I’ve driven the road from Apache junction to the dam. This was years before the closure. I wouldn’t consider it to be particularly dangerous, even the fish creek area. You just need to use your brain and don’t drive it like an idiot (and sadly there are those who drive it like idiots).
Yeah, you mentioned brain and idiot, so unfortunately, that leaves out a huge chunk of the population!! But maybe it will be good if they all stay away!! It's kind of like Yellowstone. Signs everywhere and you see what happens there! Like, hey hon, the sign says don't stick your hand in hot water. Let's try it!!
Back in the 1950s that dirt road was narrower I remember dad constantly blowing the horn as we went around blind corners. It was an adventure we did often because dad loved fishing at Apache Lake.
ITS A REAL SHAME SO MANY PEOPLE ARE TURNING THE APACHE TRAIL INTO THEIR OWN PERSONAL JUNK YARDS...THOSE WRECKED CARS 🚗 IN THE VIDEO 📹 DIDNT CRASH....THEY WERE DUMPED THERE BY MINDLESS IDIOTS...
I also have driven on the Apache Trail from Apache Junction to the dam at the end. The section of Fish Creek Hill, when I was driving down to the bottom, I came upon a truck towing an RV coming up the hill. Luckily i had enough room to pull over and let him pass. I couldnt believe someone would do that, ive never forgotten that. Seeing your video brought back all those memories. When you get to Roosevelt Lake, you turn left on the highway go about 4 miles and there are some old cliff dwellings you can hike up to. Also if you go in the saloon/restaurant at Tortilla Flat, they have some killer hot chili. The first time I could only eat a cup, but after a few times i could eat a bowl. That was some of the hottest food ive ever eaten. My mother had a winter home there, so did a lot of traveling throughout Arizona. Thanks for the memories.
Hey thank you for checking out the video! I enjoyed reading your story. Even just thinking about a truck towing an RV up fish creek hill gives me the willies. Going out to fish creek hill in a few weeks, but this time I plan on hiking down and checking out the damage to the road. Thanks again for watching 👍
GPS will take you through the trail, at least it did for me on my trip, people with trailers probably did not pay attention on what the condition of the trail, especially that it is close to Phoenix city, they wouldn't know what they are getting themselves into, is there even warning signs for vehicle length recommendation or limits?
My Mom Dad any myself left Ohio on my 8th birthday in 1960. Living in Tempe until I graduated high school. Growing up with and adventurous, sportsman alcoholic dad I remember many trips into the boonies of Arizona from an early age. After being in Az a month, we set out for Payson, one morning for a day trip. WE had lunch 7 hours later and got home barely at midnight. we had two flats, one of which dad broke down by hand and patched on the side of the road in the dark. Lots of dirt and gravel in those days. One trip my father crossed the Verde below Barlet dam in our 53 Mercury 2door that we drove from Ohio. Teh water line was midway up the doors when I was ordered to open my door, as he opened his and let the water flow through until we reached the opposite bank. That is just one of the adventures dad took us on the first years living in the wild west. As years went by, and we became more settled Dad got a truck, then a boat. What self-respecting 'Zonie male didn`t drive a pick-up. And what kind of fisherman cast his line from the shore. When we moved to Tempe, all we owned fit into the ole Merc and a 3x 6 x3 feet high trailer, and had maybe, Maybe $100 and no job prospects at all. Mom was a super waitress and could get a job anytime anywhere. I do remember before she passed away in 1966, working at the Safari coffee shop , a swanky resort in Scottsdale at Scottsdale road and Camelback, her one night record for times was $66 .That's like $500 in todays money. It was an understatement to say she was GOOD! Dad had a few jobs, and the economy was good In Az in the early 60s. The purpose here was to set the stage for a trip to Apache lake, Burnt Corral campground specifically in 1965. The site we were at is located north of fish creek hill on the now closed section of the Apache trail. Dad had met up with a bunch of his drinking /fishing buddies there for the weekend , and he caught , what was a state record channel catfish that weekend. Dang thing was over four feet long and I could barley lift it . Big cause for celebration. And celebrate he did. He was totally lite up by noon. I believe it was August and a Monsoon storm was moving in, so about 2-3 pm the boat was hooked up and off to home we went, just as the storm hit. The danger of this section of road , especially going uphill is an 11 on a scale of 1-10. Add to that during a monsoon, 40 plus mph winds and latterly watching water flow off the cliffs like waterfalls. Add to that wipers that are typical Arizona sun baked hard as a rock, a 2 wheel drive 59 chevy with semi bald tires, Oh and dad is probably a 2.5 if blowing into a breathalyzer. We met another truck coming down hill about halfway up the hill. Now, if we would have stopped, or even let off the gas, we for sure would be slipping downhill backward eventually going down a 1000 foot hillside. Dad kept the pedal to the metal coming so close to the downhill bound truck that both vehicles lost their drivers side mirrors. WAMM! I was sure we were goners upon the mirror impact. Holding onto the door handle ( it had no armrest) I starred at dad who had not lost an ounce of his composure. I dont know if his reaction or lack of , was a result of being in the south Pacific in 1944-45, his blood alcohol content or God. It never bothered me to ride with him when he was drunk from that day on. Come to think of it , his drinking and driving never bothered mom either. He always proclaimed, "I drive better drunk "He never got a DUI, had an accident or missed a day of work. They don`t make men like that anymore. The only bad thing I remember happening to him is during a monsoon years later, his boat came off the trailer on his way to Cave Creek Corral from Barlet Lake. Teh next day he went back to look for it and all that remained was the hull. No motor, seat tackle boxes or poles. His reaction when he found it....Dang!!
I cant tell you how much I enjoyed reading that story. Its first hand stories like this that you don't find in the history books or read about in the newspapers. It almost sounds like something out of a movie. I appreciate you taking the time to share your story and memories with us. Sounds like some good old fashioned fun!
It almost sounds like you are romanticizing habitual drunk driving. He could killed people. He could have wiped out an entire family. You should not speak so glowingly about a habitual drunk driver.
Your dad ,your hero ,I understand , but please don't glamorize his alcoholic and drunk driving life style ,you could have been in a wheel chair or worse not to mention other people getting hurt because of his choices, hero dad could have wound up in the pen . and yes,sadly, they still make men like that .
My Dad spent his childhood in the 40's driving to Roosevelt Lake via the Apache Trail with his Dad on the weekends to fish in the Lake. My Mom is close friends with a descendent of the Frazier family who ran a store at Roosevelt Lake from Dam Construction until the late 1960s, when they were shut down by the Forest Service or some other government agency. Whenever my family went to Phoenix, we would drive the trail. I rode the Apache Trail last some time in the early 2000s with Dad. He was in his last decade, and I found the trail scary with him at the wheel. In Fall 2019, Mom wanted me to drive her along the trail, and I'll admit to relief that it was closed. Still -- I appreciate this video because this road was so meaningful to my parents. Thank you.
Boy this brings back many memories. I had a 1969 Mustang Mach one with a 390 and a four speed manual in it. Threw a trailer hitch on the back of it and we used to go to all the lakes on the trail. I remember er when Tortilla flat was one little lonely building with a restaurant in it. We would tow my 17 foot flat bottom boat to Canyon lake and just back the boat a trailer into the water on the sand beach. This was before they ruined it and concreted it. We would camp and party all night. Then the next morning go to Torltilla flats for breakfast. Steak and eggs and a few beers. Then back to the lake and ski all day long. All the way back up to the dam that divided Apache lake from canyon lake. Then at times I would go to Apache lake up and down fish creek hill in my Mach One towing my boat. Never had a problem there. The tule was is someone was coming up the road you let them have the right of way if they were towing a boat. This is where you learned to back a trailer up with ease. My mustang worked the road like a champ even with the AC on high. Loved the fish creek hill road section. The Apache lake Marina was great also. They had an open bar outside on fridays and Saturday nights with a band. Great place also. We did have a problem one night there with a guy in his motor home that had his generator running all night to power his AC unit. I got tired of it and shut it off and took the spark plug out of it so he couldn’t use it the rest of the night. That poor guy never figured out why his generator quit ha,ha. We also found a mustang out there just south of the dam road that divided Canton lake from Saguaro lake. It was upside down ing the bottom of a canyon. Fell off the road I suppose. It was a 68 and totaled. But it was belly up and it had a nice top loader four speed tranny in it. I watched it all summer long and it was still there untouched. So we went back one night after we got to the lake late that night and it was the easiest transmission removal ever in my life. It was in perfect condition. The car was a light green metallic mustang with a white top. Thanks for the tranny folks. I hate to see the area so commercialized today. That is to bad. It was such a great place to water ski with a hot dog boat. The sheriffs hated us there. He made us pass by the beach at full throttle and if we were over 120 decibels we got kicked off the beach with our board. My boat had a 428 Ford with dry open headers inverted. Yes it was a little loud, but so much fun. At full throttle it burned up about forty gallons every 3-4 hours. I miss those days. And obviously I am old now. 68 but still living the life 👍. Thanks for the video and the story. I could go on all day about this highway and my experiences there.
