic Area or the nearby Boulder Picnic Area, which is in a pretty side
cove. You can also take a cruise on the
Dolly
steamboat
(
&
480/827-9144;
www.dolly
steamboat.com). A 90-minute jaunt on this reproduction paddle-wheeler costs $20 for
adults and $12 for children 5 to 12. Lunch ($38) and dinner ($57 for adults and $38 for
children) cruises are also available, and there's a lakeside restaurant at the boat landing.
But if you're at all hungry, hold out for nearby
Tortilla Flat
(
&
480/984-1776;
www.
tortillaflataz.com), an old stagecoach stop with a restaurant, saloon, and general store.
The ceiling and interior walls of this funky old place are plastered with thousands of
dollar bills that have been left by previous customers. If it's hot out, be sure to stop in at
the general store for some prickly-pear ice cream (guaranteed spineless).
A few miles past Tortilla Flat, the pavement ends and the truly spectacular desert
scenery begins. Among the rocky ridges, arroyos, and canyons of this stretch of road,
you'll see saguaro cactuses and century plants (a type of agave that dies after sending up
its flower stalk, which can reach heights of 15 ft.). Next you'll come to
Apache Lake,
which is not nearly as spectacular as Canyon Lake, though it does have the
Apache Lake
Marina and Resort
(
&
928/467-2511;
www.apachelake.com).
Shortly before reaching pavement again, you'll see
Theodore Roosevelt Dam.
This
dam, built in 1911, forms Roosevelt Lake and, despite its concrete face, is the largest
masonry dam in the world.
Continuing on Ariz. 88, you'll next come to
Tonto National Monument
(
&
928/
467-2241;
www.nps.gov/tont), which preserves some of the southernmost cliff dwellings
in Arizona. These pueblos were occupied between about 1300 and 1450 by the Salado
people and are some of the few remaining traces of this tribe, which once cultivated lands
now flooded by Roosevelt Lake. The lower ruins are a half-mile up a steep trail from the
visitor center, and the upper ruins are a 3-mile round-trip hike. The lower ruins are open
daily year-round; the upper ruins are open November through April on guided tours
(these tours are also offered on Sat mornings in May and Oct). Tour reservations are
required (reserve at least 2 weeks in advance). The park is open daily (except Christmas)
from 8am to 5pm (you must begin the lower ruin trail by 4pm); admission is $3.
Keep going on Ariz. 88 to the copper-mining town of
Globe.
Although you can't see
the mines themselves, the tailings (remains of rock removed from the copper ore) can be
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