So I have spent a grand total of 45 minutes of my life in the state of Arizona, all of that while changing planes in Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. But in a couple of weeks I will be extending that! by close to two whole days! as I will be making a brief trip to Sierra Vista. I will fly to Phoenix, drive to Sierra Vista that afternoon, and head back to Phoenix late the next day.
If it were entirely up to me I would have built in time to do a little hiking, but it is not entirely up to me; time is short, plus which one of my traveling companions is in her eighties and the other is notably unadventurous. So, that’s out. But I still would like to experience the beauties of the desert and the mountains, even if it is only from the inside of a car window. (I have very limited experience with deserts, even outside of Arizona.)
Looking at the map, it seems that I-10 goes most of the way to Sierra Vista from Phoenix, and then you get on a state highway for the rest of the trip. So, here are my questions:
Is the interstate enough to give us (me, anyway) a good sense of what the countryside is like between Phoenix and Tucson?
If not, is there a more interesting route that wouldn’t take oodles of extra time?
Is the road (I believe it is state route 90) from I-10 to Sierra Vista scenic?
As in 2 above, is there a more interesting way? I see a national forest on the map nearby, but am not sure about roads.
Google has some vague answers for me, but I would prefer opinions from people who have direct experience with these highways. And of course we Dopers are very good about sharing our opinions…
We will be in a rental car, so backcountry driving is probably out
My guess is that we will have to go down the quickest way, but I suspect I can talk my companions into spending a little extra time in the car on the way back in exchange for more scenic/beautiful country along the roads. Of course, if I-10 and AZ 90 are both incredibly gorgeous highways, then we’re set…but if there are more interesting routes possible, I’d love to know about them. Thanks in advance!
You’re looking at some pretty boring driving. AZ-90 is closer enough to the mountains to see some details. And Picacho Peak on I-10 about 2/3rd of the way to Tucson is an interesting volcanic tower right alongside the highway. It’s also not a bad place to stop for tourist trinkets & a snack.
If you like trains there’s a main line which closely parallels I-10 for much of the distance and you’ll probably encounter one or two.
Passing Marana (just north of Tucson) there’s an airport which is an airliner storage and graveyard. From the freeway it’s mostly just a forest of tails but you might spot some unusual logos or models if you’re into that sort of thing.
Other than that you’ll mostly be looking at lots of tractor trailers clogging the highway.
Late Add: If you have lots of spare time, taking US-60 east out of Phoenix to Globe then south on AZ-77 to Tucson is mountainous & much more interesting. Stopping in Globe is worthwhile; it’s a pretty unique town.
I-10 from Phoenix to Tucson is pretty dull.
As LSLGuy mentioned, going the “back way” through Globe to Oracle is much more interesting, and there should be some nice wildflowers on the side of the road.
If you have time when you’re in Sierra Vista, a drive up into the Huachuca Mountains might be interesting. There are a few ways to get there; the ones I know of involve driving through Fort Huachuca, which is usually open to the public. Take a drive up Garden Canyon or Huachuca Canyon. Both have wildlife, birds, and scenery that is quite different from the desert.
Can’t you just load the route into Google maps and use the street view as you “drive” down the road? I’ve driven it, it wasn’t at all boring (at least to someone who doesn’t live in a desert area). It’s not like drive 8 hours across the Dakotas or eastern Wyoming.
Yes, mostly flat, crowded, and boring. If you like saguaro cacti, you’ll see them.
Not without adding some serious time. Going via Globe through Oracle, which is more scenic, probably adds 1.5-2 hours, and if you went all the way out US 60 through Globe and Safford and back around on I-10 through Willcox and Benson, it would probably add 2 hours (but again, more scenic). Phoenix to Sierra Vista is nearly 3 hours as is, if you don’t get stuck in traffic. It’s a long trip for two days, although it’s certainly doable.
Mostly a large mountain range on the west side and gently sloping downhill towards the river* on the east side, if memory serves me. Not hugely scenic, but not as boring as the part of the trip going to Tucson.
You could go down almost by Elgin nearly into Huachuca City, but I have only been on half that route once and it was over 10 years ago, so I can’t vouch for the scenery.
I highlighted the above quote because that actually isn’t a bad fast side trip. If you don’t get off at the exit to 90 and keep going on I-10 to the Thing, you’ll go down an interesting descent into Benson and then back up to Texas Canyon, which has some very interesting rock formations. That would probably add 45 minutes or so to the trip. You could also go see Tombstone or Bisbee from Sierra Vista, neither is all that far from there.
If you’re driving at night from Tucson to Phoenix, remember that train headlights are extremely large and bright. Even though I know what they are and expect them when driving that stretch of I-10 at night, bright train headlights on your right can still be mildly disorienting.
*San Pedro River. Note that rivers in Arizona are often/usually dry. I find rivers with water in them to look odd as I’m used to Arizona’s usually dry rivers.
Thanks for the responses to date. Wish we had more time…
I suspect the US-60-through-Globe route is not going to fly with my companions, just too much extra driving on what is really a very short trip. Oh well. I am used to flat and dull as I do a lot of long-distance driving on roads like the Indiana Toll Road, but a bunch of saguaro cactuses along I-10 will certainly spice things up (my experience with them being highly limited). So that’s something, anyway. And the volcanic tower sounds worth a stop.
My guess would be that the THING is right out too–can’t imagine one of them, in particular, being the least bit interested. Too bad, too, as I personally love attractions like that. I like caverns a lot, too, but as noted above, I don’t think my fellow-travelers will go for it.
Have to see about Tombstone or Texas Canyon…might be able to talk them into an extra 45 minutes on the way back to Phoenix, especially if they don’t need to get out of the car much or at all. Fingers crossed!
Maybe at some point I’ll make it back, for longer, and with different people. I’ll add it to my list.
Thanks again.
Just thought I would resurrect this thread to say that I absolutely LOVED the drive between Tucson and Sierra Vista…and surprisingly I am sure for some of you really enjoyed the drive between Phoenix and Tucson as well.
Nothing quite like those cactuses where I live. And while we have mountains they are very different. And my trips to the mountains of Utah and Colorado were very different as well.
I’m sure there are many more interesting drives in AZ, but for this desert neophyte it worked very well, we did stop at the volcanic tower and again on the way back at Karchner Caverns, too late to actually tour them (figured that’d be the case). And did get briefly up into one of the canyons in Sierra Vista…in the rain (everyone we met apologized for the rain amusingly enough).
So, successful scenery for a first trip. And I do want to go back someday…
God, that is horrible!