Thank you for sharing your story. I enjoyed every bit of it. especially the part about removing the spark and the other guy not having the slightest clue about why the generator quit......priceless 👍
I remember racing over that road on Sunday nites coming back to Phoenix,also remember gas tanker rolled on his side at bottom of fish creek hill ,he had lost his brakes scary time for driver , he was coming down hill on Sunday evening which was a no no because lots of traffic coming back to Phoenix.when roadopens will go back to Apache Lake where I dry docked speed Boat for 20 plus years.last boat was a Donzi, My family loved the Owner Jack and his family.Lots of memories.
@@jessiesdroneadventures7464- Yes, most definitely, a vic on the drive to Young !! Btw, this one was great. I’ll have to get up to Roosevelt the long way (toward Payson) before it gets hot. Then again the AJ way, once they get the road fixed. They are definately taking their sweet time appropriating money for the fix. Very long drive around for the first responders that need to get up there, or get someone back down to Phoenix for treatment if injured. That’s for reminding us how beautiful this whole area is. Cheers .
This is my old backpacking grounds. Glad I did all that before my back went bad. We used to have conversations back in the day about how you never know when you'll be too beat up to do it! Glad I did!
In 1942, we were moving to Arizona. My father and mother and me came through on Fish Creek Hill. It was scary looking down with no guard rails. We saw some of the cars. We were followed by some friends, a mother, father and son about six. My father told him, don't use your brakes, just use second gear. Well, he didn't listen, and the car caught on fire. So we stopped until it cooled down. Another time, we went to Roosevelt Dam to fish. My grandmother was with us. For some reason, my dad decided to turn around with the back end toward the ravine. My grandmother and I were in the back. She scooted down to the floor before he finished turning around. It's great to see the video of Fish Creek Hill.
The only place I've ever experienced brake fade with disc brakes was on an AZ mountain road. I was using engine braking as much as I could but you can find some rather steep grades here.
UK - 1990s - A family group of us were on vacation in Az - we heard of the Apache Trail, we decided to take a look, we were surprised to find it was an excellent paved road ----until we came to the dirt road and no where to go back, my young nephew was crying on the car floor, he was terrified, it was a excitingly scary dangerous road, we were in a Lincoln and were so lucky not to meet another vehicle in the opposite direction. Thanks so much for these wonderful memories.
When I was growing up in the 60s and 70s my family must have gone over Fish Creek Hill a thousand times on our way to Burnt Corral campground on Apache Lake for a weekend of boating, camping, and water-skiing. I practically grew up there. Almost every weekend from early spring until late fall, we were at Apache Lake. And 2 weeks in summer when my Dad got his vacation. I got some stories. Thanks for the memories.
My wife and I drove this road in 1987 towing a camper. It looks in much better shape today than then, but we didn't think that it was that dangerous. But then we only met one vehicle on the entire trip and that was close to the dam. No GPS or Cell Phone then, just a paper map which worked quite well for us.
First wreck image is an early-70s Oldsmobile Delta 88 two-door Coupe. High confidence level on that one. (Note placement of backup and side marker lights.) Second rusty wreck is a Ford F-150. I frequently take my '07 Softail along the Apache Trail specifically for its inviting "twisties". It's a wonderful way to respect the road AND hone one's riding skills when condition and debris can catch any disrespecting rider. Proud to have never taken a spill... but I have seen more than one cocky squid on his sport bike take a header off a curve.
Hey thanks for sharing! and oh god! yes! I got nothing against bikes but sometimes they can be nuisance on the trail.......Hows the expression go....ef around and find out, haha....thanks for watching the video
@@Loibip21 - I thought about that as well.... but Monte's of that era have no reverse lights where these are located on the bumper. Google an '71 Delta 88 "rear" and it'll have all the same contours, lights and markers in the same place. It's an Olds.
In the Spring of 2018 I was 75 years old and I wanted to see the desert blooming. Being new to Arizona I figured the Apache Trail was a good place to find desert flowers. I drove the entire length! Very scary. No flowers. This video is bringing back memories of a beautiful (but scary) drive. I also went to Sheeps Bridge in the Tonto National Forest. Another white knuckles on the steering wheel. I did want to drive the Mogollon Rim but didn’t have the time. Maybe you could?
Hey no problem @sandiwilliams7101 Glad you enjoyed the video. it was pretty fun to put together, and I'm surprised that I havent made this video sooner, considering I come out here fairly often. Thanks again for checking out the video 🙏
We did the Trail before the closure about 7-years back. Did it with a mid-size rent-a-car. Great adventure. Drive safe and slow and it is safe. One thing though, plan ahead and do any expected potty break before starting the ride. It took us a couple hours to make it to the dam starting from Apache Junction and I don’t recall any outhouses along the way.
Before Roosevelt dam was raised, there were multiple wrecks down below the switchbacks , when they widened the road near the dam , they were buried forever, were dozens of them down there
Good video...well done. It should be noted that Apache Trail is officially known as HGWY 88 and is considered a national treasure and is therefore indeed earmarked as an Historic Highway. As you mentioned, much of it was built (or improved) in order to complete the construction of Roosevelt Dam (who was at the official dedication ceremony in 1911) for what was then known as Salt River Dam #1 and renamed Roosevelt Dam in the 1950's in his honor. The dam is one of the highest masonry dams in the world and was constructed for irrigation and flood control for the original farmer/settlers in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler areas of the Valley. It was built by the Army Corp of Engineers and was constructed of huge blocks of stone cut from the adjacent cliff face by Italian masons. The "Trail" was the route used by The Salt River Valley Water Users Association (now known as The Salt River Project or SRP) and the journey to the dam site originated out of downtown Tempe as Apache Blvd. which then becomes Main Street as you travel due east through Mesa, and then finally changes to Apache Trail as you enter Apache Jct. The trip from SRP's Cross-Cut facility (just north of downtown Tempe on the north side of the Salt River) took about three days and much of the penstock pipe used to divert the river around the Dam site during construction was transported by 20-25 mule team wagons along this route. I have seen pictures of these mule team wagon trains being slowly and carefully steered around those hairpin turns along with extended wagons carrying huge sections of pipe as they made their way from the Valley up to the site. Imagine the skill it took to coax those teams and negotiate that route back then! Note that Arizona was the last territory in the lower contiguous 48 States to become a State in 1912...At about the 19:20 mark in the video you passed one of the original transmission towers that were constructed in the early 1900's as electricity was also generated and delivered for the first time to the farming communities and growing towns that lie southeast of Phoenix. In 1989 the original dam was covered in concrete in order to raise its' capacity another 77 feet so, although you can no longer see the original stone dam, know that it still exists under that concrete surface you see today!
hey hey! thank you so much for sharing! all the info and history is appreciated! plan on putting together a video no the Dam in the near future and this was incredibly helpful!.....Thank you for checking out the video and chiming in 🙏
While doing a few weeks of work in the Phoenix area in 1993 I made a trip along the Apache Trail from one end to the other. It was a great experience. Thanks for your video!.
Luckily, I was able to traverse the entire Trail 7 years ago when it was still open, around this same time in March. Beautiful day and journey. Took a lot of photos. Sad to know it's still closed for the foreseeable future. At least the section before Canyon Lake got repaved. It sure needed it. I rode my bicycle from East Mesa to Canyon Lake Marina and back to celebrate my 50th birthday. 50 mile round trip! Wild ride, with people in cars cheering me up the steep hills.
ADOT just approved $4 million worth of work to be done on the closed section this year to get it open again. But they are doing the bare minimum to get it open again, so it will only be suitable for high clearance 4WD vehicles.
Great video! We drove the entire Apache Trail in 2017. Sad to hear that a section is currently closed. According to a bit of research I did, it's scheduled to reopen on April 12th. Interestingly enough, that just happens to be the date we're flying to Phoenix for a long weekend. Hmmm, might have to check it out again!
The environmentalists would decommission it. Not because It’s bad for the environment, but because of the anarchy that would ensue, which would in gender a socialist form of government.
When working for SRP I would drive a large tandem drive axle dump truck pulling a large trailor loaded with a large Case backhoe down that road when it was open. I was always blessed and never had to pass another large vehicle.
I live in the area, and my favorite place to visit over there is the Superstition Mountain Museum. It tells the story of the area and the Lost Dutchman treasure. Old Western movies were filmed in the area. I love those mountains, which can be seen in the distance from my neighborhood. Simply beautiful! That is a picturesque drive.
I once drove this road to the lake and back and was so nervous the whole time. Years later my husband and I went out that way and inadvertently ended up starting up that mountain road, and I had the biggest panic attack knowing how dangerous the road was going to get and forced him to turn around while we still could.
I kind of felt the same way the first time we were driving up that hill. We were left with the decision to either keep going up the hill, knowing the pavement section wasn't too far away, or turn around and start the drive all the way back to the dam. It was getting dark at that point but we decided to drive up the hill and hey! we made it!.......Thank you for checking out the video and sharing your story
I rode Apache Trail including the closed section on a Harley in 2014. The only thing that sucked was the washboard gravel that got worse the closer we got to the dam.
