Az273 White Mtns s(u) by Bicycle - Velo

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Az273 White Mountain Rd s(u)

The White Mountains are strange mountains, and this is the highest point on the White Mountain Scenic Road. These mountains are really flat, at least that is the impression you get when getting to know them on this part of Az273, A mesa would be a better descriptive term. This is a summit over a extensive rolling, high, lava capped mesa. But to get here a very nice climb was involved. This seems to be a relatively new paved road. The surface not only seems but really is in perfect condition as of 2024, and in October at least there is less traffic up here than in paradise before god spoiled it with people.

1.START-END NORTH-1:jct Az260 - Az261, Springerville
2.Ax260 turns right in Egarville
3.START-END NORTH-1, ALT: turnoff to Az273 into the White Mtns
4.Az260 Eagan - Indian Pine(shp)
5.route turns left onto Az273
6.TOP, Az273 White Mtn Rd s(u), 9410ft
7.profile turns left onto Az273
8.Az260 White Mtn Rd s(u)
9.START-END NORTH-2:same as point 3

Approaches

From North-1. (described upwards). The majority of climbing on this side is really Az260 from Eagan to Showlow. There is a good shoulder on this road. Half a mile or so past the Ax260 summit, decket out with a microwave dish and cows grazing between lips of lava, Az273 takes off across the high grassland towards a ski area. The runs on the small ridge can be seen from several miles. It looks like it is sitting on a plain.

Meanwhile the road has crossed into the Apache Reservation. Every litte bump on this pleasant rollling trip on a wide traffic-free road is suspect of being the summit. After all - there is a ski lodge here, albeit with only a single gas pump and a pleasant low key feel to it. There is nothing on the horizon to make you suspect that this is the top of a mountain range, at least it's called a mountain range, the White Mountains. But this is actually the fact that makes this ride so fantastic, the knowledge that it takes a climb to get to this lava plain. In the end there is a noticable climb, as the road crests a what could be considered a giant rumpled tortilla on a paper plate supported only in the middle, and the view shed takes in the grassland to the south.

From North-2. (described downwards) Soon lakes appear out of nowhere, Crescent Lake, then prosaically named Big Lake. Excellent pavement continues down to South Fork and Alpine. The junction with the Az261 part of the White Mountain Road is between the two lakes. Its summit is about 100ft lower than this one, but all the rolling along that the road does is a bigger factor in the workout.

Dayride with this point as highest sumit:

COMPLETELY PAVED:

( < Az261 White Mountain Rd s(u) | US191 Mogollan Rim s(u) > )

Az273 White Mountain Rd s(u) , Az261 White Mountain Rd s(u) :additional out and back: near Az261, several miles from its junction with Az260 > down Az261 > Az260 west > Az260 Eagan - Indian Pine(shp) > Az273 south > jct with Az261 <> out and back on Az261 direction South Fork << turnaround point at ~8700ft >> Az261 north ? Az261 White Mtn Rd s(u) > back to starting point near Az261, several miles from its jct with Az260 : 64.4miles with 4400ft of climbing in 5:53hrs (garmin etrex32x r4:24.10.31)
Notes: contains a small distance of unpaved road to approach the loop

single pump ski lodge with mountain bike decor