Apache Junction to Wickenburg

Basin and Range

Distance (miles)

Apache Junction Elevation (feet)

Wickenburg Elevation (feet)

This section of historic US Route 89 traverses the heart of the central metropolitan area of the Southwest. It was decommissioned as a Federal Highway in 1992. To follow the original route, drive west on Main Street through Mesa to Apache Boulevard in Tempe and around the curve at Arizona State University onto Mill Avenue. Cross the Mill Avenue Bridge and continue on Van Buren Street in Phoenix to its intersection with Grand Avenue. At Grand Avenue, you return to US Route 60 and proceed northwest to Wickenburg.

Special Attractions

Mesa Arts

Mesa Arts

Arizona

Located on Main Street, historic US Route 89, in downtown Mesa, the Mesa Arts Center is a unique and architecturally stunning facility for the performing and visual arts. With four theaters, five art galleries and fourteen art studios, visitors can enjoy a wide variety of live entertainment, art exhibits and art classes. Then walk along Main Street to view many public art installations.

Desert Botanical Garden

Desert Botanical Garden

Arizona

On the east side of Phoenix in Papago Park, the Desert Botanical Garden is located on the Galvin Parkway north of East Van Buren Street, the historic route of US 89. The Garden’s five unique trails will help you explore and enjoy the beauty of the Sonoran Desert. The garden is home to one of the world’s most spectacular living collections of the world’s desert plants. Unusual plants including giant cacti, century plants and others in a natural setting create a striking visual treat.

Phoenix Art Museum

Phoenix Art Museum

Arizona

Phoenix Art Museum is the largest art museum in the Southwest. Top exhibitions are shown alongside the museum’s collection of more than 18,000 objects of American, Asian, European, Latin American, Western American, modern and contemporary art, photography and fashion design.

Heard Museum

Heard Museum

Arizona

Dedicated to the sensitive and accurate portrayal of Native arts and cultures, the Heard Museum is an institution that successfully combines the stories of American Indian people from a personal perspective with the beauty of art. Partnerships with American Indian artists and tribal communities provide visitors with a distinctive perspective about the art and cultures of Native people, especially those from the Southwest.

View photo galleries of special attractions along Historic Highway 89 between Apache Junction and Wickenburg…

pin icon

Towns, Cities and Reservations

Apache Junction
Mesa
Tempe
Phoenix
Glendale
Peoria
Sun City
Surprise
Wittmann
Circle City
Morristown
Wickenburg

buffalo icon

Public Lands and Historic Places

Tempe Town Lake
South Mountain Park
Arizona State Capital
White Tank Mountains Regional Park
Hassayampa River Preserve

mountain

Landmarks

Salt River
South Mountains
Phoenix Mountains
White Tank Mountains
Aqua Fria River
Hassayampa River
Vulture Mountains

View these articles to find out more about…

Making the Connection: Arizona’s Historic Highway 89

Making the Connection: Arizona’s Historic Highway 89

Two historic major east-west highways cross Arizona, and each played a role in the westward migrations of the early 20th century. US Route 66 carried people across northern Arizona from Chicago to Santa Monica. US Route 80 linked Savannah to San Diego through southern...

Where Is US Route 89 in Arizona?

Where Is US Route 89 in Arizona?

When you look at a map of Arizona, US 89 is hard to find. In fact, it only exists from Flagstaff to Page and into Utah. So what happened to our border to border highway? A little background—when the federal highway system came into existence in the late 1920s, US...

Vegetable Crate Labels

Vegetable Crate Labels

The connection between US Route 89 and commercial graphic art ephemera may seem tenuous at first. But we can learn an important piece of the history of highway 89 from the lowly vegetable crate label. In the early 20th century, agriculture was an important part of the...