Remember driving up the Apache trail back in '77, my dad wanted to go see Roosevelt lake. We had a '57 Ford pickup with a camper on back where my sister and I rode. I remember my dad blowing the horn on a lot of corners and the road was so washboarded it took way longer than planned and ended up being dark by the time we got to the lake. We were all glad just to be back on pavement and headed home to Phoenix on 87.
I am very glad I happened to see this video. I am taking my wife on this drive in a couple of weeks and had no idea about the closure. I had driven the Apache Trail 15 years ago and wanted her to be amazed by it as I was. I would have been very upset to unexpectedly come across the road closure but at least now I can prepare a plan to deal with it. Thanks for the upload and great footage from the drone.
I remember climbing to the top of the bridge at the first of Canyon Lake, and it was at night, about 12;00 midnight so, when I jumped off I couldn't see the water, so when I hit I was confused at which way was up. I had some great times at that lake. This was the summer of 1972.
I jumped off that bridge, but not the top, I used to do it every time we went there just to announce my arrival lol the cliff jumps were a nogo for me though.
I can certainly relate to your casual reference about the lack of road shoulders. In the fifties, when an early teen and riding in the front passenger seat, looking out there often very little between paved road edge and the deep steep ravine. Scary.
We used to tow a 25 foot boat to Apache Lake and back on this road, just went slow and pulled mirrors in to pass by oncoming traffic. Really hope the road gets restored, thx for posting!
Yep, another older born Arizona native and all us that grew up here on the many old dirt roads and etc. Those roads taught us how to respect Az terrain, and especially during the summer. Better hope you have enough water, not only for yourself, but your vehicle. Those were the best days before all it was torn up and scared from off roaders, with no respect for nature and God's Beauty. P. S. plus Spare tires, and a radiator bag. Been stuck out many times broke down in the middle of the nowhere desert back then, with my parents and siblings and after awhile you begin to pray for someone to come along adventually to help you. 🙏 😅
The dam is a rock dam they brought Italian rock masons to build it, My grandfather went off fish creek hill and lived.I can tell a lot about that road,Burt thanks for video
Right! I'm not even from Arizona and it amazes me, when I ask people if they've ever been out there and they look at me with a blank face and say " what's the Apache trail".
I am now 80 years old when I was approximately six I lived at one then it was called the horse Mesa dam housing. We had 10 homes, one multipurpose, building for school and dances, and such the road going into the dam at that time was single Lane and you had to pull over and back up as much of a quarter of a mile with steep cliff on one side to pass each other although you could see each other several miles before you gotten there to pass so one of us would have to stop and wait at the widest point as a kid it was a wonderful place to live. My father worked for salt river.😊
I used to drive this road starting in 1967, it was narrower and a great road to drive. I had a 1961 dodge and it did very well. If you didn't do anything stupid it wasn't too dangerous.
I haven't been on that road for years, but I used to drive it all the time. Sad to that part of it is closed. I hope they fix it someday. I remember when my ex-husband wouldn't listen to me when I told him that I he shouldn't go 60 miles an hour on a graveled road. He lost control and hit the side of a cliff. We had a flat tire and he made me drive all the way back from Apache Lake to Apache Junction on a donut with a baby in the car. It's beautiful, but the road is treacherous in some areas.
I couldnt agree more, one of the best scenic drives in all of arizona, but also can be very dangerous. Glad you made it back ok......thank you for watching the video.......Jessie
ADOT recently announced that they are putting $4 million into opening the closed section by the end of this year. However they are only putting in enough work to make it suitable for high clearance 4WD vehicles. Eventually they plan on making it wider and paving it so that any car can go through, but that will depend on when they can acquire the funding.
Back in the 90s after a monsoon you go up to Fish Creek and look at the waterfalls all over on both sides of that Canyon I can only imagine how crowded it is now
just released a new video of me hiking down fish creek hill, and you can see the spots on the canyon walls where the water comes down, there wasnt but a little trickle when I was there though.....just have to go back there again
When I was a little kid in the 70s, my family went to the lakes around the Phoenix area most summer weekends . If it was just a day trip for water skiing, we would go to Sahuaro, Canyon, Bartlett, or Pleasant. If we were camping, we’d go to Roosevelt, Apache, or even to Lake Powell. I don’t recall any difficulties driving on those many trips except for the time we were on the scariest part of the Apache Trail returning from an overnight at Apache lake. We had a giant Travelall and were pulling our boat. At the highest point with the most drastic drop to the canyon floor, we encountered another family with a similar truck/boat going towards the lake. Both my dad and the other driver did what they could to back up to find the most room in order to get past each other, but finally my dad could not risk another half inch, as already one tire on the boat trailer was off the edge a tiny bit. They had to squeeze past each other. I remember that there was maybe an inch (no exaggeration) between our car and theirs. As we slowly, carefully crept past one another, I could see the faces of the family we were passing absolutely frozen with fear. I know ours were too. Of course, they weren’t the ones who were going to plummet of the cliff should either driver make the tiniest mistake. Finally each trailer was clear, and we were safe. As soon as there was room to pull off the road, my dad stopped the car and got out for a minute, just to calm his nerves. Good thing he did, because once we were on the highway, a tire on the boat trailer blew out, probably it was damaged when it slipped off the edge of the road. That trip home was the most frightening experience I have ever had while riding in a car.
I’ve a sister who lives in Peoria, I’m going to visit in a couple of months, I will drive to the dam just for the fun of it, sounds like fun. I grew up on dirt roads.
Back in 73 or 74 a coworker and I decided to go watch the ski races at Roosevelt lake. These were high performace ski boats dragging skiiers about 90mph on a circular course. We hopped into my 68 Camaro and left Peoria and took the Apache Trail route to the lake thinking is was shorter for some reason. It was quite a drive. The road was not as nice back then. Lots of washboard so you couldn't go too fast. This was before they raised the damn and built the bridge. It was quite interesting driving across the old damn. Found the place, but they were shutting down the races due to weather closing in. So we headed up 188 to Jakes Corner and back on to 87 to head back to town. Back then it was no phones and paper maps and no signs. Thoughts of getting lost in the dark and trapped behind a flooding creek were running through both of our minds. Luckily we made it back to paved highway with no car issues. It was a long day but the scenery along the trail was wonderful. First and last time I drove the trail. We used to go to Canyon lake a few times to go water skiing. People would drive way to fast on that road. Almost got hit head on a few times because of people driving to fast and crossing the centerline. It is a great motorcycle ride though. Did a charity ride out to Canyon Lake and Tortilla Flats once.
When I was stationed at D-M AFB outside Tucson in the 1980s, we would drive up to Roosevelt Lake to go camping and sailing on a sailboat we took along. Back then, there were no crowds or touristy things. The camping was primitive only. I knew about the road you took, but I don't think it was passable in those days. People we talked to from Phoenix came up through Superior and Miami like we did. I see on google maps that things have changed a LOT since then around the lake.
For of us UofA college guys had a long weekend so we accepted am invitation to spend it with a girl friend and her family in Mesa. We travel in a French Renault by way of the trail. Year 1958. What a scary trip! But fun. Noticed a lot of wrecks way down cliffs.
Oh how I miss AZ! My wife and I grew up in the Southbay area of California (Torrance). I worked in Aerospace and she as a nurse. We moved to Anthem AZ in 2013 to raise our 7 and 9 yr old kids in a nice environment. Anthem was a beautiful place to live...the far North border of Phoenix. We moved again 5 year later in 2018 to Houston TX (North Part near Tomball). I couldn't believe how much traffic and building was going on in Houston. We were trying to escape that overpopulated traffic infested city life. We lived in Houston in a brand-new home in a planned community, for 5 years. But job opportunities called us back to CA. My wife now works as a Hospital Director in Orange County! I don't like the Politics of CA... but OC is a nice place to live! I'll keep voting my conscience!
Driven this road many times and agree with everything you said. I’d also suggest anyone taking this road let someone know they’re going, especially later in the day. You don’t want to have car trouble and get stuck out there, especially when the sun goes down, with no cell service. Plus, just general safety concerns.
I remember being little and my dad driving this road. I love the fact that it is a dirt road. But it was extremely scary when we were in our 1970s van and a truck pulling a trailer was coming the other way. You literally look out the window of the van and only see a revene. Usually our family of 8 would hold our breath and all kids were quiet.
Love the video. My sisters husband smoked since he was a teenager. At the age of 40 he was suddenly diagnosed with stage 4 lung, liver and bone cancer. He was gone 30 days after his diagnosis. They had 6 kids. Quit smoking.
We were there in January 2024 and talked to some highway construction people and they said it will be open to 4 wheel drive vehicles by the end of this year .
When I was really young me and my parents took this drive and it started raining...all I remember is how scared we all got...I don't know why my dad didn't turn around...guess he figured he could handle it. I took the drive past the pavement part as an adult and even though I didn't go all the way to the end, it was intense...and I've driven places like The Oatman Highway on route 66 and the alifornia coast (part of it)...this one definitely is one of the scariest roads I've ever been on, although it is wide so it's a little bit better, but I'm just scared of heights...lol...ESPECIALLY in the rain, w/my parents!
