The Arizona Republic
Jun. 13, 2006 02:40 PM
If there was ever a place in Arizona where a visitor is guaranteed to feel a sense of peace and quiet, where the cares and problems of the city fall away like pine needles from ponderosa, the Rim Road is such a place.
Here, along 200 miles of dirt road on the edge of a great escarpment, one can find coolness, fantastic views, green grass and towering pines, deer, elk, bear and some of the most beautiful campsites in the state.
The Mogollon Rim was uplifted eons ago. Once it marked the shore of a vast inland sea that covered much of southern Arizona. An east-west cliff, the Rim crosses nearly half the state, roughly Sedona to the New Mexico border.
Its average height of 7,000 feet makes the Rim Road the longest continuous "high road" in the state.
The route is more than 100 years old. It was pioneered in 1873 by Gen. George Crook while he was the U.S. Army commander in Arizona. Crook wanted a way to move troops and supplies to various Army posts scattered along Arizona's midriff.
Unfortunately, the state's geology has erected some tremendous natural obstacles to east-west travel. The easiest, flattest terrain was - oddly enough - in the higher elevations.
The Mogollon Rim is likened to a pitched roof. On one side the rain runs off into the Salt and Verde rivers to the south. On the other side the water flows north toward the Little Colorado River.
But, along the edge of the cliffs, 2,000 feet high in some places, the land is relatively level.
A rough way to go
The first segment of the road, from Fort Whipple at Prescott to Fort Verde, was comparatively easy to build.
But from Fort Verde, which was beside the Verde River, the planned route climbed some 3,000 feet from West Clear Creek to the head of Fossil Creek and then tightroped its way east along ever-rising ridge lines.
Once among the pine trees, ax-swinging troopers had to chop a right of way through the forest. And most of the 200-mile length of Crook's Trail, as the road became known, was in thick ponderosa pine.
When completed in 1876, the road connected Fort Verde with Fort Apache.
Gen. Crook's road builders did such a good job that much of their work is now paralleled by paved highways.
The Rim Road, using modern place names and towns, runs beside Baker Butte, General Springs, Overgaard, Clay Springs, Pinedale, along the Rim south of Show Low and then drops off the Rim past Cooley's Ranch (now a burned ruin beside Arizona 73) to Fort Apache near Whiteriver on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.
Parts of three national forests cover the old road: Coconino, Sitgreaves and Apache. The longest stretch of the original Crook's Trail remains beside the Rim Road between Arizona 87 and 260. Here, if you look carefully, you still can see remains of the old wagon road snaking its way beside the top of the cliffs.
Most of the old route has been marked by Boy Scouts. Look for double-reflective white chevron markers nailed to trunks of pine trees, or stones piled up along the right of way. If you're real lucky, you may find one of General Crook's old marker trees, where soldiers blazed a smooth patch on a tree trunk and burned in the mileage. Most have a V, like V122, which means 122 miles from Fort Verde.
The miles were measured by tying a rag around a wagon wheel and counting the revolutions.
When a certain number were counted, a mile had been covered; a mile marker tree was blazed or a rock cairn erected.
This section of the Rim Road is a very popular route for visitors. Along its route (Forest Road 300) are a number of small trout lakes, built by the Arizona Game and Fish Department more than 25 years ago. These include Knoll Lake, Bear Canyon Lake, Woods Canyon Lake, Willow Springs Lake, Black Canyon Lake and Chevelon Canyon Lake.
Access is easy, even for low-slung modern cars. Back roads, most of them converted logging roads, are rougher, and should be traveled by pickup truck. Since most of the road is within national forests, camping is permitted nearly everywhere.
There are developed campgrounds near lakes, but real fans prefer to car camp or park their RV vehicles right beside the cliffs.
From vantage points, one can take in the huge expanse of mountain and forest of the Tonto National Forest from Payson to Kohl's Ranch.
Less crowded is the segment from Arizona 260 to U.S. 60 near Show Low. Here the road is narrow and more bumpy, but with more chances to see wildlife and the views are just as breathtaking as found along Forest Road 300.
If you go, plan on an all-day trip between Arizona 87 and 260. If you camp, bring a tent and bug lotion because of the possibility of rain and mosquitos.
And bring plenty of color film.
If you go
Getting there: The Mogollon Rim can be reached by three highways from Phoenix. From the west Valley, take Interstate 17 north to Camp Verde and then the General Crook Trail highway east to Arizona 87, proceeding north on 87 for approximately five miles to the Rim Road (Forest Road 300).
From the east Valley: Take Arizona 87 north to Payson and then continue on 87 up the Mogollon Rim, or take Arizona 260 from Payson up the Mogollon Rim. The Rim Road lies between Arizona 87 and 260.
