Apache Trail, Arizona

About this drive

AZ-88 between Apache Junction and Roosevelt Dam was built in 1905 as a supply road for the workers constructing Roosevelt Dam, the first major dam built by the U.S. Reclamation Service. The paved western section — from Apache Junction to Tortilla Flat, about 17 miles — passes Canyon Lake and then climbs through the Superstition Mountains on a narrow shelf road carved into the desert hillside. The landscape is pure Sonoran Desert: saguaro cactus on the south-facing slopes, cholla and prickly pear on the valley floors, and the red and brown volcanic rock of the Superstitions rising above everything. Canyon Lake sits in a canyon formed by the damming of the Salt River, and the blue-green water against the rust-colored rock walls is a combination that looks almost artificially saturated. Boat tours operate from the lakeside marina, and kayak rentals are available for a closer look at the canyon walls. The lake is a popular weekend destination for Phoenix residents — it sits several hundred feet above the city and makes an easy half-day escape. Tortilla Flat, at the end of the paved section, is a hamlet of about six permanent residents with a saloon, general store, and restaurant that have been catering to travelers since the 1920s. The walls of the saloon are papered with dollar bills — a tradition visitors are invited to continue. Beyond Tortilla Flat the road turns to gravel on its way to Roosevelt Dam; that section has been closed to through traffic since the 2019 Woodbury Fire and the floods that followed, so check ADOT's current status before planning to continue. The paved drive alone is worthwhile on its own terms.

Stops along the way

• 🏛️ Goldfield Ghost Town · Historical

  A reconstructed 1890s mining town right at the start of the trail, built on the site of a real former gold-mining settlement.