Nobody has ever found the Dutchman mine because there never was one. The truth is that the Dutchman had worked at the Vulture Mine where he was involved in "Highgrading" and let out on a fast horse for parts unknown. When he showed up in the Superstition area he knew he had to explain how, where the gold came from because Highgrading was a hanging offence in the West in the 1800s. The Vulture Mine was the richest load mine in AZ.
There's a road that takes off SR-88, that goes to Horse Mesa Dam (that creates Apache Lake) that is equally as challenging as Fish Creek Hill. I had a friend that was the dam keeper there and my family and I got a tour of the dam;s interior in the mid 1980s. There are a few houses down there for employees and one of those houses had Guinea Hens. They were very aggressive. Fascinating stuff. This was before the old restaurant and motel in Tortilla Flats burned down in 1987. There was a 6 room motel there where the new shopping building is; 2 for employees, one that I stayed in on business trips to Phoenix, two for storage, and the largest room was for a family with a special needs child. The nearest public phone was at Goldfield so when I completed my work tasks, I would call in to the company there and then I was out of touch until the next day. I used to drive my rental car across Roosevelt Dam when the dam was a masonry structure, before the new arch bridge was built.
I live in Phoenix. Glendale (Happy Valley/Hwy17) to be exact. Haven't driven further than Apache Junction yet. Wild how the chewed up vehicles were just left there.
I lived in Payson in the late 1040's until the early 1950's. Sometimes the Apache Trail was preferable to the Bush Highway. In those years there was no bridge so we actually crossed over in the dam.
I'm still bummed about Fish Creek Canyon being closed. There are a couple of nice areas down at the bottom to camp at and not have to worry about other people.
I have driven that many times, but I haven't since they worked on it. If you are bothered by heights, it is best to start the climb in Apache Junction then up to Roosevelt dam and into Pumpkin Center. That puts you on the inside lane, which is much better than the outter lane. The food at Torttilla Flats is amazing. I love their breakfast burritos and the coffee is fabulous.
Great video. We stayed in Apache Junction and didn’t realize all these areas were nearby. It would be nice if Arizona repaired the Apache Trail, but they REALLY need to fix the huge Hwy 40 potholes from Lake Havasu City to Williams. We thought we’d end up with four flats!
Hey thank you! so many neat things to see out here! thanks for checking out the video!.....Lake Havasu is beautiful, been thinking about doing a video out there about the bridge
I’m glad I watched this. I’ve driven it a few times but didn’t know about the closure. I have family coming from Australia and that was high on my list. Oh well may do it anyway. Thanks. If you are interested in doing a video on Roosevelt dam, visit the restaurant at Apache Lake. They have lots of old pictures during construction. Really interesting.
I actually have a book that I picked up on roosevelt lake/ dam. tons of old pictures in there from when it was being built......That will be a future video
if ever in Arizona and are into all kinds of Arizona history then the superstition museum is definitely a place to visit just would try to avoid the summer time if your not a fan of heat especially if your not use to the deserts high & dry heat it will definitely ruin your vacation.. but that drive is definitely one place that one should experience if you wanna capture the beauty of the desert to the high desert scenery when you get close to Roosevelt dam areas it's definitely a untouched peice of Arizona's history
I recognized that squarebody chevy truck in the first group of car wrecks you have shown. Also, when you were mentioning wrecks being 60+ years old, that frame looked like a 30s car!
It's funny that you mention that. Shortly after I uploaded this video, I found an article on phoenixFox10.com I think it was, that also identified one of those cars as Dating back to the 1930s
Jessie, excellent videos on Ariz. I have thought about doing similar videos about Arizona but I never got around to doing them. I am glad to see that you have, they are very interesting. I have lived here since I came out here to attend ASU in 1968 and I have learned a few things from your videos that I did not know. Thank You. I am a 107 drone pilot and I also fly the DJI Phantom 4 pro and the Mini 4 drones. I love DJI drones. I live in the Gilbert area and I was just curious what part of the valley you live in. No address but just the area you are in if you don't mind. Thx. Keep up the videos. Going to get too hot to fly in a few months!
hey thanks!....from the chandler area! yea, you should definitely do videos! lots to see in arizona, so much history which creates an endless amount of content!
My friends and I were going camping at Apache lake. A 40ft semi tried to take Fish Creek Hill and jackknifed in front of us at the bridge. Waited 10 hours for the wrecker to pick up the semi then get to Apache. Witnessed the truck jackknife
I drove a 45' charter bus from Mesa to the Dolly Steamboat. On the way back, we stopped at that mining town. Remind me not to do that again in a bus, lol.
we go to apache lake several times a year. the long way now. growing up we took the original fish creek route and it gets super sketch when towing a boat. still some of the best scenery ever.
I’ve driven the road from Apache junction to the dam. This was years before the closure. I wouldn’t consider it to be particularly dangerous, even the fish creek area. You just need to use your brain and don’t drive it like an idiot (and sadly there are those who drive it like idiots).
lol I agree
Yeah, you mentioned brain and idiot, so unfortunately, that leaves out a huge chunk of the population!! But maybe it will be good if they all stay away!! It's kind of like Yellowstone. Signs everywhere and you see what happens there! Like, hey hon, the sign says don't stick your hand in hot water. Let's try it!!
I've met morons coming the other way going way to fast on blind corners coming from Apache Lake. Very scary.
@@horsegoggles right! Unfortunately there seems to be no shortage of dangerous idiots.
Sadly, you’ve just described half the people on the roads (idiots)
Back in the 1950s that dirt road was narrower I remember dad constantly blowing the horn as we went around blind corners. It was an adventure we did often because dad loved fishing at Apache Lake.
My dads not big on fishing but I do recall the horn blaring on blind turns lol
lol people still do that
ITS A REAL SHAME SO MANY PEOPLE ARE TURNING THE APACHE TRAIL INTO THEIR OWN PERSONAL JUNK YARDS...THOSE WRECKED CARS 🚗 IN THE VIDEO 📹 DIDNT CRASH....THEY WERE DUMPED THERE BY MINDLESS IDIOTS...
I remember my friends mom taking us down that dirt road in the mid 1960s in a VW Bus. That was a bit freaky even for a kid.
I also have driven on the Apache Trail from Apache Junction to the dam at the end. The section of Fish Creek Hill, when I was driving down to the bottom, I came upon a truck towing an RV coming up the hill. Luckily i had enough room to pull over and let him pass. I couldnt believe someone would do that, ive never forgotten that. Seeing your video brought back all those memories. When you get to Roosevelt Lake, you turn left on the highway go about 4 miles and there are some old cliff dwellings you can hike up to. Also if you go in the saloon/restaurant at Tortilla Flat, they have some killer hot chili. The first time I could only eat a cup, but after a few times i could eat a bowl. That was some of the hottest food ive ever eaten. My mother had a winter home there, so did a lot of traveling throughout Arizona. Thanks for the memories.
Hey thank you for checking out the video! I enjoyed reading your story. Even just thinking about a truck towing an RV up fish creek hill gives me the willies. Going out to fish creek hill in a few weeks, but this time I plan on hiking down and checking out the damage to the road. Thanks again for watching 👍
I need some of that chili!
We out ?
@@savage22bolt32
GPS will take you through the trail, at least it did for me on my trip, people with trailers probably did not pay attention on what the condition of the trail, especially that it is close to Phoenix city, they wouldn't know what they are getting themselves into, is there even warning signs for vehicle length recommendation or limits?
Ha! You gave me some, too. Headlight to headlight one night and we were both pulling boats. Good ol days, huh?
