Join us in your 4-wheel drive Porsche or other brand for an off-road tour up the newly reopened Apache Trail (State Route 88) to Roosevelt Lake. We will meet at the Sunnyside Breakfast Lounge by 8:30am for a drivers meeting (come earlier of you want a great breakfast) and we will plan to leave by 9:00am.

We’ll drive up McDowell Rd to Ellsworth Rd to Brown Rd to SR-88, past Canyon Lake to Tortilla Flats (quick pit stop) where pavement ends and up to Fish Creek Vista. ADOT has reopened the 5-mile unpaved section of State Route 88 (Apache Trail) from Fish Creek Vista (milepost 222) to milepost 227 near Reavis Trailhead Road that was closed due to extensive roadway damage and rock debris following severe flooding in 2019.

The Woodbury Fire in June 2019 consumed almost 124,000 acres of the Tonto National Forest. In September 2019, a storm dumped approximately six inches of rain onto the fire scar and the runoff severely damaged large portions of the road, with the most damage in the area between the Fish Creek Vista and milepost 227 (near Reavis Trailhead Road). The damage included a large rockslide that left that section of the road unpassable but is now restored.

We will continue past Apache Lake and stop at the observation point for Roosevelt Dam. From there, we’ll head west to the Butcher Hook Restaurant (State Route 188, Sign #259, Tonto Basin, AZ), then return to Phoenix via the Beeline Highway or, if you wish, you can go east to Globe and return to Phoenix by Rt-60. The tour will be on dirt roads for about two hours through beautiful backcountry and should be manageable by everyone.

This will sometimes be very bumpy but relatively easy for your Cayenne or Macan (or any other 4-wheel drive vehicle). Street tires will be fine but expect to get your car very dirty!  Remember to bring plenty of water!