Wikipedia wrote:The Apache Trail in Arizona was a stagecoach trail that ran through the Superstition Mountains. It was named the Apache Trail after the Apache Indians who originally used this trail to move through the Superstition Mountains.
The current Apache Trail links Apache Junction (33.4152°N 111.5807°W) at the edge of the Greater Phoenix area with Theodore Roosevelt Lake (33.6725°N 111.1531°W), through the Superstition Mountains and the Tonto National Forest.
Today, the majority of Apache Trail remains unpaved, turning into a dirt road a few miles up from Tortilla Flat, and continuing as such for nearly the full remainder of its length. The section east of Apache Junction is known officially as State Route 88. It is also the main traffic corridor through Apache Junction, turning into Main Street as the road passes into Mesa, and regains the Apache name by becoming Apache Boulevard in Tempe, ending at Mill Avenue. Prior to the completion of the Superstition Freeway in 1992, the Apache Junction portion of the Apache Trail was part of US Highway 60, which was rerouted to the Superstition Freeway once it was completed.
The Trail winds steeply through 40 miles (64 km) of rugged desert mountains, past deep reservoir lakes like Canyon Lake and Apache Lake. The narrow, winding road is unpaved from just east of the town of Tortilla Flat to Roosevelt Dam; there are steep cliff drops and little in the way of safety barriers. The trail requires caution when driving and it is not recommended for large RVs, SUVs, or caravans. Some large RV rental companies in the US do not allow their vehicles to be taken on this route.
The Apache Trail will be closed for some major road repairs from November 15 - January 21, 2011. major delays will occur prior to and after those stated dates. Plan your outings accordingly.
The State Board of Transportation has approved a contract with Nesbitt Contracting for a project that will restore limited access to 5 miles of State Route 88 (Apache Trail) that was damaged by flooding in 2019.
Work is expected to begin later this July as part of the Arizona Department of Transportation’s $4 million plan to restore the unpaved highway between mileposts 222-227 to a condition that can accommodate high clearance four-wheel drive vehicles as well as utility terrain vehicles. The construction will focus on a segment of SR 88 east of Phoenix near Fish Creek Hill, which is to the east of Tortilla Flat.
The construction will include:
Removing boulders on Fish Creek Hill
Mitigating rockfall as needed between Fish Creek Hill Overlook and Fish Creek (mileposts 222-223.5)
Installing new signage
Cleaning and potentially replacing damaged drainage culverts
Completing other steps to safely reopen the highway for high clearance four-wheel drive vehicles and utility terrain vehicles
ADOT anticipates opening the segment of SR 88 to limited public access when work is completed this September.
"The censorship method ... is that of handing the job over to some frail and erring mortal man, and making him omnipotent on the assumption that his official status will make him infallible and omniscient."
George Bernard Shaw
@hikeaz
I hope they build a “table-step” at both ends to prevent rental car tourists from going for it anyway. It’s a method that has proven effective on Sedona area 4wd roads.
I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.
Like Tortilla? ha-ha
Also a "Caution: Ignore your app-Next EV Charger 800 miles" sign.
Last edited by hikeaz on Jul 19 2024 4:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"The censorship method ... is that of handing the job over to some frail and erring mortal man, and making him omnipotent on the assumption that his official status will make him infallible and omniscient."
George Bernard Shaw
chumley wrote:I hope they build a “table-step” at both ends to prevent rental car tourists from going for it anyway. It’s a method that has proven effective on Sedona area 4wd roads.
I give it less than 2 weeks before the first mini-van goes Dukes of Hazard and needs rescue/recovery. I live, for about 6 months, about 3mins from the roundabout closer to town and spend a ton of time out that way. The upside is it could be very entertaining to take a lawn chair out there and watch stupid people do stupid things.
Well.....I guess in ADOT-speak 4.5 years is 'rapid"...
The Arizona Department of Transportation is making rapid progress on a project to restore limited public access to several miles of State Route 88 (Apache Trail). The project is making the unpaved roadway suitable for those traveling in high clearance four-wheel drive and utility task vehicles.
The $4 million interim project, which is expected to be complete in September, addresses 5 miles of the roadway that were extensively damaged from flooding in 2019. In addition to the current project, ADOT continues seeking federal funding for more extensive upgrades, estimated to cost $33.7 million, that would make the highway accessible to other vehicles and more resilient to storms.
Since the interim project began July 22 between mileposts 222 and 227, a contractor has worked quickly to remove large boulders that blocked SR 88 on a steep section at Fish Creek Hill, which is 9 miles east of Tortilla Flat. Crews have since broken up the boulders and used the material to fill in eroded areas of the roadway and slope.
Other work underway now or in the coming weeks includes mitigating rockfall between Fish Creek Hill Overlook and Fish Creek, installing new signage, and cleaning and repairing drainage culverts.
ADOT emphasizes that the roadway will only be suitable for high clearance four-wheel drive vehicles as well as utility task vehicles when this stretch reopens. The roadway is not intended for travel in vehicles that lack four-wheel drive.
Before this project began, ADOT maintenance crews removed vegetation, filled in eroded roadway sections and cleaned out culverts. Work in the project area requires U.S. Forest Service review and approval of any activity, as SR 88 follows an easement through federal land. The project also must meet all applicable state and federal environmental requirements.