My Mom Dad any myself left Ohio on my 8th birthday in 1960. Living in Tempe until I graduated high school. Growing up with and adventurous, sportsman alcoholic dad I remember many trips into the boonies of Arizona from an early age. After being in Az a month, we set out for Payson, one morning for a day trip. WE had lunch 7 hours later and got home barely at midnight. we had two flats, one of which dad broke down by hand and patched on the side of the road in the dark. Lots of dirt and gravel in those days. One trip my father crossed the Verde below Barlet dam in our 53 Mercury 2door that we drove from Ohio. Teh water line was midway up the doors when I was ordered to open my door, as he opened his and let the water flow through until we reached the opposite bank. That is just one of the adventures dad took us on the first years living in the wild west. As years went by, and we became more settled Dad got a truck, then a boat. What self-respecting 'Zonie male didn`t drive a pick-up. And what kind of fisherman cast his line from the shore. When we moved to Tempe, all we owned fit into the ole Merc and a 3x 6 x3 feet high trailer, and had maybe, Maybe $100 and no job prospects at all. Mom was a super waitress and could get a job anytime anywhere. I do remember before she passed away in 1966, working at the Safari coffee shop , a swanky resort in Scottsdale at Scottsdale road and Camelback, her one night record for times was $66 .That's like $500 in todays money. It was an understatement to say she was GOOD! Dad had a few jobs, and the economy was good In Az in the early 60s. The purpose here was to set the stage for a trip to Apache lake, Burnt Corral campground specifically in 1965. The site we were at is located north of fish creek hill on the now closed section of the Apache trail. Dad had met up with a bunch of his drinking /fishing buddies there for the weekend , and he caught , what was a state record channel catfish that weekend. Dang thing was over four feet long and I could barley lift it . Big cause for celebration. And celebrate he did. He was totally lite up by noon. I believe it was August and a Monsoon storm was moving in, so about 2-3 pm the boat was hooked up and off to home we went, just as the storm hit. The danger of this section of road , especially going uphill is an 11 on a scale of 1-10. Add to that during a monsoon, 40 plus mph winds and latterly watching water flow off the cliffs like waterfalls. Add to that wipers that are typical Arizona sun baked hard as a rock, a 2 wheel drive 59 chevy with semi bald tires, Oh and dad is probably a 2.5 if blowing into a breathalyzer. We met another truck coming down hill about halfway up the hill. Now, if we would have stopped, or even let off the gas, we for sure would be slipping downhill backward eventually going down a 1000 foot hillside. Dad kept the pedal to the metal coming so close to the downhill bound truck that both vehicles lost their drivers side mirrors. WAMM! I was sure we were goners upon the mirror impact. Holding onto the door handle ( it had no armrest) I starred at dad who had not lost an ounce of his composure. I dont know if his reaction or lack of , was a result of being in the south Pacific in 1944-45, his blood alcohol content or God. It never bothered me to ride with him when he was drunk from that day on. Come to think of it , his drinking and driving never bothered mom either. He always proclaimed, "I drive better drunk "He never got a DUI, had an accident or missed a day of work. They don`t make men like that anymore. The only bad thing I remember happening to him is during a monsoon years later, his boat came off the trailer on his way to Cave Creek Corral from Barlet Lake. Teh next day he went back to look for it and all that remained was the hull. No motor, seat tackle boxes or poles. His reaction when he found it....Dang!!
I cant tell you how much I enjoyed reading that story. Its first hand stories like this that you don't find in the history books or read about in the newspapers. It almost sounds like something out of a movie. I appreciate you taking the time to share your story and memories with us. Sounds like some good old fashioned fun!
Those were the days! I’m about same age and remember when there were men just like your father. Mine included, Warriors in Life
It almost sounds like you are romanticizing habitual drunk driving. He could killed people. He could have wiped out an entire family. You should not speak so glowingly about a habitual drunk driver.
Your dad ,your hero ,I understand , but please don't glamorize his alcoholic and drunk driving life style ,you could have been in a wheel chair or worse not to mention other people getting hurt because of his choices, hero dad could have wound up in the pen . and yes,sadly, they still make men like that .
Hilarious
My Dad spent his childhood in the 40's driving to Roosevelt Lake via the Apache Trail with his Dad on the weekends to fish in the Lake. My Mom is close friends with a descendent of the Frazier family who ran a store at Roosevelt Lake from Dam Construction until the late 1960s, when they were shut down by the Forest Service or some other government agency. Whenever my family went to Phoenix, we would drive the trail. I rode the Apache Trail last some time in the early 2000s with Dad. He was in his last decade, and I found the trail scary with him at the wheel. In Fall 2019, Mom wanted me to drive her along the trail, and I'll admit to relief that it was closed. Still -- I appreciate this video because this road was so meaningful to my parents. Thank you.
hey thank you for checking out the video, and for sharing your story!
Boy this brings back many memories. I had a 1969 Mustang Mach one with a 390 and a four speed manual in it. Threw a trailer hitch on the back of it and we used to go to all the lakes on the trail. I remember er when Tortilla flat was one little lonely building with a restaurant in it. We would tow my 17 foot flat bottom boat to Canyon lake and just back the boat a trailer into the water on the sand beach. This was before they ruined it and concreted it. We would camp and party all night. Then the next morning go to Torltilla flats for breakfast. Steak and eggs and a few beers. Then back to the lake and ski all day long. All the way back up to the dam that divided Apache lake from canyon lake. Then at times I would go to Apache lake up and down fish creek hill in my Mach One towing my boat. Never had a problem there. The tule was is someone was coming up the road you let them have the right of way if they were towing a boat. This is where you learned to back a trailer up with ease. My mustang worked the road like a champ even with the AC on high. Loved the fish creek hill road section. The Apache lake Marina was great also. They had an open bar outside on fridays and Saturday nights with a band. Great place also. We did have a problem one night there with a guy in his motor home that had his generator running all night to power his AC unit. I got tired of it and shut it off and took the spark plug out of it so he couldn’t use it the rest of the night. That poor guy never figured out why his generator quit ha,ha. We also found a mustang out there just south of the dam road that divided Canton lake from Saguaro lake. It was upside down ing the bottom of a canyon. Fell off the road I suppose. It was a 68 and totaled. But it was belly up and it had a nice top loader four speed tranny in it. I watched it all summer long and it was still there untouched. So we went back one night after we got to the lake late that night and it was the easiest transmission removal ever in my life. It was in perfect condition. The car was a light green metallic mustang with a white top. Thanks for the tranny folks. I hate to see the area so commercialized today. That is to bad. It was such a great place to water ski with a hot dog boat. The sheriffs hated us there. He made us pass by the beach at full throttle and if we were over 120 decibels we got kicked off the beach with our board. My boat had a 428 Ford with dry open headers inverted. Yes it was a little loud, but so much fun. At full throttle it burned up about forty gallons every 3-4 hours. I miss those days. And obviously I am old now. 68 but still living the life 👍. Thanks for the video and the story. I could go on all day about this highway and my experiences there.
Thank you for sharing your story. I enjoyed every bit of it. especially the part about removing the spark and the other guy not having the slightest clue about why the generator quit......priceless 👍
Biesmeyer point at Canyon Lake?
I remember racing over that road on Sunday nites coming back to Phoenix,also remember gas tanker rolled on his side at bottom of fish creek hill ,he had lost his brakes scary time for driver , he was coming down hill on Sunday evening which was a no no because lots of traffic coming back to Phoenix.when roadopens will go back to Apache Lake where I dry docked speed Boat for 20 plus years.last boat was a Donzi, My family loved the Owner Jack and his family.Lots of memories.
Another fun drive is the one that starts near Roosevelt lake. Rt 288 to Young AZ. Gorgeous drive into the mountains.
YES! and you go over that bridge too! I may have to make a video out there soon!
@@jessiesdroneadventures7464- Yes, most definitely, a vic on the drive to Young !! Btw, this one was great. I’ll have to get up to Roosevelt the long way (toward Payson) before it gets hot. Then again the AJ way, once they get the road fixed. They are definately taking their sweet time appropriating money for the fix. Very long drive around for the first responders that need to get up there, or get someone back down to Phoenix for treatment if injured. That’s for reminding us how beautiful this whole area is. Cheers
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This is my old backpacking grounds. Glad I did all that before my back went bad. We used to have conversations back in the day about how you never know when you'll be too beat up to do it! Glad I did!
That takes you to behind four peaks north of Miami AZ. My bf and his brother camped and hiked to the summit the other day
@@IcyBird420p😅😅pl. Pm
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In 1942, we were moving to Arizona. My father and mother and me came through on Fish Creek Hill. It was scary looking down with no guard rails. We saw some of the cars. We were followed by some friends, a mother, father and son about six. My father told him, don't use your brakes, just use second gear. Well, he didn't listen, and the car caught on fire. So we stopped until it cooled down.
Another time, we went to Roosevelt Dam to fish. My grandmother was with us. For some reason, my dad decided to turn around with the back end toward the ravine. My grandmother and I were in the back. She scooted down to the floor before he finished turning around. It's great to see the video of Fish Creek Hill.
1942!! How old are u now?
goodness gracious!!.....thank you for sharing your story! and thank you for checking out the video!
The only place I've ever experienced brake fade with disc brakes was on an AZ mountain road. I was using engine braking as much as I could but you can find some rather steep grades here.
@@Lurch-Bot That one picture says it all.
UK - 1990s - A family group of us were on vacation in Az - we heard of the Apache Trail, we decided to take a look, we were surprised to find it was an excellent paved road ----until we came to the dirt road and no where to go back, my young nephew was crying on the car floor, he was terrified, it was a excitingly scary dangerous road, we were in a Lincoln and were so lucky not to meet another vehicle in the opposite direction. Thanks so much for these wonderful memories.
Hey no problem! if this road could talk im sure it could share thousands of stories! and thank you for sharing your story!
When I was growing up in the 60s and 70s my family must have gone over Fish Creek Hill a thousand times on our way to Burnt Corral campground on Apache Lake for a weekend of boating, camping, and water-skiing. I practically grew up there. Almost every weekend from early spring until late fall, we were at Apache Lake. And 2 weeks in summer when my Dad got his vacation. I got some stories. Thanks for the memories.
Hey no prob! glad you enjoyed the video!
My wife and I drove this road in 1987 towing a camper. It looks in much better shape today than then, but we didn't think that it was that dangerous. But then we only met one vehicle on the entire trip and that was close to the dam. No GPS or Cell Phone then, just a paper map which worked quite well for us.
Thank you for sharing your story!
First wreck image is an early-70s Oldsmobile Delta 88 two-door Coupe. High confidence level on that one. (Note placement of backup and side marker lights.) Second rusty wreck is a Ford F-150.
