Just past Canyon Lake outside Apache Junction is what I’ll call a death road. It is referred to as the Apache Trail and it is a narrow dirt road that dips down and curves along canyon walls before impossibly climbing out the next one. With views of sheer rock walls, desert flowers of all kinds, cactus, and washes, the scenery keeps coming. We took the truck to scope it out one day and to see Roosevelt Reservoir and the Ruins at Tonto National Memorial. It was such a great biking route we rode our bikes on it another day.
A little history… After the Civil War ended, development in the Salt River Valley began. The Salt River flow was terribly inconsistent with droughts and floods both devastating farmers. After a historical drought year in 1890, the people of the territory decided they had to have a more reliable water delivery system. Speeding this story up a bit, The National Reclamation Act of 1902 was signed into law and the Roosevelt Dam was constructed. The formation of Theodore Roosevelt Dam, completed in February 1906 created the Roosevelt Reservoir.
We also took the time to hike up to the Salado cave dwellings in Tonto National Monument which is located near Roosevelt Reservoir. The lower dwellings were built in the 14th century and we were able to walk through them and talk to the park ranger who was very eager to answer all the questions we had. They were not as well maintained as some of the other cliff dwellings, but it was cool being allowed to walk inside to check them out.
I’ve always devoured travel photography and read about adventures close and afar, now I’m living one!
Awesome!