These 5 miles of SR 88 have been closed between Fish Creek Hill Overlook and the Reavis Trailhead since the 2019 flooding, which was made worse in areas by runoff from the Woodbury Fire scar. ADOT reopened 1.7 miles west to the popular Reavis Trailhead in 2022. The original closure point on the east side was at Apache Lake Marina at milepost 229.
While the area between mileposts 222-227 previously had been open to hikers, bicyclists and equestrians, no public access is allowed during the current project.
"The censorship method ... is that of handing the job over to some frail and erring mortal man, and making him omnipotent on the assumption that his official status will make him infallible and omniscient."
George Bernard Shaw
It's only rapid when the money is in the hand. It just took 4.5 years to get there.
Lifeis not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty & well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming,"Wow What a Ride!"
@outdoor_lover
In 2019 it would have cost less than half of what it cost today.
"The censorship method ... is that of handing the job over to some frail and erring mortal man, and making him omnipotent on the assumption that his official status will make him infallible and omniscient."
George Bernard Shaw
Lifeis not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty & well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming,"Wow What a Ride!"
Tonto NF has lifted the construction closure, and ADOT has opened the road. And who said the state doesn't listen to the vocal seasonal visitor/residents of Apache Junction!?
I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.
Sarcasm aside, I'm glad the road is open again. Looking forward to the report on what obstacles were put in place in regards to the off road, high clearance only re-designation of Fish Creek Hill, and whether they took the approach you observe in Sedona. The news articles I have found only identify warning signs were installed. If that's indeed the case, I wonder if the first Prius driver has already gotten stuck?
Hike Arizona it is full of sharp, pointy, ankle-twisting, HAZmaster crushing ROCKS!!
Hike Arizona it is full of sharp, pointy, shin-stabbing, skin-shredding plants!
Hike Arizona it is full of striking, biting, stabbing, venomous wildlife!
@nonot I don't believe there are any obstacles as it would make it difficult/impossible for certain emergency vehicles to pass (to rescue the people who ignore the signage).
FWIW, I don't believe it is legal for ADOT to restrict specific types of vehicles from a state highway. I'll have to research the statutes for that but ADOT has repeatedly posted on social media with regards to the new flex lanes on I-17 that it would be against state law for them to restrict commercial vehicles from using the flex lanes. I would suspect as long as weight and length restrictions (which apply to all vehicles) are met, a permanent ban on a specific type of vehicle is not legal. (There are legal provisions for such restrictions due to weather, construction, or other emergency situation, but those cannot last more than 90 days).
I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.
chumley wrote: ↑Sep 16 2024 6:39 pm
@nonot I don't believe there are any obstacles as it would make it difficult/impossible for certain emergency vehicles to pass (to rescue the people who ignore the signage).
FWIW, I don't believe it is legal for ADOT to restrict specific types of vehicles from a state highway. I'll have to research the statutes for that but ADOT has repeatedly posted on social media with regards to the new flex lanes on I-17 that it would be against state law for them to restrict commercial vehicles from using the flex lanes. I would suspect as long as weight and length restrictions (which apply to all vehicles) are met, a permanent ban on a specific type of vehicle is not legal. (There are legal provisions for such restrictions due to weather, construction, or other emergency situation, but those cannot last more than 90 days).
I'm not a lawyer, but I think local rules/ordinances can apply. Same reason that some local communities can prevent hazardous cargo on certain highways around town, I would think local rules can restrict vehicles of certain types/sizes/cargo carrying from certain sections of roads. If ADOT was treating it as a state highway, I also wouldn't think they could legally keep it closed for 5+ (?) years for the reason of "we don't wanna fix it", when the state highway budget allocated hundreds of millions for road repair and maintenance during that period, especially when they demonstrated it could be fixed back to "pristine" condition as @LindaAnn mentions in...less than 3 months (?) for 4 million or less (?) (Most of these numbers are lazy guesses cuz I don't care to look up the actual figures).
I'll wait for the Detective Chums research division official report though.
Hike Arizona it is full of sharp, pointy, ankle-twisting, HAZmaster crushing ROCKS!!
Hike Arizona it is full of sharp, pointy, shin-stabbing, skin-shredding plants!
Hike Arizona it is full of striking, biting, stabbing, venomous wildlife!
@herdbull
Are you gleefully waiting for people to have traffic accidents??? Classy.
That highway has always had accidents, but I don’t really see how the accident rate is going to change much now that it’s reopened vs the pre-closure rate from 5+ years ago. There will probably be a bunch of traffic and incidents initially, then will subside back to the usual levels once the novelty wears off.
Drove it today over to the Reavis TH. Smooth as glass as expected right now just being graded but give it a couple weeks of tread on it and some rain and it will be a crap show.
@LindaAnn
no I'm not. Not sure why you feel to respond this way. But thanks for calling me out. Talk about classy?
But, with that said......people can't put their damn phone down long enough to drive 10mins. I drive this road numerous times a week and it amazes me the amount of people that have a hard time navigating the black top section. Can't wait to see what happens once the road is used and sees the elements for a few months.
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