I frequently take my '07 Softail along the Apache Trail specifically for its inviting "twisties". It's a wonderful way to respect the road AND hone one's riding skills when condition and debris can catch any disrespecting rider. Proud to have never taken a spill... but I have seen more than one cocky squid on his sport bike take a header off a curve.
Hey thanks for sharing! and oh god! yes! I got nothing against bikes but sometimes they can be nuisance on the trail.......Hows the expression go....ef around and find out, haha....thanks for watching the video
The taillights look more like a 74-76 Monte Carlo?
@@Loibip21 - I thought about that as well.... but Monte's of that era have no reverse lights where these are located on the bumper. Google an '71 Delta 88 "rear" and it'll have all the same contours, lights and markers in the same place. It's an Olds.
In the Spring of 2018 I was 75 years old and I wanted to see the desert blooming. Being new to Arizona I figured the Apache Trail was a good place to find desert flowers. I drove the entire length! Very scary. No flowers. This video is bringing back memories of a beautiful (but scary) drive. I also went to Sheeps Bridge in the Tonto National Forest. Another white knuckles on the steering wheel. I did want to drive the Mogollon Rim but didn’t have the time. Maybe you could?
Absolutely! in fact, i've been to the mogollon rim many times......Can definitely do a video there in the future
Wow! This was a great adventure. Thanks again for taking us along!
Hey no problem @sandiwilliams7101 Glad you enjoyed the video. it was pretty fun to put together, and I'm surprised that I havent made this video sooner, considering I come out here fairly often. Thanks again for checking out the video 🙏
We did the Trail before the closure about 7-years back. Did it with a mid-size rent-a-car. Great adventure. Drive safe and slow and it is safe. One thing though, plan ahead and do any expected potty break before starting the ride. It took us a couple hours to make it to the dam starting from Apache Junction and I don’t recall any outhouses along the way.
Before Roosevelt dam was raised, there were multiple wrecks down below the switchbacks , when they widened the road near the dam , they were buried forever, were dozens of them down there
oooooh! didnt know that, thanks for sharing!
Good video...well done. It should be noted that Apache Trail is officially known as HGWY 88 and is considered a national treasure and is therefore indeed earmarked as an Historic Highway. As you mentioned, much of it was built (or improved) in order to complete the construction of Roosevelt Dam (who was at the official dedication ceremony in 1911) for what was then known as Salt River Dam #1 and renamed Roosevelt Dam in the 1950's in his honor. The dam is one of the highest masonry dams in the world and was constructed for irrigation and flood control for the original farmer/settlers in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler areas of the Valley. It was built by the Army Corp of Engineers and was constructed of huge blocks of stone cut from the adjacent cliff face by Italian masons. The "Trail" was the route used by The Salt River Valley Water Users Association (now known as The Salt River Project or SRP) and the journey to the dam site originated out of downtown Tempe as Apache Blvd. which then becomes Main Street as you travel due east through Mesa, and then finally changes to Apache Trail as you enter Apache Jct. The trip from SRP's Cross-Cut facility (just north of downtown Tempe on the north side of the Salt River) took about three days and much of the penstock pipe used to divert the river around the Dam site during construction was transported by 20-25 mule team wagons along this route. I have seen pictures of these mule team wagon trains being slowly and carefully steered around those hairpin turns along with extended wagons carrying huge sections of pipe as they made their way from the Valley up to the site. Imagine the skill it took to coax those teams and negotiate that route back then! Note that Arizona was the last territory in the lower contiguous 48 States to become a State in 1912...At about the 19:20 mark in the video you passed one of the original transmission towers that were constructed in the early 1900's as electricity was also generated and delivered for the first time to the farming communities and growing towns that lie southeast of Phoenix. In 1989 the original dam was covered in concrete in order to raise its' capacity another 77 feet so, although you can no longer see the original stone dam, know that it still exists under that concrete surface you see today!
hey hey! thank you so much for sharing! all the info and history is appreciated! plan on putting together a video no the Dam in the near future and this was incredibly helpful!.....Thank you for checking out the video and chiming in 🙏
While doing a few weeks of work in the Phoenix area in 1993 I made a trip along the Apache Trail from one end to the other. It was a great experience. Thanks for your video!.
It sure is! cant wait to drive it again when its open.....Thank you for checking out the video 👍
Luckily, I was able to traverse the entire Trail 7 years ago when it was still open, around this same time in March. Beautiful day and journey. Took a lot of photos. Sad to know it's still closed for the foreseeable future. At least the section before Canyon Lake got repaved. It sure needed it. I rode my bicycle from East Mesa to Canyon Lake Marina and back to celebrate my 50th birthday. 50 mile round trip! Wild ride, with people in cars cheering me up the steep hills.
ADOT just approved $4 million worth of work to be done on the closed section this year to get it open again. But they are doing the bare minimum to get it open again, so it will only be suitable for high clearance 4WD vehicles.
Wow! that is quite the journey, I may have to try that sometime, would be a fun ride, maybe not as far though hehe
Great video! We drove the entire Apache Trail in 2017. Sad to hear that a section is currently closed. According to a bit of research I did, it's scheduled to reopen on April 12th. Interestingly enough, that just happens to be the date we're flying to Phoenix for a long weekend. Hmmm, might have to check it out again!
Hey thanks for checking out the video! hope you get to travel the trail again when your back. 👍
I would love to see a video on the history of that dam. We know so much about Hoover Dam, but I'm sure this one has a great story too.
There's a cemetary a little ways south of the dam that has construction workers graves in it...
@@robertallen6710 that would be nice to see in the video.
That video ill be coming!
Interesting....didnt know that. Thank you for sharing
The environmentalists would decommission it. Not because It’s bad for the environment, but because of the anarchy that would ensue, which would in gender a socialist form of government.
Great video. You did an amazing job and I loved all the history. Can't wait to watch more of your content. Be safe!
Hey thank you so much! I'm a big history nerd, especially when it comes to Arizona history, Appreciate you checking out the video!
My dad worked for highway dept. Early 70's so we lived in employee homes right before the 1st cliff to canyon lake. Best time of my life!!
Thank you for sharing!
Been on that road dozens of times. Camping and fishing on Apache lake. We tow a 20 foot popup trailer. Its a good road, and you must show respect.
YES!!
When working for SRP I would drive a large tandem drive axle dump truck pulling a large trailor loaded with a large Case backhoe down that road when it was open. I was always blessed and never had to pass another large vehicle.
I live in the area, and my favorite place to visit over there is the Superstition Mountain Museum. It tells the story of the area and the Lost Dutchman treasure. Old Western movies were filmed in the area. I love those mountains, which can be seen in the distance from my neighborhood. Simply beautiful! That is a picturesque drive.
Yes! I was just there once again.....love that area, full of so much great history.
I once drove this road to the lake and back and was so nervous the whole time. Years later my husband and I went out that way and inadvertently ended up starting up that mountain road, and I had the biggest panic attack knowing how dangerous the road was going to get and forced him to turn around while we still could.
I kind of felt the same way the first time we were driving up that hill. We were left with the decision to either keep going up the hill, knowing the pavement section wasn't too far away, or turn around and start the drive all the way back to the dam. It was getting dark at that point but we decided to drive up the hill and hey! we made it!.......Thank you for checking out the video and sharing your story
Stunning blue skies. Thank you for sharing🌵
Hey no problem, thank you for checking out the video.....The skies in Arizona are unbelievable
I rode Apache Trail including the closed section on a Harley in 2014. The only thing that sucked was the washboard gravel that got worse the closer we got to the dam.
I imagine that was a pretty thrilling experience on a bike......Thank you for sharing!
Remember driving up the Apache trail back in '77, my dad wanted to go see Roosevelt lake. We had a '57 Ford pickup with a camper on back where my sister and I rode. I remember my dad blowing the horn on a lot of corners and the road was so washboarded it took way longer than planned and ended up being dark by the time we got to the lake. We were all glad just to be back on pavement and headed home to Phoenix on 87.
Thank you for sharing your story!
I am very glad I happened to see this video. I am taking my wife on this drive in a couple of weeks and had no idea about the closure. I had driven the Apache Trail 15 years ago and wanted her to be amazed by it as I was. I would have been very upset to unexpectedly come across the road closure but at least now I can prepare a plan to deal with it. Thanks for the upload and great footage from the drone.
Hey thank you! glad you enjoyed the video!
I remember climbing to the top of the bridge at the first of Canyon Lake, and it was at night, about 12;00 midnight so, when I jumped off I couldn't see the water, so when I hit I was confused at which way was up. I had some great times at that lake. This was the summer of 1972.
I jumped off that bridge, but not the top, I used to do it every time we went there just to announce my arrival lol the cliff jumps were a nogo for me though.
Sounds like a pretty good time!
Love it!
1987, Drove myself and 7 other fellas up to Apache lake in a 73 3/4 ton International pickup with only rear brakes.
Love your video. Would love to drive that route but I’m 87 years old and live on the other side of the USA.
Thank you!.....hope you get to do the drive one day!
Fabulous drone footage and well-researched history!