Eastern Rim Road: To reach the road's eastern segment, take U.S. 60 from the Superstition Freeway through Globe and the Salt River Canyon to Show Low.There are no tourist facilities along the Rim Road, but nearby towns, such as Camp Verde, Payson, Heber, Overgaard and Show Low, can provide for nearly every need.
Here, along 200 miles of dirt road on the edge of a great escarpment, one can find coolness, fantastic views, green grass and towering pines, deer, elk, bear and some of the most beautiful campsites in the state.
The Mogollon Rim was uplifted eons ago. Once it marked the shore of a vast inland sea that covered much of southern Arizona. An east-west cliff, the Rim crosses nearly half the state, roughly Sedona to the New Mexico border.
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Its average height of 7,000 feet makes the Rim Road the longest continuous "high road" in the state.
The route is more than 100 years old. It was pioneered in 1873 by Gen. George Crook while he was the U.S. Army commander in Arizona. Crook wanted a way to move troops and supplies to various Army posts scattered along Arizona's midriff.
Unfortunately, the state's geology has erected some tremendous natural obstacles to east-west travel. The easiest, flattest terrain was - oddly enough - in the higher elevations.
The Mogollon Rim is likened to a pitched roof. On one side the rain runs off into the Salt and Verde rivers to the south. On the other side the water flows north toward the Little Colorado River.
But, along the edge of the cliffs, 2,000 feet high in some places, the land is relatively level.
A rough way to go
The first segment of the road, from Fort Whipple at Prescott to Fort Verde, was comparatively easy to build.
But from Fort Verde, which was beside the Verde River, the planned route climbed some 3,000 feet from West Clear Creek to the head of Fossil Creek and then tightroped its way east along ever-rising ridge lines.
Once among the pine trees, ax-swinging troopers had to chop a right of way through the forest. And most of the 200-mile length of Crook's Trail, as the road became known, was in thick ponderosa pine.
When completed in 1876, the road connected Fort Verde with Fort Apache.
Gen. Crook's road builders did such a good job that much of their work is now paralleled by paved highways.
The Rim Road, using modern place names and towns, runs beside Baker Butte, General Springs, Overgaard, Clay Springs, Pinedale, along the Rim south of Show Low and then drops off the Rim past Cooley's Ranch (now a burned ruin beside Arizona 73) to Fort Apache near Whiteriver on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.
Parts of three national forests cover the old road: Coconino, Sitgreaves and Apache. The longest stretch of the original Crook's Trail remains beside the Rim Road between Arizona 87 and 260. Here, if you look carefully, you still can see remains of the old wagon road snaking its way beside the top of the cliffs.
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The miles were measured by tying a rag around a wagon wheel and counting the revolutions.
When a certain number were counted, a mile had been covered; a mile marker tree was blazed or a rock cairn erected.
This section of the Rim Road is a very popular route for visitors. Along its route (Forest Road 300) are a number of small trout lakes, built by the Arizona Game and Fish Department more than 25 years ago. These include Knoll Lake, Bear Canyon Lake, Woods Canyon Lake, Willow Springs Lake, Black Canyon Lake and Chevelon Canyon Lake.
Access is easy, even for low-slung modern cars. Back roads, most of them converted logging roads, are rougher, and should be traveled by pickup truck. Since most of the road is within national forests, camping is permitted nearly everywhere.
There are developed campgrounds near lakes, but real fans prefer to car camp or park their RV vehicles right beside the cliffs.
From vantage points, one can take in the huge expanse of mountain and forest of the Tonto National Forest from Payson to Kohl's Ranch.
Less crowded is the segment from Arizona 260 to U.S. 60 near Show Low. Here the road is narrow and more bumpy, but with more chances to see wildlife and the views are just as breathtaking as found along Forest Road 300.
If you go, plan on an all-day trip between Arizona 87 and 260. If you camp, bring a tent and bug lotion because of the possibility of rain and mosquitos.
And bring plenty of color film.
If you go
Getting there: The Mogollon Rim can be reached by three highways from Phoenix. From the west Valley, take Interstate 17 north to Camp Verde and then the General Crook Trail highway east to Arizona 87, proceeding north on 87 for approximately five miles to the Rim Road (Forest Road 300).
From the east Valley: Take Arizona 87 north to Payson and then continue on 87 up the Mogollon Rim, or take Arizona 260 from Payson up the Mogollon Rim. The Rim Road lies between Arizona 87 and 260.
Eastern Rim Road: To reach the road's eastern segment, take U.S. 60 from the Superstition Freeway through Globe and the Salt River Canyon to Show Low.There are no tourist facilities along the Rim Road, but nearby towns, such as Camp Verde, Payson, Heber, Overgaard and Show Low, can provide for nearly every need.
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