Monument Valley, Iconic red rock loop: From a distance the rugged sandstone formations of Monument Valley look like a prehistoric fortress a huddled mass of red and gold protecting ancient secrets. But as you drive closer individual buttes and craggy formations break from the pack luring you closer with sun reflected beauty and unusual shapes.
The closest town to Monument Valley is Kayenta a cluster of gas stations motels and restaurants at the junction of Hwys 160 and 163 Like Monument Valley Kayenta is part of the aprawling Navajo Reservation at 27,000 sq miles the country' s largest reservation which spills across state lines into Utah and New Mexico. Hwy 163 leads to Mounment Valley and the 17 mile loop around it. The Monument Valley Scenic Drive ($20) is a dusty bumpy dirt road that winds beneath the sandstone formations most named for the objects or animals they resemble from the Mittens to Elephant Buttle. Budget about two hours for the drive.
Apache Trail, Rugged Adventure: This isn' t your grandmother' s Sunday afternoon drive unless your grandmother has a hankering for 45 miles of rabid road that snarls barks and shakes off its pavement as it slobbers through peaks and canons east of Phoenix. From Apache Junction Hwy 88 heads north toward the craggy Superstition Mountains.
First up is the tourist trappy Goldfield Ghost Town. At Lost Dutchman State Park vast blooms of desert wildflowers await with he best blooms occurring after a wet winter. From here Hwy 88 snakes up to Canyon Lake the first of three Salt River lakes along the route. Up the road settle into a saddle topped barstool in Tortilla Flat. The pavement ends 7 miles ahead and that' s when this mad dog bites narrow hairpi turns drop 1500ft down Fish Hill over just a 3 mile stretch. It' s tight treacherous and not recommended for RVs. The pavement returns soon passing Roosevelt Dam the first large dam to flood the Southwest.
Patagonia Sonoita Scenic Rd, for the birds ( and wine): Arizona's Mountain Empire tucked between the Mexican border and the Santa Rita and Patagonia mountains is a bree haven for bird watchers and wine tasters. Hwy 82 the road running through the region is a scenic alternative to 1-19 between Nogales and Tucson. From Nogales pick up Hwy82 north. The first stop for bird watchers is Patagonia Lake State Park. Hawks eagles turkeys and great blue herons have all been spotted here. Adobe lined Patagonia is the best place for burgers Mexican food or Elvis inspired pizza before venturing north to the wineries.
Several tasting rooms are clustered on Elgin Rd 20 miles east of Hwy 82. For an extended drive that takesn more bird habitats and a ghost town drive east on Hwy 82 until you hit Hwy 80 the road to Tombstone. Back in Sonoita the original drive continues north through oak trees and grasslands. If real life beckons leave swaying grasslands behind finishing this bird watching boondoggle at 1-10 with a short drive west to Tucson.
Route 66, small town America, with a side of Kitsch: Get your Kitsch on Route 66 might be a better slogan for Arizona's scrubby stretch of Mother Road with its numbering dinosaurs a wingwam motel and a prank filled ice cream shop. Western Aizona is home to one of the longest stretches of pure unadulterated Route 66- 173 free range miles that never join the interstate. From Topock on Arizona' s western border Route 66 rolls north to Oatman passing through the town' s craggy hills begging burros and hokey Old West charms. Then it' s a twisting drive past tumbleweeds and saguaros on the way to the Black Mountains and a final push to Kingman.