Hey thank you! glad you enjoyed the video! I plan on going out here a few more times in the coming months....lots of hidden things out in these parts!
Awesome!!
I visited a mate in AZ (from Australia) and he took me boating on Crater Lake and we had a feast at Tortilla Flats.
What a memory trigger.
That was spectacular - Thanks for taking me along and all the excellent advice and insights! Real NICE!! YES!
Hey no problem! glad you enjoyed the ride!
Thanks for Sharing this wonderful video. ❤❤
hey no problem! thank you for checking it out! glad you enjoyed!
I can certainly relate to your casual reference about the lack of road shoulders. In the fifties, when an early teen and riding in the front passenger seat, looking out there often very little between paved road edge and the deep steep ravine. Scary.
Still gives me goosebump!
They need to open that part of the road because it is one of the most beautiful places on earth.
100% that view never gets old!
We used to tow a 25 foot boat to Apache Lake and back on this road, just went slow and pulled mirrors in to pass by oncoming traffic. Really hope the road gets restored, thx for posting!
oh wow! going slow and pulling in mirrors is key! thanks for checking out the video!
I drove Fish Creek in 1995 in a 79 firebird with a broken power steering pump! It was absolutely terrifying
haha I bet!
Superstition Mountains, "Thar's gold in them thar hills."
I believe there is!
Most geologists say it's not likely, despite the tales of the Lost Dutchman mine.
Then I guess all the actual gold pulled out of that mountain since the 1800s has all been imaginary.@@goldfieldgary
@@joewenzel5142 I guess you have an active imagination.
Yep, another older born Arizona native and all us that grew up here on the many old dirt roads and etc. Those roads taught us how to respect Az terrain, and especially during the summer. Better hope you have enough water, not only for yourself, but your vehicle.
Those were the best days before all it was torn up and scared from off roaders, with no respect for nature and God's Beauty.
P. S. plus Spare tires, and a radiator bag. Been stuck out many times broke down in the middle of the nowhere desert back then, with my parents and siblings and after awhile you begin to pray for someone to come along adventually to help you. 🙏 😅
THANK U 4 THE JOURNEY. I'VE LIVED IN FLAGSTAFF ALL MY LIFE, BUT HAVE YET EXPERIENCE THE APACHE TRAIL ❣️
hey no problem! you will definitely have to try it out when they reopen it
Awesome!! Canyon lake, wow. Great work 🤘🤘
Hey thanks! appreciate you checking out the video! seeing canyon lake as you coming around the curve is always one of the highlights 🤘
The dam is a rock dam they brought Italian rock masons to build it, My grandfather went off fish creek hill and lived.I can tell a lot about that road,Burt thanks for video
WHOA!! he went off fish creek hill and lived?????? I bet there's an interesting backstory to that one.....Thank you for checking out the video
His car still down there, I couldn't imagine driving through ever again after that, especially knowing my car was down there.
Great video! I lived in Arizona from 2009-2020 and I never made it out to Apache Junction. I never even knew this road existed.
A lot of people don't. I'm surprised how many people I ask if they have been out to Canyon Lake and they have no idea it's even there.
Hey thank you! Hopefully you can make it out to AZ again sometime and check it out.
Right! I'm not even from Arizona and it amazes me, when I ask people if they've ever been out there and they look at me with a blank face and say " what's the Apache trail".
Been here since 1967.
I caught a lot of bass, fishing Canyon Lake.....it's the first lake in a series of 3 lakes.....easy to get to and popular on the weekends....
This is a great road, so scenic. I have been on it a lot of times, sad to see it blocked off on my last visit.
hopefully one day it will reopen
I am now 80 years old when I was approximately six I lived at one then it was called the horse Mesa dam housing. We had 10 homes, one multipurpose, building for school and dances, and such the road going into the dam at that time was single Lane and you had to pull over and back up as much of a quarter of a mile with steep cliff on one side to pass each other although you could see each other several miles before you gotten there to pass so one of us would have to stop and wait at the widest point as a kid it was a wonderful place to live. My father worked for salt river.😊
Thank you for sharing your story!
I used to drive this road starting in 1967, it was narrower and a great road to drive. I had a 1961 dodge and it did very well. If you didn't do anything stupid it wasn't too dangerous.
thank you for sharing
I haven't been on that road for years, but I used to drive it all the time. Sad to that part of it is closed. I hope they fix it someday. I remember when my ex-husband wouldn't listen to me when I told him that I he shouldn't go 60 miles an hour on a graveled road. He lost control and hit the side of a cliff. We had a flat tire and he made me drive all the way back from Apache Lake to Apache Junction on a donut with a baby in the car. It's beautiful, but the road is treacherous in some areas.
I couldnt agree more, one of the best scenic drives in all of arizona, but also can be very dangerous. Glad you made it back ok......thank you for watching the video.......Jessie
ADOT recently announced that they are putting $4 million into opening the closed section by the end of this year. However they are only putting in enough work to make it suitable for high clearance 4WD vehicles. Eventually they plan on making it wider and paving it so that any car can go through, but that will depend on when they can acquire the funding.
Used to travel that road on a motorcycle. Good times.
Bet that would have been fun! I need to get a motor bike of some sort
Back in the 90s after a monsoon you go up to Fish Creek and look at the waterfalls all over on both sides of that Canyon I can only imagine how crowded it is now
just released a new video of me hiking down fish creek hill, and you can see the spots on the canyon walls where the water comes down, there wasnt but a little trickle when I was there though.....just have to go back there again
Arizona should be paying you, great tour guide
That would be amazing! thank you !
I was lucky enough to be on the road years ago. Wonderful views.
1st time found by YOU, residents have known about it for many years.
Heck yea!
Thank you for the adventure , seeing some amazing scenery and great history lessons !
hey no problem! glad you enjoyed and thanks for checking it out!
When I was a little kid in the 70s, my family went to the lakes around the Phoenix area most summer weekends . If it was just a day trip for water skiing, we would go to Sahuaro, Canyon, Bartlett, or Pleasant. If we were camping, we’d go to Roosevelt, Apache, or even to Lake Powell. I don’t recall any difficulties driving on those many trips except for the time we were on the scariest part of the Apache Trail returning from an overnight at Apache lake. We had a giant Travelall and were pulling our boat. At the highest point with the most drastic drop to the canyon floor, we encountered another family with a similar truck/boat going towards the lake. Both my dad and the other driver did what they could to back up to find the most room in order to get past each other, but finally my dad could not risk another half inch, as already one tire on the boat trailer was off the edge a tiny bit. They had to squeeze past each other. I remember that there was maybe an inch (no exaggeration) between our car and theirs. As we slowly, carefully crept past one another, I could see the faces of the family we were passing absolutely frozen with fear. I know ours were too. Of course, they weren’t the ones who were going to plummet of the cliff should either driver make the tiniest mistake. Finally each trailer was clear, and we were safe. As soon as there was room to pull off the road, my dad stopped the car and got out for a minute, just to calm his nerves. Good thing he did, because once we were on the highway, a tire on the boat trailer blew out, probably it was damaged when it slipped off the edge of the road. That trip home was the most frightening experience I have ever had while riding in a car.
This video is excellent! Your description of all we are viewing was really great too!! You are happening “story-telling-videographer”!! Loved this!!
Thank you so much! i appreciate those kind words! glad you enjoyed the video 🙏
I’ve a sister who lives in Peoria, I’m going to visit in a couple of months, I will drive to the dam just for the fun of it, sounds like fun. I grew up on dirt roads.
You'll have a blast!
Back in 73 or 74 a coworker and I decided to go watch the ski races at Roosevelt lake. These were high performace ski boats dragging skiiers about 90mph on a circular course. We hopped into my 68 Camaro and left Peoria and took the Apache Trail route to the lake thinking is was shorter for some reason. It was quite a drive. The road was not as nice back then. Lots of washboard so you couldn't go too fast. This was before they raised the damn and built the bridge. It was quite interesting driving across the old damn. Found the place, but they were shutting down the races due to weather closing in. So we headed up 188 to Jakes Corner and back on to 87 to head back to town. Back then it was no phones and paper maps and no signs. Thoughts of getting lost in the dark and trapped behind a flooding creek were running through both of our minds. Luckily we made it back to paved highway with no car issues. It was a long day but the scenery along the trail was wonderful. First and last time I drove the trail. We used to go to Canyon lake a few times to go water skiing. People would drive way to fast on that road. Almost got hit head on a few times because of people driving to fast and crossing the centerline. It is a great motorcycle ride though. Did a charity ride out to Canyon Lake and Tortilla Flats once.
Hey thank you for sharing your story!
I would love to see a video of the Roosevelt Dam history and more history of the region itself. The area s very beautiful and intriguing.
Its coming in the future!
When I was stationed at D-M AFB outside Tucson in the 1980s, we would drive up to Roosevelt Lake to go camping and sailing on a sailboat we took along. Back then, there were no crowds or touristy things. The camping was primitive only. I knew about the road you took, but I don't think it was passable in those days. People we talked to from Phoenix came up through Superior and Miami like we did. I see on google maps that things have changed a LOT since then around the lake.
