Apache Trail Scenic Drive
AZ-88, Arizona
Apache Junction, AZ
One of the West's classic desert drives, climbing off the valley floor into the Superstitions on a road that was blasted from canyon rock a century ago.
The Apache Trail Scenic Drive is a byway that captures the drama of the Sonoran Desert in a single winding route. Following State Route 88, it rises out of the flat desert east of Phoenix and climbs into the Superstition Mountains, a jagged range of old volcanic rock that has fired imaginations for generations. The road was carved a century ago to reach a remote dam site, and much of it still feels like the rugged frontier route it once was.
As a scenic drive it is all about contrast: dry desert against blue reservoir water, gentle valley floor against sheer canyon wall, modern city just behind you and wild country ahead. It is not a fast road, and stretches of it are unpaved and can close after storms, but taken slowly it is one of the most rewarding drives in Arizona.
What Guests Love
- A steady climb from saguaro desert into rugged volcanic mountains
- Sweeping overlooks of blue lakes cupped in tan-and-red rock
- The feel of driving a genuine early-twentieth-century road
- Quiet desert scenery so close to a major city
Worth Knowing
- Portions of the byway are unpaved and steep, and some sections have been closed by washouts; verify the route is open before you set out
- Give the drive plenty of time; the road is slow, twisting, and best taken at an easy pace
- Carry water and a full tank of fuel, since services thin out quickly past Apache Junction
- Summer heat is intense here, so the cooler months make for a far more comfortable trip
Details
Apache Junction, AZ
Learn about Apache Trail Scenic Drive
A road with a purpose
The scenic drive follows a road built for a serious job. In the early twentieth century, engineers needed a way to move men and materials into the remote Salt River canyons to build a great masonry dam. The road they blasted and graded, following older trails through Apache country, became what we now call the Apache Trail.
When the work was done, the road remained, and travelers discovered that the route to the dam was a spectacular drive in its own right. What had been a construction road turned into one of Arizona's earliest tourist attractions, and it has drawn sightseers ever since, though washouts have at times closed portions of it.
Into the Superstitions
The heart of the drive is the crossing of the Superstition Mountains, a range that rises steeply from the desert floor in a wall of cliffs and pinnacles. Formed by ancient volcanic activity, the Superstitions have a rugged, almost forbidding look, and they carry the famous legend of the Lost Dutchman's gold, a mine said to be hidden somewhere in their depths.
The mountains are sacred to the Apache and other Native peoples of the region, and their wild interior is protected as wilderness. From the scenic drive you look up into their rocky heights and down into shadowed side canyons, and trailheads along the way invite you to step out and explore on foot.
Lakes in the desert
One of the surprises of the drive is water. The Salt River has been dammed into a chain of reservoirs, and the scenic route overlooks several of them, sheets of deep blue set incongruously among dry desert peaks. Canyon Lake and Apache Lake are the standouts, and pullouts along the road frame them beautifully.
These lakes draw boaters and anglers up from the Phoenix valley, and their coves offer welcome shade and cool water in a hot land. For the driver, they provide the drive's most photographed views, the meeting of blue water and desert stone.
Old stops and the far end
Along the way the drive passes old road stops, chief among them Tortilla Flat, a tiny survivor of the stagecoach days that still serves travelers with an old-time restaurant and store. Beyond it the pavement ends and the road turns to graded dirt, narrowing as it works down toward the dams at the trail's far end.
The scenic drive builds toward Roosevelt Dam, an early landmark of Western water engineering, and the wilder canyon country around it. Storm damage has closed the final unpaved stretch at times, so many travelers now drive out and back on the paved lower section. Either way, the climb into the Superstitions and the lake overlooks make it a drive worth taking.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Apache Junction
Lost Dutchman State Park
About 5 miles from Apache Junction
A desert park below the Superstition Mountains, with hiking trails and dramatic views tied to the legend of the lost gold mine.
Canyon Lake
About 15 miles along the drive
A blue Salt River reservoir framed by desert cliffs, a favorite stop for boating, fishing, and scenic cruises.
Tortilla Flat
About 18 miles along the drive
A tiny historic stagecoach stop with a dollar-bill-papered restaurant and general store, one of the smallest communities in the state.