The route begins off Interstate 10 in Lordsburg at the Main Street exit. Follow Main Street northwest to the edge of this small town and pick up US 70/NM 90 toward Globe and Silver City. Just outside the town limits, follow NM 90 as it splits off to the right; as you travel north and east, the Burro Mountains rise up on your left.
After about 30 miles, you’ll come to the Tyrone Copper and Gold Mine, an open-pit operation on the site of what was once a quite beautiful mining town called Tyrone. The Phelps Dodge Corporation built Tyrone as a planned community, a “dream city” for employees of their mines in the area. Instead of brothels and saloons, Tyrone had good schools, a hospital, and an elegant train station with chandeliers and marble drinking fountains. But after World War I, when the price of copper plummeted, the mining company pulled out, and the dream city became an unusually elegant ghost town. In the mid-1960s, copper prices were up again, so Phelps Dodge started digging the pit mine that you see today. The remnants of the lovely ghost town were simply scooped up along with the rocks and the dirt to get to the riches underneath.
Silver City has its charms (see Scenic Side Trip 2), but if you don’t plan to stop, you can take the truck bypass route to US 180 and avoid the traffic in town. From here, US 180 leads west toward a range of low mountains, then northwest along the base of that ridge. After 30 miles, just before the town of Cliff, you’ll cross the Gila River as it comes down out of the higher mountains to the east, the forested peaks of the Gila Wilderness.
Twenty miles farther along, the road starts to climb up into the high country. After you pass through the rural communities of Pleasanton, then Glenwood, bear right onto NM 174, go about a mile, then turn right on Catwalk Road. Follow the signs for the Catwalk National Recreation Trail in Whitewater Canyon, a distance of about 4 miles.
Catwalk National Recreation Trail, Gila National Forest
From the picnic area, a very cool trail leads into the narrow canyon; part of it consists of a metal catwalk attached to the canyon wall, from which you can look down on the rushing waters 20 feet below. The original catwalk, which was built of wood, was installed to facilitate maintenance of a pipeline that carried water for mining operations and for the small town of Graham, at the mouth of the canyon. That rickety structure was never very safe, and it was wiped out more than once by floods roaring down the canyon. In the 1930s, when the pipeline was no longer needed, the catwalk was rebuilt for recreational purposes, and it was later upgraded to the sturdy structure you’ll see today. This canyon is just 20 feet wide and the cliffs tower 250 feet overhead. From the trail, you get a thrilling perspective.
Leaving the recreation area, retrace your route back to US 180, turn right, and follow the road for 4 miles to NM 159, Bursum Road. Turn right again, and follow the twists and turns of what used to be a haul road for mule teams pulling ore wagons from the mines at Mogollon (pronounced Muggy-ohwn). The road is paved, and it’s maintained, but it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s steep, it’s narrow, there are sheer drop-offs, and it’s barely wide enough for cars to pass one another going in opposite directions. If you elect to drive it, take it slow and be careful.
What’s left of the once booming hamlet of Mogollon, some 6 miles farther along, is now a ghost town, with wonderfully dilapidated buildings that make great photographs. Some of the buildings have been restored and taken over by artists and craftsmen, sparking a revival of sorts for this remote community, and there are tours of the place offered on summer weekends.
Leaving Mogollon, drive back the way you came on NM 159 and keep going until you rejoin US 180.
Note. You can save about 25 miles and at least an hour of driving if you skip Catwalk Trail and the Mogollon ghost town. Simply stay on US 180 and keep going until you reach Alpine.
| Lordsburg, Silver City, and US 180 Highlights |
| Tyrone Copper and Gold MineNM 90 S. & Tyrone Mine Road, Tyrone, NM 88065(505) 538-5331Catwalk National Recreation Trail5 miles from Glenwood, NM, at the end of NM 174 (Catwalk Road)(575) 539-2481Mogollon Ghost Townmogollonenterprises.com |
Alpine and the White Mountains of Arizona
US 180 runs north through pine-clad mountains for another 50 miles, through the small town of Luna, and then crosses into Arizona. The first Arizona town you’ll come to is Alpine, set in beautiful mountains amid a stand of magnificent Ponderosa pines that stretches for 300 miles, from the Coconino National Forest of central Arizona all the way into the mountains of western New Mexico.
In the area around Alpine, and for many, many miles to the south, you’ll see lingering scars from the Wallow Fire of 2011. That disastrous blaze torched nearly 500,000 acres of forest, making it the largest wildfire in Arizona history. Ponderosa pines have extremely thick, tough bark that makes them naturally resistant to fire, but that fire burned so big, and so hot, that the crowns of the trees were destroyed, leaving nothing behind but blackened stumps. The trees will come back, you can be sure, as that’s the natural order of things, but it will take a very long time.
Wildflowers, White Mountain Scenic Loop
In Alpine, pick up the Coronado Trail Scenic Byway headed south. The road takes its name from the Spanish explorer Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, who traveled near here in 1540 on his search for the fabled Seven Cities of Gold. This is one of the curviest highways you’ll ever drive; some people kept count, and in the 92 miles between Alpine and Morenci, they tallied 435 switchbacks and twice that many lesser curves. Many of those hairpins are posted at 10 mph, and they’re not kidding! The road gets little traffic, but what there is moves very slowly, so you should allow a good 4 hours for the trip; also, under no circumstances should you drive the road at night, so judge your departure time accordingly. Just take it easy and enjoy the breathtaking mountain views.
Springerville Volcanic Field, White Mountain Scenic Loop
If you arrive in Alpine too late in the day to safely start south, or if you’d simply like to linger in the cool temperatures and majestic tranquility of Arizona’s White Mountains, you have some options here. Lodging is available in Alpine, or just a little farther south at the old Hannagan Meadow Lodge, and there are campgrounds in the National Forest. If you’re not in a hurry, the White Mountain Loop is a terrific optional side trip (see sidebar). There are additional options for lodging on that loop.
| White Mountain LoopArizona’s White Mountains are an oasis of green in a region best known for cactus-studded deserts and arid, rocky canyons. Pines and aspens cloak the mountainsides, while alpine meadows spread beneath a sky so bold and blue it seems close enough to touch. The mountains are cool in summer and there’s snow in the winter; wildlife abounds, with herds of elk and antelope browsing alongside the roads. If you have the time, this optional 90-mile, 2-hour loop will show you some of the best this beautiful region has to offer.Leaving Alpine, drive north on US 191. After about 2 miles, turn left onto Three Forks Road (Forest Road 249) toward Big Lake. The road, which was resurfaced after the Wallow Fire in 2011, is in excellent condition. Beyond the area that was burned in that fire, this scenic road passes through Williams Valley, which is like a sea of wildflowers in spring and summer. After about 16 miles, merge onto AZ 273, near the turnoff for Big Lake. There are Forest Service campgrounds here (928-521-1387, biglakeaz.com), and the fishing is some of the best in the state. Nights are cold, even in summer, as the altitude here is 9,200 feet.From Big Lake, follow AZ 273 to the junction with AZ 261, White Mountains Scenic Drive. Looming on the horizon to the west is 11,421-foot Mount Baldy, the highest peak in the range. As the road starts back down into Round Valley, pull over at the overlook, and below you’ll see a wide scattering of worn, conical hills on the high plain. These are remnants of the Springerville Volcanic Field, a 1,200-square-mile area comprising more than 400 extinct volcanoes. It is one of the most extensive concentrations of ancient volcanic activity in the U.S.At the bottom of the hill, you’ll
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