Thank you for sharing your story!
For of us UofA college guys had a long weekend so we accepted am invitation to spend it with a girl friend and her family in Mesa. We travel in a French Renault by way of the trail. Year 1958. What a scary trip! But fun. Noticed a lot of wrecks way down cliffs.
Used to spend time up there with my dad. That road was nuts.
Haha....still is!
Oh how I miss AZ!
My wife and I grew up in the Southbay area of California (Torrance). I worked in Aerospace and she as a nurse.
We moved to Anthem AZ in 2013 to raise our 7 and 9 yr old kids in a nice environment.
Anthem was a beautiful place to live...the far North border of Phoenix.
We moved again 5 year later in 2018 to Houston TX (North Part near Tomball). I couldn't believe how much traffic and building was going on in Houston. We were trying to escape that overpopulated traffic infested city life.
We lived in Houston in a brand-new home in a planned community, for 5 years. But job opportunities called us back to CA.
My wife now works as a Hospital Director in Orange County!
I don't like the Politics of CA... but OC is a nice place to live! I'll keep voting my conscience!
Absolutely great video, I've lived in Phoenix for 24 years and I definitely want to take that drive in the near future. Thank you Sir.
Hey no problem, glad you enjoyed the video, and yes! Hope you get to take that drive one day, it's pretty spectacular!
Driven this road many times and agree with everything you said. I’d also suggest anyone taking this road let someone know they’re going, especially later in the day. You don’t want to have car trouble and get stuck out there, especially when the sun goes down, with no cell service. Plus, just general safety concerns.
Yes! great point! if your driving it alone, let someone know
I remember being little and my dad driving this road. I love the fact that it is a dirt road. But it was extremely scary when we were in our 1970s van and a truck pulling a trailer was coming the other way. You literally look out the window of the van and only see a revene. Usually our family of 8 would hold our breath and all kids were quiet.
Thank you for sharing your story!
Thank you for your trek and channel...Great footage and commentary!
Hey thanks @artguti1551 glad you enjoyed the video! thanks for tuning in!
I've drove on the road many times...mostly to fish in Apache Lake.....or Canyon Lake....fun road to explore
heck yea it is
Love the video. My sisters husband smoked since he was a teenager. At the age of 40 he was suddenly diagnosed with stage 4 lung, liver and bone cancer. He was gone 30 days after his diagnosis. They had 6 kids. Quit smoking.
Thank you 🙏
We were there in January 2024 and talked to some highway construction people and they said it will be open to 4 wheel drive vehicles by the end of this year .
When I was really young me and my parents took this drive and it started raining...all I remember is how scared we all got...I don't know why my dad didn't turn around...guess he figured he could handle it. I took the drive past the pavement part as an adult and even though I didn't go all the way to the end, it was intense...and I've driven places like The Oatman Highway on route 66 and the alifornia coast (part of it)...this one definitely is one of the scariest roads I've ever been on, although it is wide so it's a little bit better, but I'm just scared of heights...lol...ESPECIALLY in the rain, w/my parents!
The 1st one is a 1973 Oldsmobile Cutlass coupe. Most others are newer, although 3 or 4 are early to mid '30s. Nothing rusts out there!
Thank you!!!
Nobody has ever found the Dutchman mine because there never was one.
The truth is that the Dutchman had worked at the Vulture Mine where he was involved in "Highgrading" and let out on a fast horse for parts unknown.
When he showed up in the Superstition area he knew he had to explain how, where the gold came from because
Highgrading was a hanging offence in the West in the 1800s.
The Vulture Mine was the richest load mine in AZ.
There's a road that takes off SR-88, that goes to Horse Mesa Dam (that creates Apache Lake) that is equally as challenging as Fish Creek Hill. I had a friend that was the dam keeper there and my family and I got a tour of the dam;s interior in the mid 1980s. There are a few houses down there for employees and one of those houses had Guinea Hens. They were very aggressive. Fascinating stuff. This was before the old restaurant and motel in Tortilla Flats burned down in 1987. There was a 6 room motel there where the new shopping building is; 2 for employees, one that I stayed in on business trips to Phoenix, two for storage, and the largest room was for a family with a special needs child. The nearest public phone was at Goldfield so when I completed my work tasks, I would call in to the company there and then I was out of touch until the next day. I used to drive my rental car across Roosevelt Dam when the dam was a masonry structure, before the new arch bridge was built.
Thank you for sharing!
I live in Phoenix. Glendale (Happy Valley/Hwy17) to be exact. Haven't driven further than Apache Junction yet. Wild how the chewed up vehicles were just left there.
It's amazing how much faster road crews were at getting roads done back in the day compared to modern times
Most definitely, I would think this road would be fully opening again soon!
I lived in Payson in the late 1040's until the early 1950's. Sometimes the Apache Trail was preferable to the Bush Highway. In those years there was no bridge so we actually crossed over in the dam.
I remember reading about that in a book about Roosevelt Dam, would have been cool to drive over it
Some could be wrecks others people sent over the cliff to report the vehicle stolen and collect the insurance.
That's what other people have been saying....I could see it
You had a beautiful day for filming.
Sure did! The weather was perfect!!
I'm still bummed about Fish Creek Canyon being closed. There are a couple of nice areas down at the bottom to camp at and not have to worry about other people.
I think you covered the trail perfectly! I do miss driving through there. Hopefully someday it will get fixed
Could be very soon! Thank you for checking out the video
I have driven that many times, but I haven't since they worked on it. If you are bothered by heights, it is best to start the climb in Apache Junction then up to Roosevelt dam and into Pumpkin Center. That puts you on the inside lane, which is much better than the outter lane. The food at Torttilla Flats is amazing. I love their breakfast burritos and the coffee is fabulous.
Great video. We stayed in Apache Junction and didn’t realize all these areas were nearby. It would be nice if Arizona repaired the Apache Trail, but they REALLY need to fix the huge Hwy 40 potholes from Lake Havasu City to Williams. We thought we’d end up with four flats!
Hey thank you! so many neat things to see out here! thanks for checking out the video!.....Lake Havasu is beautiful, been thinking about doing a video out there about the bridge
I’m glad I watched this. I’ve driven it a few times but didn’t know about the closure. I have family coming from Australia and that was high on my list. Oh well may do it anyway. Thanks.
If you are interested in doing a video on Roosevelt dam, visit the restaurant at Apache Lake. They have lots of old pictures during construction. Really interesting.
I actually have a book that I picked up on roosevelt lake/ dam. tons of old pictures in there from when it was being built......That will be a future video
if ever in Arizona and are into all kinds of Arizona history then the superstition museum is definitely a place to visit just would try to avoid the summer time if your not a fan of heat especially if your not use to the deserts high & dry heat it will definitely ruin your vacation.. but that drive is definitely one place that one should experience if you wanna capture the beauty of the desert to the high desert scenery when you get close to Roosevelt dam areas it's definitely a untouched peice of Arizona's history
Heck yea! I've picked up a couple of books out at the superstition museum over the years!
Amazing video, thanks for this!
Hey no problem! glad you enjoyed!
I recognized that squarebody chevy truck in the first group of car wrecks you have shown. Also, when you were mentioning wrecks being 60+ years old, that frame looked like a 30s car!
It's funny that you mention that. Shortly after I uploaded this video, I found an article on phoenixFox10.com I think it was, that also identified one of those cars as Dating back to the 1930s
Jessie, excellent videos on Ariz. I have thought about doing similar videos about Arizona but I never got around to doing them. I am glad to see that you have, they are very interesting. I have lived here since I came out here to attend ASU in 1968 and I have learned a few things from your videos that I did not know. Thank You. I am a 107 drone pilot and I also fly the DJI Phantom 4 pro and the Mini 4 drones. I love DJI drones. I live in the Gilbert area and I was just curious what part of the valley you live in. No address but just the area you are in if you don't mind. Thx. Keep up the videos. Going to get too hot to fly in a few months!
hey thanks!....from the chandler area! yea, you should definitely do videos! lots to see in arizona, so much history which creates an endless amount of content!
Parts of that road remind me of a show I think was called Extreme Truckers or something. They show roads that I cannot believe allow trucks.
My friends and I were going camping at Apache lake. A 40ft semi tried to take Fish Creek Hill and jackknifed in front of us at the bridge. Waited 10 hours for the wrecker to pick up the semi then get to Apache. Witnessed the truck jackknife
wow! never know what could happen out there!
That is so cool - your drone just follows the vehicle.
Right! one of the best features on the drone
I drove a 45' charter bus from Mesa to the Dolly Steamboat. On the way back, we stopped at that mining town. Remind me not to do that again in a bus, lol.
lol I can see why
I've been through there a lot of times 😊 I live in globe,Az
Globe! I go out there every now and then.....Thank you for checking out the video!
@@jessiesdroneadventures7464 your welcome brother ✌️no matter what race we both are 💯👍
@@0skarJay690 Amen to that! We all bleed the same color 🙏
we go to apache lake several times a year. the long way now. growing up we took the original fish creek route and it gets super sketch when towing a boat. still some of the best scenery ever.
heck yea it is!