Bassett Peak, AZ :: Thatcher/Safford bypass

[louie]

Just wondering if the bypass is really worth it as a timesaver option. Especially if I won’t be driving 60mph over the roads. I’ve been on those roads and they had washboards which shook my jeep pretty good if I went to fast. Google maps doesn’t provide the bypass option and it’s normally pretty good about showing all the options. So if I take the bypass and say only drive 40mph is it enough of a timesaver to make it worth it? Many thank you’s.

Louie

[big_load]

It's an interesting road. I usually go that way.

[joebartels]

If you don't plan on stopping for food/fuel in town and don't mind driving 60-65 mph on relatively smooth dirt roads you can save 6 miles and a good 40-60 minutes by avoiding Thatcher/Safford altogether.

60-40=20
20 is 33% of 60
40-60 is 50 avg
66% of 50 is roughly 34 minutes

[chumley]

I always take the bypass. But I've never had much washbaording there either. I think it gets pretty regular grading.

Ultimately I'd rather drive on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere than deal with traffic lights and stop signs in town. I can do that anywhere.

[CannondaleKid]

The first time I went to Bassett was the only time I DIDN'T take the bypass. Ever since I've always taken the bypass. IMO, skipping the traffic easily saves MORE than the 34 minutes Joe calculated. Of all the times I've gone through Safford on the way to Mount Graham I've never just breezed through even close to the 30-40 mph speed limits.

Washboarding? I'm with JJ on this one, just drive faster! Excerpt from our Rug Road trip in November 2014:

Once we hit Aravaipa Road things went at a faster pace.. until we turned onto Klondike Road heading east to Hwy 70, when we hit rocket speed... topping 75 more than a few times on the dirt road.

BTW, driving too slow on dirt roads is the main reason wash-boarding exists.
Did you ever notice the 'sine-wave' shape of the wash-boarding? Well there's a reason for it... look it up.

[louie]

Cool! Thanks for the info and the math lesson. Lol! Appreciate the feedback. Going to hit this next weekend so hoping for sweet fall colors.

[The_Eagle]

@louie
Looking forward to your triplog and photos from this area

[louie]

So one more question: Is the bypass still a quicker option vs coming in from Wilcox if say one lived in central Phoenix and had to make a decision once they got to the US60, I-10 split? Google maps keeps telling me to take the Wilcox route, but that doesn’t take into account the bypass option. Asking for a friend :-)

[chumley]

@louie
They are nearly equal for me coming from Tempe. It's +/- 10 or 15 minutes either way, and on a 4 hour trip that's a wash. I usually make the full circle and drive there via Globe and the Klondyke Road, and drive home via I-10 and Tucson.

* I also regularly exceed the Google estimates, especially on dirt roads. YMMV.

[The_Eagle]

I also regularly exceed the Google estimates, especially on dirt roads

but still by not as much as others on site.

[big_load]

They are nearly equal for me coming from Tempe.

For me it isn't the time, it's the quality of the experience.

[outdoor_lover]

For me it isn't the time, it's the quality of the experience.

Kinda how I feel about Hiking....

[CannondaleKid]

For me it isn't the time, it's the quality of the experience.

Kinda how I feel about Hiking....

Same here.
Sure, if I have never driven through an area it's nice to take time to view the scenery. But if I've driven a road many times before, the less time spent 'on-the-road' the more time I can spend hiking.