Travel

There are times when the city's chaos closes in and life seems like a blues song that won't end - until someone says those magic words:

"Road trip!"

I'm talking about tires singing on two-lane blacktop when the Arizona road comes calling. Scenery splashing across the windshield, tunes turned up high and white lines converging on a jagged horizon. When the journey, not so much the destination, is it.

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Arizonans are blessed with many options for such an escape. In this roadie paradise, you can:

•  Test your car and driving skills on a gnarly road over Mingus Mountain.


•  Shift into a lower gear for a nostalgic spin along the Main Street of America, Route 66.


•  Ride through Monument Valley, where nature's powerful forces have sculpted a world that fuels the imagination and recharges your batteries.

I've mapped out some of my favorite road trips from nearly 30 years and a quarter-million miles of Arizona motoring adventures. I favor northern Arizona, but the state is full of other routes to explore.

Put your seat back a bit and come along for five of Arizona's best drives.

Monument Valley
U.S. 163 from Kayenta to Mexican Hat, Utah.

Vast skies and unrivaled landscapes make this an inspiring trip.

Movies ranging from John Ford's Stagecoach in 1939 to Forrest Gump in 1994 have turned Monument Valley's sandstone buttes into icons of the American West. Visitors from all over the world are drawn to this place of geologic and scenic wonder where the Navajo Reservation straddles the Arizona-Utah line.

Monument Valley is no day trip, but the ride is rich in beauty, including the San Francisco Peaks and Sunset Crater north of Flagstaff and the reservation's moonscapes. Plan on at least five hours of driving, plus however much additional time you'll need to stop and enjoy the side attractions.

The 45-mile drive from Kayenta to Mexican Hat covers long, straight stretches of highway across high desert. A hint of vegetation rises from the sand and clings to the towering rock monuments.

Just over the Utah line, turn right to enter Monument Valley Tribal Park for a 17-mile loop drive. The entry fee is $5 per person, free for kids younger than 10. The dirt road is a bit rough but most cars can make it, except in wet weather. Park hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily from October through April and 7 a.m.-8 p.m. daily May through September. The park is closed Christmas Day.

For some of Monument Valley's best views, explore a partially paved route just north of Mexican Hat. Utah 261 leads to Natural Bridges National Monument, about 40 miles away. But you need to drive only about 12 miles on 261 to the top of Cedar Mesa to look down on Monument Valley.

GETTING THERE: About 310 miles from central Phoenix to Monument Valley. Take Interstate 17 north to Flagstaff, Interstate 40 east, U.S. 89 north to Tuba City turnoff, U.S. 160 east to Kayenta and U.S. 163 north.

TIP: Combine this with a trip to Lake Powell, Canyon de Chelly or southeastern Utah.

Perkinsville Road
Forest Routes 318 and 173 from Jerome to Williams.

This 50-mile jaunt will put a smile on your face without rattling your molars too much. The first 26 miles are unpaved. In good weather, you can handle the trip in a car, but a light truck or SUV is advisable.

The twisted road descends Mingus Mountain and straightens out as it nears the Verde River in Perkinsville. Along the way, impressive views of Sedona's red rocks and Sycamore Canyon's buff-colored buttes will distract the driver. North of the Verde River, the road climbs the Mogollon Rim into the Kaibab National Forest. Allow about two hours.

GETTING THERE: About 115 miles from central Phoenix to Jerome. Interstate 17 north to Arizona 260 at Camp Verde, west to Cottonwood; west on Arizona 89A to Jerome. Go west on Jerome's Main Street past the post office, following the signs to the Gold King Mine, a tourist attraction. Turn right at the top of the hill just before the mine gate.

TIP: Take an Arizona Atlas & Gazetteer map book or maps of the Prescott and Kaibab national forests. This is a good alternate route to the Grand Canyon. It also makes a good day trip with a return route through Flagstaff and Sedona.

Mingus Mountain
Arizona 89A from Prescott Valley to Jerome.

This is the road for driving enthusiasts. It is not for wimpy passengers afraid of steep drop-offs without guardrails.

A 15-mile stretch of road snakes up the southwestern flank of Mingus Mountain over a 7,000-foot pass and down 2,000 feet to Jerome. Like a roller-coaster track, the highway plunges, bends and dips in twisting switchbacks that challenge your car's suspension and brakes - and your nerve.

Motorcyclists will get a workout throwing the bike back and forth into turns, downshifting to low gear and pulling full throttle for the occasional straightaway.

The views of the Verde Valley are a bonus. And as you roll into Jerome, you'll see piles of tailings and other curious remnants of the area's mining history. From Phoenix to Prescott Valley is about 90 minutes; allow another 45 minutes to get to Jerome.

GETTING THERE: About 90 miles from central Phoenix to Prescott Valley. Take Interstate 17 north to Cordes Junction; west on Arizona 69 to Prescott Valley; north on Robert Road to Arizona 89A and east to Jerome.

TIP: On weekend afternoons, pull up a stool and check out the live music at the Spirit Room or Paul & Jerry's Saloon in Jerome.

Route 66
U.S. 66 from Seligman to Kingman.

Short stretches of historic Route 66 parallel Interstate 40 across northern Arizona. The longest uninterrupted leg of the legendary highway is a 90-mile stretch between Seligman and Kingman.

It is a desolate stretch, with fading remnants of America's mid-20th-century roadside culture. Seligman, especially, has embraced its place on Route 66, with the Snow Cap drive-in, Stagecoach Motel and Copper Cart diner taking you back in time.

Grand Canyon Caverns, 20 miles west of Seligman, has survived as one of the most out-of-the-way roadside attractions in Arizona.

A notable stop 25 miles east of Kingman is the Hackberry General Store. This relic captures the essence of the old two-pump filling station. Step inside to see a collection of kitschy Route 66 knickknacks. A pit stop in the men's room will recall an era when mechanics decorated with calendars of bikini-clad models holding wrenches.

Allow about 90 minutes of driving for this stretch of a time-machine trip. Stopping for a meal or a shopping trip will add an hour or more.

GETTING THERE: About 170 miles from central Phoenix to Seligman. Take Interstate 17 north to Cordes Junction, Arizona 69 west to Prescott, Arizona 89 north to Ash Fork, Interstate 40 west to Exit 123, then Route 66 in Seligman.

TIP: This trip is best for roadside-Americana aficionados. For smaller doses, travel sections of Route 66 in Seligman, Williams, Flagstaff or Winslow that retain the old highway's charm.

Grand Canyon
Arizona 67 from Jacob Lake to the North Rim.

In summer, this 45-mile drive is the coolest, literally, in Arizona. You can turn off the air-conditioning as the road cuts through alpine meadows and thick stands of ponderosa pine, spruce and aspen. That makes it one of Arizona's greenest routes as well. You'll think you're driving through Oregon or Lake Tahoe.

The payoff of the North Rim's spectacular views and uncrowded scenic lookouts are worth the long drive. It's about six hours from Phoenix to Jacob Lake and an hour to the North Rim.

GETTING THERE: About 310 miles from central Phoenix to Jacob Lake. Take Interstate 17 north to Flagstaff, Interstate 40 east, U.S. 89 north to Bitter Springs, U.S. 89A west to Jacob Lake, Arizona 67 south to the North Rim.

TIP: The North Rim, at 8,000 feet, is open to cars from mid-May to mid-October. See the aspens change colors in September.