DARE TO DRIVE THAT RIDE: Take your Barrett-Jackson buy for a spin

January 28, 2016
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

We’re just betting that once you get that winning bid on a vehicle at Barrett-Jackson, you’ll be itching to take it for a drive. You don’t want to settle for just any old drive, and you don’t want to sit in traffic. You’re looking for that perfect stretch of open road or one that offers a few challenging turns to test out that roadholding ability. Well, you’re in luck. Not far from WestWorld are a few great options to consider, and all are on paved roads in good condition.

BARTLETT LAKE

About an hour’s drive north of WestWorld is Bartlett Lake (technically Bartlett Reservoir), a spot where locals like to cool off during Arizona’s scorching summer months. Head due north on Pima Road for a long, straight 14-mile stretch of road (mind the speed cameras near the start) that takes you along some beautiful desert scenery to the junction of Cave Creek Road. A left turn will take you to the small towns of Carefree and, a little further on, Cave Creek, where a sense of the Old West still exists in the laid-back restaurants, “watering holes,” hitching posts (often with horses attached) and eclectic shops. To reach the lake, however, turn right on Cave Creek Road and head east for about 4 miles, where you’ll turn right again on Bartlett Dam Road/Service Road 205. Here begins a 13-mile journey through lush desert, featuring bare-rock bluffs and expansive vistas, until you reach the sparkling lake.

SEVEN SPRINGS

The beginning of this journey is exactly the same as the trip to Bartlett Lake (above), so you’ll be able to test how your ride handles on that nice, straight stretch of Pima Road. Take that right turn again when you get to Cave Creek Road. You’ll stay on this road for nearly 20 miles, past the Bartlett Lake turnoff. When the road takes a sharp jog to the right, it turns into Seven Springs Road, and this is where the fun begins, as the route has many twists and turns. Eventually you’ll reach the point where the pavement runs out; another 9 miles to the right on a gravel road takes you to the Seven Springs Campground and picnic area if you’re sure you want to get that nice car dirty.

THOMPSON PEAK PARKWAY

For a pleasant, easy 10-mile loop on a good road through some beautiful desert scenery with nice curves, good elevations and high-end residential communities, head east out of WestWorld on McDowell Mountain Ranch Road to Thompson Peak Parkway. Turn left and just follow Thompson Peak as it loops around to the west, when it will join up with Pima Road. You can take Pima Road south back to WestWorld, or choose to continue a little farther on Thompson Peak to Scottsdale Road, where a left turn will take you to the Loop 101 (or Bell Road further south if you prefer to avoid the highway) and back to WestWorld.

CAREFREE HIGHWAY

Ah, yes – the road Gordon Lightfoot sang about back in the ’70s. Pretty much straight as an arrow, this is the perfect road to cruise on, offering desert vistas all the way. The route is simple: just head north out of WestWorld on Pima Road, and after about 8 miles, turn left on Lone Mountain Road. Two miles later, turn right on Scottsdale Road and take that north for another 2 miles, where you’ll turn left onto Carefree Highway (also known as Arizona State Route 74). You can cruise for about 14 miles to I-17 and then head back, or keep going for another 11 miles to Lake Pleasant Regional Park, at the center of which is Lake Pleasant, created by the Waddell Dam back in 1927.

APACHE TRAIL/CANYON LAKE

By far one of the favorite scenic drives of locals, this is a bit more of an undertaking from WestWorld (about 55 miles), but the challenging drive with its spectacular scenery is well worth it. The first leg is all highway – take the Loop 101 south to U.S. 60, where you’ll head west, exiting at AZ-88/South Idaho Road. You’ll first go through the small town of Apache Junction, but will soon leave all traces of city life behind as you continue northeast on AZ-88. You’ll pass Goldfield Ghost Town – popular with visitors to the area – and then pass Lost Dutchman State Park in the Superstition Mountains. The road begins to twist through a forest of saguaro and other cacti, stunning rocky outcrops and vast desert vistas to the sparkling Canyon Lake, offering a variety of recreational opportunities. Just past Canyon Lake is the tiny town of Tortilla Flat, with a restaurant/saloon and general store right out of a Hollywood Western.