Landscapes of Arizona featuring the Apache Trail and Thumb Butte
While staying in Scottsdale we did a few different day trips. In March, the weather can be quite hot which makes it difficult to do anything outdoors in the city during the afternoon heat -except swimming. However, by driving a couple of hours out of town into the higher elevation the weather becomes much nicer for hiking and sightseeing.
On one of our day trips we drove to the Thumb Butte Area in the Prescott National Forest, in the picturesque town of Prescott. Prescott is north of Scottsdale and took us about two hours to get there. The city is at an altitude of 5,400 feet so it is much cooler than Phoenix. As you can see the landscape is very different from Scottsdale or Sedona.
Our group hiking up to the top. We hiked the two mile Thumb Butte Trail which was a loupe.
This photo shows the typical geography of the area.
It was a bit of a hike to make it to the top but there was a nice view of the city. The city has a population of roughly 40,000. From 1864-1867, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona Territory and again from 1877 until 1889 when Phoenix was designated as the capital. It is predicted that Prescott will eventually become part of the Arizona Sun Corridor mega- region with a total estimated megapolitan population of 7.4 million people in 2025.
One last picture from the hike.
We did another day trip driving the Apache Trail to Roosevelt Dam. The Apache Trail was a stagecoach trail that ran through the Superstition Mountains. The current Apache Trail links Apache Junction at the edge of the Greater Phoenix area with Theodore Roosevelt Lake, through the Superstition Mountains and the Tonto National Forest. Today much of the trail is actually paved. The trail winds steeply through 40 miles 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 Roosevel Dam. There are steep cliff drops and we noticed practically no safety barriers. You can see our unpaved road below. Yes it was a bit nerve wracking at times but so worth the drive to see the canyons, lakes and beautiful scenery.
Typical scenery along the Apache Trail.
After driving for a while we came to some slightly different geology. Standing on a bridge I watched these people from above. It looked like they were just wading in the water to cool off from the heat.
After leaving the bridge we drove a little further and I came on this interesting scene so I had Ralph stop the car once again (for the hundredth time I'm sure). I hiked down a little ways to the river to take the shot- the mist moved through the area quickly.
This shot was taken at the same place as the previous shot, just in a different direction where there was no mist.
Now we had a few stops to take pictures of the Saguaro cactus. Saguaros have a relatively long life span-they take up to 75 years to develop a side arm. Saguaros in drier western Arizona grow only half as fast as those in and around Tucson, Arizona. Some of these plants may live for more than 150 years.
Now for a scene from a western movie shot.
This shot was taken on the Apache Trail, overlooking Apache Lake.
Eventually we made it to our destination of Roosevelt Dam. It was completed in 1911 at a cost of ten million dollars, after being started in1905. It took longer than anticipated to complete because of all of the devastating floods interrupting construction. For a while, it was the largest masonry dam in the world with a height of 280 feet and a length of 723 feet. Originally the dam was known as "Salt River Dam #1" and was renamed after Theodore Roosevelt in 1959. A huge reconstruction project was begun in 1989 and completed in 1996. The dam was resurfaced with concrete and its height was raised by 77 feet at a cost of $430 million. As a result of the completely altered appearance its National Historic Landmark designation was withdrawn on March 10, 1999.
In front of the dam is Lake Roosevelt. Lake Roosevelt is the largest lake or reservoir located entirely within the state of Arizona. Lake Mead and Powell are larger but both are located partially within the neighbouring states of Nevada and Utah.
Lake Roosevelt Bridge in black and white.