A great day trip or campout is to Drive with high-clearance vehicles and leave the crowds behind on this 60-mile
scenic back road through the Tonto National Forest, connecting I-17 Bloody Basin
Exit 259 with Carefree and Cave Creek north of Scottsdale. You'll enjoy views of
the Mazatzals, rugged high-desert hill country, and wooded canyons. You can stop
by two prehistoric pueblo sites on the way, Pueblo la Plata (see Agua Fria
National Monument above) and Sears-Kay Ruin (see Sights North of Scottsdale).
Allow about five hours plus stops and side trips.
In Bloody Basin, 23 miles
from I-17, a very bumpy side road goes southeast 12 miles to the Verde River,
where hikers can stroll across Sheep Bridge into the Mazatzal Wilderness.
Primitive camping is possible almost anywhere in Tonto National Forest, or you
can stop at Seven Springs, CCC, or Cave Creek campgrounds near the south end of
the drive.