Phoenix · Apache Trail and Salt River

A 294 km loop from Tortilla Flat

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Why this ride

Desert light, canyon roads and heat discipline. A 294 km loop that starts and ends near Gold Canyon, about 5 h 04 of riding. It goes by way of Apache Trail overlook, Roosevelt Lake and Globe. The highest point is about 1,300 m.

Roadbook

1. Tortilla Flat food

   Tortilla Flat is a tiny settlement on the Apache Trail, in the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix, with a population that can be counted in single figures and a reputation far larger. It began as a stagecoach stop on the road built in 1905 to carry materials to the construction site of Roosevelt Dam, and today it consists of a restaurant, a saloon, a general store and a gift shop, all in a cluster of wooden buildings with a western look. Inside the saloon, the walls are covered with dollar bills, thousands of them, signed and stapled up by visitors, and the bar stools are saddles.

   The mountains around it are rough, volcanic and full of legend. The Superstitions are said to hold the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine, a treasure supposedly hidden by a prospector named Jacob Waltz in the nineteenth century, and people have been searching for it, and sometimes dying in the attempt, for more than a century. The scenery is a vivid desert, with saguaro cactus on the slopes, jagged cliffs and canyons that glow orange and red at sunset. Spring wildflowers, after a wet winter, carpet the hills with yellow and purple.

   The Apache Trail, Arizona State Route 88, is the road that matters. It leaves Apache Junction and climbs through twisting curves, past Canyon Lake, a deep blue reservoir in a red canyon, to Tortilla Flat, and the pavement is narrow with tight bends and steep drops. Beyond the village, the road turns to gravel for around thirty kilometres, with narrow shelves cut into cliffs, steep grades and a famous switchback section that is unnerving in a car and demanding on a motorcycle. Check conditions before going on, because the surface can be rough or washed out after rain, and it is not for the inexperienced.

   The restaurant serves chilli, burgers and a prickly pear ice cream that is a house speciality, and the place is crowded on weekends, with bikers and tour buses competing for parking. Summer temperatures are dangerous, often above forty degrees, so go in the cooler months, from October to April. The evenings are cool and the stars are brilliant, and a pause on the terrace with a cold drink is the right way to end the climb.

2. Apache Trail overlook photo

   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.

3. Roosevelt Lake swim

   Roosevelt Lake is Arizona's biggest reservoir and a startling sight in the middle of a desert. It was created by the Theodore Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River, completed in 1911 as one of the first great projects of the federal reclamation programme, and for decades it was the largest masonry dam in the world. The water it holds feeds the Phoenix valley, turning what was desert into farmland and suburbs, and the lake lies among the rocky slopes of the Tonto Basin like a long blue scar.

   The setting is stark and beautiful. Saguaro cactus stand on the hillsides, and the water shifts between turquoise and deep blue depending on the depth and the sky. A graceful steel arch bridge, opened in 1990, carries State Route 188 across the lake near the dam, and it is a good place to stop for a look. In winter, bald eagles gather along the shores to fish, and the lake is a popular spot for birdwatchers and anglers. In the cliffs above the water, the Tonto National Monument preserves the stone dwellings of the Salado people, built about seven hundred years ago, and the trail up to them gives a view across the whole basin.

   For a swim, the lake offers beaches and coves along its edge, and the water is warm for much of the year. Levels vary, so shorelines move, and the bottom can be muddy or rocky. In summer, heat is a serious matter. By noon the temperature can climb above forty degrees, and shade is scarce, so drink plenty of water and put on sunscreen before you step into the lake. Evening is the best time, when the light softens and the rocks turn gold.

   The riding around the lake is relaxed, with long curves, good road surfaces and broad views. Traffic is light except on weekends in cooler months, when boaters and campers fill the area. Watch for wildlife on the road, including deer and javelinas at dusk.

   Services are limited. Tonto Basin, about twenty-three kilometres away, has small shops and basic supplies, and Globe, to the east, is the nearest place with a full range of services. There are marinas and campgrounds with small stores, but hours vary, so bring water and snacks, and fill the tank before you leave the main roads.

   When you reach the shore, take a moment to look at the dam wall and the old stonework. It is a piece of history that still does its job.

4. Globe fuel fuel

   Globe is a copper town, and it wears that fact openly. It lies in a high desert basin in the mountains of eastern Arizona, between the Pinal Mountains and the open country of the Apache reservation, and for more than a century its fortune has depended on the metal in the hills. Mines still operate on the slopes around, and the town has the practical, unpolished look of a place that works for a living. Together with its neighbour Miami, it forms the Cobre Valley, and the name tells you what was found here.

   The old downtown is worth a short walk. Broad Street has historic brick buildings with false fronts, antique shops and cafés, and it gives a sense of the mining boom that built it in the late nineteenth century. Just outside the centre, the ruins of Besh Ba Gowah, a pueblo built by the Salado people some seven hundred years ago, have been partly reconstructed, with rooms, walls and a small museum. It is a reminder that people lived and farmed here long before the miners.

   For a rider, Globe is the sensible place to stop and refuel. After the rugged Apache Trail and the empty miles around the reservoirs, the town offers what you need: several fuel stations, supermarkets, motels and diners. At about seven thousand people, it is big enough to have services and small enough to feel friendly. Prices for fuel can be a bit higher than in Phoenix, but the convenience is worth it, and repairs are possible if something goes wrong.

   The surrounding roads climb through pine and oak in the Pinal Mountains and lead eastward toward the San Carlos Apache lands. The heat in summer can be fierce, and afternoon thunderstorms are common in the monsoon season, from July to September. When storms arrive, they come quickly, with wind, lightning and a smell of wet creosote in the air.

   Food in Globe tends to be hearty and Southwestern, with Mexican dishes, burgers and breakfasts that suit a hungry traveller. Many places close early, so aim for lunch rather than a late dinner. Take a moment to fill your water bottles and check your tyres before you leave, because the next stretch of road may be quiet and the sun unforgiving.

5. Back to Tortilla Flat finish

   Back at Tortilla Flat. That is the ride.

Where this sits

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