The Apache Trail is the old name for State Route 88, a road that winds through the Superstition Mountains northeast of Phoenix, and it began as a construction track. In the first years of the twentieth century, engineers built a rough road to carry supplies to the site of the Theodore Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River, and parts of it have hardly changed since. The first stretch from Apache Junction is paved and gentle, but beyond the tiny settlement of Tortilla Flat the road turns to gravel, narrow and steep, with sharp corners and sheer drops without guardrails. Conditions vary, and washouts or fire damage have closed sections in recent years, so check the state transport department's updates before heading out.
The overlooks are the reason the road is famous. The landscape here is a jumble of volcanic rock, cliffs of orange and brown, and slopes covered with saguaro cactus, ocotillo and prickly pear. The Superstition Mountains stand as a ragged skyline, and the legend of the Lost Dutchman's gold mine, which supposedly lies hidden in them, draws treasure hunters to this day. Below the road, the green reservoirs of Canyon Lake and Apache Lake fill the canyons, and from certain curves you can look down on the water far beneath you.
Riding it requires patience. The gravel section is passable on a street bike if the surface is dry and you ride carefully, but loose gravel, washboard and tight switchbacks catch people out. Fish Creek Hill, a short descent with a steep grade and hairpins, is the most dramatic part. Traffic is light, but vehicles are slow, and dust hangs in the air behind them. Late afternoon light turns the rock a deep red and gold, and in spring the desert blooms with wildflowers after a wet winter.
Apache Junction, about twenty-seven kilometres away, and Gold Canyon are the nearest towns, and Globe lies at the far end. Fill up and carry water, because summer temperatures here can reach well above forty degrees Celsius and the desert is unforgiving. Tortilla Flat has a small restaurant and general store, famous for its prickly pear ice cream, but opening hours vary.
Mobile reception is patchy, so tell someone your route. Take your time, stop at the overlooks, and enjoy the silence broken only by wind and the occasional raven.