For those looking for isolated highways with a rustic feel, and endless landscapes, solitude, and the occasional wildfire, here is an Arizona — Utah — Wyoming — Colorado trip I loved, which takes roughly two weeks to enjoy thoroughly. This was a scenic route.
After spending some time in Arizona, in the Dragoon Mountains, it was time to take a trip back to the continental divide in the Rockies. For ten days, on a route picked out by a seasoned nomad and fellow climber, Gregory H., the scenic road wound through tiny mountain towns and desert, pine forest and scrub canyons, through rain, sleet (groppel), and pleasant weather, until we reached Boulder, Colorado, a place to rest for a week.
If you would like to see some of the scenic places along the route as well on your own, there are so many landscapes that are not well-known, that this route is worth taking some time on completing, as these are tiny highways away from the major routes of I-70 and I-80.
From the Dragoon Mountains, highway 10 to Tuscon, then 77 to Globe. Turn onto I-88 North, which passes by Roosevelt Lake, for roadside views of the lake as the highway winds up into the pine forests of the Tonto National Forest. Take the 260 highway towards Camp Verde, and spend the night in the Tonto National Forest, if you are camping, which we were — there is a lot of peace and quiet in the isolated forest campsites.
We stopped in Prescott (169 West), and took the highway to Jerome — a little mountain ghost town worth seeing for the drive alone, and then headed up to Sedona, on 89A. There is dispersed camping all around, and hikes in the beautiful red rocks — not to be missed.
From there, the Grand Canyon was next (180 to 64 northwards), where the snow in the pine forests along the Kaibab South Rim was particularly beautiful in the evening. In the morning, there were spectacular views of the South Rim, before heading to Cameron, a Native American Indian trading post and small town. After arriving in Page, Arizona (taking the 89 northwards), the Hanging Gardens and the beautiful, and often photographed, Horseshoe Rim ($10 entry) awaited. There was a nice off-road campsite somewhere off of 7065, in a mountain range of coppers and reds, somewhat near Old Paria.
Buckskin Gultch, a beautiful place, and slot canyon with a wave formation, was next. We stayed there one night, until moving northwards to Panguitch, where we stopped briefly, until staying on the lakeshore of Piute State Park.
The I-70 North highway took us to the 15 North, which was slightly smaller and more picturesque, heading along snow-capped mountain peaks, until Salt Lake City. The first night, there was a beautiful, secluded place in the Skull Valley Reservation, off 196, and the second night, which was better, a place right along the shoreline of the Great Salt Lake, in the Great Salt Lake State Park.
Reaching the Flaming Gorge Recreational Area — one of the most beautiful places in the world, and a hidden gem, as it is not as well known as the popular National Parks — the I-80 East met with the 414 South, until Dinosaur National Monument, where we stayed in a beautiful field of purple meadow flowers, looking towards a rocky box canyon.
After that, the 40 East to Craig winds through meadows, snow-capped peaks, and if you take the 14 East, eventually, Strawberry Hot Springs in Steamboat Springs, where there is a hot springs worth visiting, that is only $20 per person, cash. View the gallery of the hot springs here – it is one of the highest recommended hot springs in Colorado, one of 29 hot springs in the state.
The Mishiwaka Inn, along the 14, in Le Poudre, was one of the coolest little stops — a tiny little mountain of a scattered few buildings, it houses a diner and music concerts sponsored by the local Boulder radio station, the Colorado Sound.
On the way to Boulder, there was one last beautiful view, off highway 287, roughly 24 miles from Fort Collins, at the Lone Pine Trailhead, where a six mile hike leads to a historic homestead of John Eliot. There can be very gusty, strong winds, and snow even in early May, so be careful in Colorado’s mountain ranges. Safe traveling.
