The Trail winds past several dramatic mountain ranges

Ghost towns, lost gold mines, ancient cliff dwellings and a rugged wilderness filled with mystery and danger are only some of the Trail's allure.

This National Scenic Byway cuts through the legendary Superstition Mountains and follows the meandering curves of the Salt River, which was dammed in the early 20th century to create a series of three lakes to water the ever-thirsty Phoenix valley.

Filled with gorgeous Arizona desert scenery, great recreational opportunities and thousands of years of history, the Apache Trail deserves its nickname of Phoenix’s Grand Canyon.

The Apache Trial is actually Arizona Highway 88.

It was built over a century ago to transport the supplies and equipment needed to construct the Roosevelt Dam.

Members of the Apache tribe helped build the road, hence the name of Apache Trail.

Thousands of years before it was a highway, the route was an important travel corridor for native peoples.

Many different cultures traded and hunted along the Salt River where it passes between the Mazatzal and Superstition Mountain ranges.

We think this is truly one of the most stunning desert landscapes in the Phoenix area.

The Trail's two lane road twists and turns through sculptural canyons, cactus-dotted hillsides and past deep, cool lakes.

Towering mountains change hue and tone as the light changes through out the day, from bright golds and tans to deep reds, purples and browns.

Every bend in the road brought a new vista that made us stop the car and jump out to take photos.

The Apache Trail is a scenic and recreational wonderland. With amazing vistas, desert solitude and historical riches, the trail is quintessential old Arizona not to be missed.

If you’re going to do the whole route, allow at least 6½ hours for your trip. More, if you plan to stop a lot.

We started the drive in the town of Apache Junction, off of Highway 60 east of Phoenix.

Apache Junction is a small, relaxed desert town of retirees and those who’ve escaped city life.

If you haven’t already done so, stop here to fill up your gas tank and stock up on water and snacks before you begin the drive. Facilities are limited along the way.

Goldfield Ghost Town was once a thriving mining town

Goldfield was built after an 1892 gold strike in the nearby Goldfield Mountains.

The rich gold vein yielded about $1.5 billion in bullion.

At one time, the town had a population of around 5,000 and included a boarding house, a general store, brewery, blacksmith shop, schoolhouse and three saloons.

Like so many western towns built around a mine, the town was short-lived.

The gold ran out only 5 years later and eventually the town fell into disrepair.

Goldfield has now been recreated as a tourist attraction where you can:

• tour a replica of the Goldfield mine
• pan for gold
• see an Old West gunfight
• ride the only operating narrow gauge railroad in Arizona
• take a Jeep tour of the Superstition Mountains.

Or, just explore the shops and old buildings.

There’s still a saloon as well as a restaurant and an ice cream and candy shop.

Lost Dutchman State Park offers scenic picnic and camping sites along the Apache Trail

This 320-acre lush, Arizona desert preserve abuts the Superstition Mountain Wilderness and the Tonto National Forest.

This is one of the highlights of the Apache Trail.

The park offers scenic camping and picnicking spots.

Hikers can explore the Sonoran Desert on nature trails or use the park as a base for longer treks in the Superstition Mountain Wilderness.

In spring, if winter rains have been plentiful, Lost Dutchman State Park is carpeted with wildflowers.

You’ll see one of Arizona’s most spectacular wildflower blooms here. Look for yellow brittlebush, blue lupines, purple owl’s clover and the orangey-gold of Mexican goldpoppies.

For those looking to get into the mountains, hike the steep Siphon Draw Trail.

This is a rugged, 2.5-mile climb up Siphon Draw Canyon.

For experienced hikers who are feeling adventurous, continue on climbing up the side of the mountain, bushwhacking all the way to the top of the 4,861-foot Flatiron.

From the top, hardy hikers are rewarded with incredible views of Phoenix.

Just who is the Lost Dutchman? There are many versions of the legend of the rich gold mine now referred to as the Lost Dutchman.

In the early 1860s, Jacob Waltz, a miner and German immigrant (whom everyone called the Dutchman), and his friend Jacob Weiser, supposedly discovered a rich gold vein in the shadow of Weaver’s Needle - a signature Superstition Mountains landmark.

The two were said to have mined great quantities of high grade gold ore from the mine.

In the interests of safe keeping, they buried their gold in many different pits throughout the area.

Supposedly, after returning from a supply run into town one day, Waltz found their camp destroyed and Weiser missing.

Lost Dutchman State Park is a popular area for desert camping

Waltz, convinced that Apaches had killed his friend, took what gold he could carry and left as fast as he could, never to return to the area.

And what of the Lost Dutchman Mine?

As he lay dying in 1891, Waltz tried to describe the location of the mine to a family who had befriended him.

