Locally referred to as "Dead Cow Road," AZ-238 is punctuated by small hills, gullies and curves that make it a fun driving experience, especially if you don't mind taking your chance at exceeding the 55 mph limit.
It also is a scenic drive as the road winds through the Sonoran Desert National Monument, a 487,000-acre preserve administered by the Bureau of Land Management.
Once it was possible to turn off the highway and travel through the monument. There was a 10-mile route suggested for 4-wheel-drive vehicles (or 2-wheel-drive pickups whose owners were confident of their driving expertise). It also once was an area available to horseback riders, backpackers, hikers and more. However, nowadays, access to the more remote areas is restricted as drug and people smugglers have made it a dangerous area.
But it remains scenic, even from the highway. With a landscape of nearby mountains and tall saguaros, the roadside beckons to travelers to stop and snap a few photos. And a steady supply of freight trains running along tracks on the south side of the highway make for additional photo opportunities.
During summer monsoon season, rains drench the mountains. The gullies across the highway quickly fill with swift-moving floodwaters, and drivers can find themselves temporarily stuck between two washes, waiting for the water to recede.
This time of year however, saguaros are the stars of the show. The peak blooming season has past, but a few white flowers still dot the tops of the saguaro arms. Blackened spent blooms are striking against the green cactus branches, and soon there will be bright red fruit.
Saguaros are found exclusively in the Sonoran Desert, and the white blooms are the state's official flower. The cacti can live to be 200 years old and often grow to be more than 40 feet tall with multiple arms.
Next time you're in the neighborhood, grab your camera and take a spin on 238.
