Once a raiding route for the Arizona desert Apache to escape into the vast and rugged Superstition Mountain Wilderness, you will feel yourself journeying back into time and history like on a real "old west" stage coach trail with breathtaking scenery all around you as you travel on the Apache Trail, National Scenic Byway. Whether you are looking for a day trip or have time to stay a night or two along the way, this is a trip well worth taking in, but only if you're up for the adventure!
After over 15 years Rving and camping in Arizona, I think we've driven and visited just about everywhere in this beautifully diverse state, except for the "Apache Trail" because we were advised years ago that the road was too rough and too rugged for anyone with a large RV or trailer. The Apache Trail is a very mountainous, winding, all dirt, wash board road and in many places is single lane even with two way traffic! If you have an SUV or a truck, you should and will do okay. We actually drove it in a small car and did okay as well, but just take it slow though, no more than 20-25 MPH maximum speed. If you don't mind lot's of dirt, dust and slower driving conditions, I promise you will be absolutely amazed and inspired by all the breathtaking views of the seemingly untouched and pristine desert scenery that is the Superstition Wilderness and Salt River Canyon of the state of Arizona.
Because it's the desert, I'd say the best time of the year to go is naturally when it's not too hot, like early spring or late fall. I recommend March to April, or October-November. We planned it for mid-March and the weather was perfect, very dry, sunny and temperatures only reaching up into the upper 70's. I'd also recommend not to try to drive it in the summer monsoon or winter rainy seasons. Wet road conditions would make this drive potentially very hazardous and dangerous for anyone. If you're starting from Phoenix for just a day trip, be sure to start out as early as possible, no later than 8am. The trip is long and slow and you want to be able to have enough time for pictures or just stopping to enjoy the spectacular scenery along the way.
We left Apache Junction on Hwy AZ 88, aka "The Apache Trail" and started our journey from the beautiful and gorgeous Canyon Lake. It's a very popular area as they have daily guided boat tours, such as the "Dolly Steamboat" for a very scenic and enjoyable experience out on the lake. With its close access and proximity to the Phoenix area, it's also a very popular destination for swimming and boating. We stopped for a few pictures then drove on up the road a couple of miles to the also very well known town of Tortilla Flat. We thought it was very quaint with its rustic, old western style town, but again way too crowded and hectic with many tourists. After only a brief stop, we ventured a few miles further down the road to the next stop along the Apache Trail, Fish Creek Hill.
At Fish Creek Hill, you will find the panoramic vistas and 360 views absolutely breathtaking! It's worth planning on taking plenty of time to stop for pictures. We also got a chance to see what we were facing if we decided to continue traveling the Apache Trail. Within a few miles, the pavement ends and from here on out the trail is all dirt, goes down to single lane, and drops 1500 feet straight down the mountainside! Whoa! It was at that moment we realized we needed to talk to someone local with more experience traveling this road to confirm we would in fact be able to make it on our own in a small car. And thus we found a very nice, experienced local traveler that confirmed for us that it was safe and possible to make it and so and I made the decision to continue on. Very carefully, very slowly and very nervously, we continued the journey on the Apache Trail beginning with the hair raising 1500 drop down the mountain. I have to admit too, it was extremely tense for what seemed like quite a few minutes as we slowly wound around and around the tight "S" curves, trekking over single lane, all dirt, washboard bridges with large ruts on each side, all the while stopping and yielding to what seemed like a lot of fast oncoming traffic from the other direction. But after only a few very scary, "white knuckling" minutes, we made it safely to the bottom of the canyon and then stopped briefly to catch our breath. "Wow", was all we could say, looking back up at where we had just come from.
We pressed on from the bottom of Fish Creek Hill to our next stop on the historic trail, Apache Lake. The road conditions improved from there and wound around and around through the gorgeous, rugged canyons of the Superstition Mountain Wilderness. I recall absolutely breathtaking views just about everywhere I looked. I stopped whenever and wherever it was possible to take as many pictures as I could possibly get. It was approximately 12 miles to Apache Lake, which at 20-25 m.p.h., took us a bit more time, but we arrived at the top of the lake by mid-afternoon and were amazed at how tranquil, serene, less congested it felt. With mostly just local boaters and fisherman, it was much more quiet and serene. Plus the scenery, spectacular! We stopped for more pictures at the top of the hill where you first arrive at the lake, then had lunch at the Apache Lake Resort. With time running short, we would've liked to have spent more time at the resort, but we grabbed a few brochures then got back on the road again.
The scenery continued to be amazing as we drove along the upper portions of Apache Lake. We traveled another 10-12 miles along the winding, washboard trail, with every moment as beautiful as the next until we finally arrived at Roosevelt Dam. Roosevelt Dam built from 1903-1911, is said to still be one of the highest masonry dams ever built. On the other side of the dam is the beautiful Roosevelt Lake, one of the largest lakes in Arizona. It also marked the end of the Apache Trail Scenic Byway. After a brief stop at Roosevelt Lake for a rest break and more pictures, it was time to head back home again. We decided to take the Beeline Highway, Route 87 south back to Phoenix and made it home that evening by 9pm. I'd say you can figure on estimating about 200-220 miles for this trip from Phoenix and total estimated drive time including lunch, 10 hours.
As a quick and inexpensive, turn around day trip, the Apache Trail is truly a beautiful, gorgeous, and scenic adventure and must do for anyone ready and up for a real historic "old west" travel adventure!
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