Rumors also circulated that Weiser had made a rawhide map.

Others theorized that the Apaches who raided the miners’ camp had filled in the open pit to disguise its location.

The Apache considered the Superstition Mountains sacred and wished to keep further encroachment at bay.

Many people have searched for the mine after Waltz’s death; their efforts resulting in 60 killings, countless dashed hopes and even more rumors.

In spite of all this, not one nugget has ever been found.

That fact has not daunted hopeful seekers from searching for the Lost Dutchman Mine ever since.

Why has gold never been found there? The Superstition Mountains are the remnants of a volcanic caldera.

Professional geologists state that the volcanic rocks are an unlikely source for a rich ore deposit.

However, that hasn’t stopped eager prospectors.

The Apache Trail winds through the Tonto National Forest

From here on out, the Apache Trail is a narrow, winding two-lane route.

Watch for overzealous drivers towing boats and driving faster than they should.

The road winds through gorgeous scenery between the Goldfield Mountains and the Superstitions.

President Teddy Roosevelt was so impressed by this stretch of the Goldfields that he referred to them as the "Little Alps."

On the northeast horizon, the Four Peaks come into view.

Canyon Lake is the first of three lakes along the Apache Trail

Deep blue waters contrast with the red and gold towering cliffs.

The lake twists and winds for 10 miles through a dramatic, steep-walled gorge, past deep ravines and rocky cliffs dotted with prickly pear, cholla and saguaro cactus.

The 950-acre Canyon Lake has 28 miles of shoreline. It is a popular recreation spot with boaters and fishers who catch mostly bass and catfish.

Canyon Lake has a full-service marina with boat rentals, an RV site, a campground and a lakeside restaurant.

A network of trails crisscrosses the rocky desert around the lake, some of which lead to remote springs and hidden canyons.

Look carefully and you might see bighorn sheep scaling the lake’s rugged cliffs.

The Dolly Steamboat offers narrated nature cruises on Canyon Lake

If you don’t want to do your own boating, take a ride on the Dolly Steamboat.

This replica of a classic American sternwheeler plies the waters of Canyon Lake, taking passengers to secluded inner waterways only accessible from the water.

During the 90-minute narrated nature cruise, you’ll learn about the history of the lake and the Apache Trail, the plants and animals of the desert and the legend of the Lost Dutchman Mine.

Stop in at the Tortilla Flat Ice Cream store for a scoop of prickly pear ice cream

This town began as a stagecoach stop in 1904.

Today, there is only a handful of buildings, a campground and a population of six.

Unfortunately the town was completely burned in a 1987 fire.

It was rebuilt and now includes the Superstition Saloon which serves burgers, chili and salsa.

Even if you don’t need a meal, stop in to see the horse saddle stools at the bar.

If you have time for only one stop along the Apache Trail, drop in at Tortilla Flat’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream and Candy Store for a scoop or two of their famous prickly pear ice cream.

Made from the fruit of the ubiquitous desert cactus, it’s a creamy blush-colored confection so delicious it was worth the drive to Tortilla Flat alone.

The walls inside the Ice Cream store are papered with real money left by past visitors

In addition to ice cream and candy, the store sells drinks and snacks, post cards, books and Arizona souvenirs.

The store's most interesting feature is its ceiling, which is covered in bills of money left by tourists from all over the world.

Tortilla Flat Creek meanders just beyond the edge of town.

Fish Creek Canyon is one of the scenic vista points along the Apache Trail

As the road begins to climb up the hill, you'll encounter fewer vehicles.

The landscape opens up to reveal rocky ravines and steep hillsides covered with agaves, yuccas, jojoba bushes and mesquite trees.

Turkey vultures soar over the high cliffs, catching the warm thermals that rise up from the canyon bottoms.

It is so quiet here that all you hear is the sound of the wind blowing.

The vista from the top of Fish Creek Hill is one of the most magnificent on a road replete with amazing views.

Photos cannot due justice to the great uplift of rocks, the interplay of color and light and the sense of profound solitude.

We could have sat here all day and the view would never have looked the same way twice.

The vista pullout is a wide, paved rest stop with plenty of parking and pit toilets.

A long concrete pathway allows you to walk out almost to the canyon’s end.

Interpretive signs along the way detail the arduous task of building a road here as well as the natural history of Fish Creek.

Looking down on Fish Creek

The Apache Trail becomes a one lane dirt road after Fish Creek Hill around Milepost 222, descending steeply down the cliff.

This section involves a 1,500 foot drop in elevation in only three miles over a 15-17% grade that hugs the bronze cliffs.

It’s one of the steepest grades in Arizona.

Drive this stretch cautiously and watch for traffic coming in the opposite direction.

