Because our modern lives are rushed and time is valuable, it’s a wonderful luxury to now and then climb off the busy highways to drive along scenic back roads. Near Queen Creek, Arizona, you’ll find plenty of roads that’ll take you off the beaten track into natural areas that provide beautiful scenery and historical sites.
Mount Lemmon Scenic Byway
The Mount Lemmon Scenic Byway takes one up Mount Lemmon, which is the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains. This nearly 60-mile round-trip byway will not only afford you breathtaking canyon views, but also a varied landscape. Starting in the Sonoran desert, the vegetation gradually changes into a forest consisting of pines and firs. If you’re suffering from the desert heat, this drive will offer a welcome reprieve with temperatures dropping drastically as the road climbs up the mountain.
Along the road, you’ll see interesting rock formations called Hoodoos. These consist of soft rock at the bottom topped with metamorphic hard rock, which protects the formation and keeps it from toppling over. As there are ample rest areas along the way, bring a picnic basket along. Or you can enjoy a pizza and homemade cookies at The Cookie Cabin in Summerhaven, which is a little village on Mount Lemmon.
Black Hills Back Country Byway
Black Hills Back Country Byway is a 21-mile gravel road that offers beautiful natural views. The byway starts approximately 20 miles east of Stafford and winds through the northern end of the Peloncillo Mountains. As the entire road is unpaved, it is advisable to head out in a high-clearance vehicle and preferably in dry weather. If you want to explore the many primitive side roads, you’ll definitely need a vehicle with four-wheel drive.
The vegetation consists of prickly pear cactuses, chollas, yukkas, and grass fields that cover the talus slopes, which were created by volcanic activity over 20 million years ago. Roughly three miles into the trip, you’ll find the Black Hills Rockhound Area where rock hounds can search for fire agate. The byway also crosses the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area that is home to several awe-inspiring desert canyons, perennial rivers, and creeks. Along the road are plenty of exceptionally nice picnic areas, so be sure to pack your picnic basket.
Old Highway 79 to Casa Grande
Along the 17-mile stretch of the old Arizona Highway 79, also known as Pinal Pioneer Parkway, you’ll have stunning views of wild desert landscape dotted with cholla, prickly pears, and saquaros. The road features a nice picnic area where you can make a pit-stop and take in the scenic views.
If you turn off at East Paisano drive, you’ll reach the Casa Grande Ruins after a few minutes. The compound, which was built by the Hohokam, houses one of the largest prehistoric structures in North America. The purpose of the structure is still unknown. Whether it was a temple, or a watchtower, or if it had some astrological function will probably always remain unknown, but it still provides us with valuable insight into the history of the Hohokam in the Sonoran Desert.
If you need a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, climb off the busy highways and take a drive on one of these scenic back roads.
Image via Flickr by kevin dooley/Under use by CC BY 2.0
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