Tonto National Forest, Arizona
Just about an hour East of Mesa, Arizona, Tonto National Forest spans almost 3 million acres of rugged and spectacularly beautiful country ranging from Saguaro cactus-studded desert to pine-forested mountains.
I followed the Apache Trail, located on State Route 88, an 80 mile loop travels through, in my opinion, some of the best scenery in Central Arizona.
Most of the trail is unpaved, but provides magnificent views of mountains with dense forests of saguaro, charming historic mining towns with several deep blue lakes along the way.
I made a quick stop at Tortilla Flat (singular), home of only 6 inhabitants. This stage stop was constructed in 1904 as a staging area for the construction of the Mesa-Roosevelt Road. Couldn t resist its charm, and after driving in the hot Arizona sun, it was a perfect place to stretch my legs and grab a cool beverage.
Soon after Tortilla Flat, the paved section ends and a narrow gravel road continues further 28 miles above Apache Lake and eventually to the Theodore Roosevelt Dam. The Dam was built of bricks in 1911 and remains the world’s largest masonry dam at almost 300 feet tall.
I continued south, along the shores of Theodore Roosevelt Lake, to Globe. An interesting town, established in 1876 after a large globe-shaped boulder of silver was found nearby. Situated near the midpoint along the Old West Highway, it was a perfect town to grab some dinner and spend the night.
I woke up the next morning and backtracked about 20 miles north to Tonto National Monument established by the Salado (People of the Salt River) Indians in about 1300 AD. This well-preserved Salado Indian cliff dwelling looks down on Lake Roosevelt. As with many other ancient peoples of the Southwest, after living in Tonto Basin for 300 years, the Salado appear to have abandoned their villages suddenly, early in the fifteenth century, for reasons which are not known.
One of the two dwellings (the Lower Ruin) can be reached by a paved, half mile self-guided trail which leads from the visitor center/museum quite steeply up the side of a hill; along this well groomed path you ll see native animals and plants - the area is especially abundant in sagauro and cholla cacti.
The Lower Cliff Dwelling is not just old stones, sticks, and mortar. It is the skeleton of a small village a place where people were born and died, lived and worked.
The highlight for me was to stand in the middle of this 700 year old ruin, imagining the Salado people busy with there lives, cooking, laughing and a place were children played, grew up, loved and were loved. A must see for anyone passing through!