Too many RVs and trucks towing boats drive this stretch of the road although they shouldn’t.

There are hairpin turns and for much of the road, there is only room for only one vehicle.

Be sure to use the pullouts to allow faster vehicles to pass.

A standard passenger car, driven slowly and cautiously, can make it.

Part of the Apache Trail road is dirt and chipped asphalt

But if you’re not feeling adventurous, you might want to turn around and head back to Apache Junction.

If you continue on, you'll next come to Fish Creek Canyon, at the bottom of the hill.

This mostly year round stream supports a rich riparian area of cottonwood trees, secret pools and water-worn boulders.

The Fish Creek area was once an outlaw hideout.

This 17-mile lake is surrounded by the Superstition Wilderness and overlooks Goat Mountain and Four Peaks.

The Apache Trail follows the lake through a deep gorge, sometimes coming as close as 15 feet from the lake’s surface.

Javelina are common in the Apache Lake area

In addition to breathtaking views and desert scenery, there’s also the Three Bar Wildlife Area just across from the lake.

This Arizona Department of Game and Fish preserve is home to abundant wildlife including bald eagles, bighorn sheep, mule deer and javelina.

Apache Lake has a marina and motel which features suites with kitchenettes, a restaurant, RV hookups, boat rentals and a tackle and bait shop.

This lake is the third one along the Trail and the largest.

In fact, it’s Arizona’s largest internal lake at 25 miles long and with 112 miles of shoreline.

Completed in 1911, Roosevelt Dam is one of the major masonry dams in the world.

The Dam’s visitor center, located about 1½ miles east of the structure, includes exhibits and videos on its history and construction.

The original dam was raised 77 feet in the late 1990s.

In order to divert traffic off the dam, engineers built the lovely Roosevelt Lake Bridge.

Look for great blue herons along Tonto Creek

This is the longest two lane, single span, steel arch bridge in North America.

Roosevelt Lake is known for good bass and crappie fishing.

It has a very large marina, which offers boat rentals and mooring.

So much water in the desert attracts a large variety of animals.

A great place to look for wildlife is the Roosevelt Lake Wildlife Area.

In winter, you have a good chance of seeing large numbers of Canada geese and snow geese.

Bald eagles and ospreys nest along the lake.

You can spot a variety of birds in the riparian cottonwood-willow forest bordering Tonto Creek.

Look for great blue herons, hooded orioles and yellow-billed cuckoos.

If you’ve driven all this way, it’s worth it to drive just another 4 miles southeast of the Dam, on State Route 199, to the Tonto National Monument.

The Tonto preserves some of the ancient pueblos of the Salado people.

An agrarian culture, the Salado built impressive adobe block buildings into alcoves in the cliff faces.

Visitors can walk to the Lower Ruins at any time.

Though it’s a ½-mile uphill hike and is moderately strenuous, the views of the Sonoran Desert and the amazing quiet are well worth the effort.

The Upper Cliff Dwellings require a three-hour trek and are only accessible by a ranger-led hike offered three days per week from November through April.

Despite the time commitment, the hikes are popular so make reservations well in advance.

The Salado people inhabited the Tonto Basin for about 300 years, from roughly 1150 AD to sometime after 1450 AD.

It’s estimated that at one time, their population swelled to 8000 through out the region.

They flourished for several centuries, building dams and irrigation canals, trading with distant civilizations, creating beautiful textiles and distinctive polychrome pottery.

Looking toward Apache Junction and Lost Dutchman State Park

Option #1
Return the way you came via the Apache Trail - AZ 88.

Option #2
If you continue south on AZ Highway 188, you will come to the historic mining towns of Globe and Miami.

From there, head south to U.S. 60 through Superior. We recommend making time for a stop at the beautiful Boyce Thompson Arboretum here.

From here, continue on to Apache Junction. This option is about 85 miles.

Option #3
The other route is longer but a bit faster. Travel north across the Roosevelt Dam on State Route 188 to State Route 87, known as the Beeline Highway.

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Safety Note: Trail conditions are constantly changing and can vary with season, weather and maintenance status. Before starting out on your hike, check with the public land agency that manages the area for current conditions or closures.

For these and other reasons, trail descriptions, hiking and driving recommendations, vacation destination guides or any other section of the Arizona Vacation Planner website may no longer be completely accurate.

Each person has their own limits and capabilities. We cannot anticipate every hazard or possibly know your abilities and limitations. When you follow any of the hikes, trails or other recommendations we mention, you assume responsibility for your own safety. It is your responsibility to be aware of traffic, road and trail conditions, weather, terrain, wildlife, your abilities and those of any companions as well as other factors.

This information was accurate at the time of our visit. All contact information, access, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the facility or public agency before making reservations and/or travel plans.