Apache Trail/Tortilla FlatsJan 21, 2011
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Rugged Mountains on the Trail
A big rock
Mountains of rock
Today John, Jan and I took off to see the "Apache Trail", or AZ 88 as it is officially known as. It links Apache Junction at the edge of the Greater Phoenix area with Globe via Theodore Roosevelt Lake. A great drive through the Mountains and the Tonto National Forest; 40 miles of steep, winding and mostly unpaved road past magnificent scenery of twisted igneous mountains with dense forests of saguaro and ferocactus, and several deep blue lakes. Past the lakes, the trail continues in more traditional fashion to the former copper mining town of Globe, but it is the western half which is the most scenic and well-known; however caution is required when driving and it is not recommended for large RVs.
Tortilla Flat was a small grassy valley in the Superstition Mountains, with a babbling creek running through. Nature placed the Flat between mountain passes that came to be used by the early Indians on their way to and from the central Arizona Mountains and the Salt River valley. The trail their journeys created became known as the Yavapai, or Tonto Trail.
