Bush Highway is a
scenic highway
A scenic route, tourist road, tourist route, tourist drive, holiday route, theme route, or scenic byway is a specially designated road or waterway that travels through an area of natural or cultural beauty. It often passes by scenic viewpoint ...
in the US state of
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
. It begins at the northern end of
Power Road in
Mesa and extends northeasterly through the
Tonto National Forest to the Beeline Highway. The highway was named for local resident Harvey Grandville Bush in the 1930s.
The road continues south beyond its terminus as Power Road, a major road within the cities of Mesa,
Gilbert Gilbert may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
*Gilbert (surname), including a list of people
Places Australia
* Gilbert River (Queensland)
* Gilbert River (South ...
, and
Queen Creek
Queen Creek is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa and Pinal County, Arizona, Pinal counties in the U.S. state, state of Arizona. The population was 59,519 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 26,361 at the 2010 Uni ...
.
Route description
Bush Highway begins at the northern end of Power Road at the northern boundary of
Mesa and continues northward. Near the
Salt River, the roadway turns to the northeast into
Tonto National Forest. The highway runs over the
Arizona Canal
The Arizona Canal is a major canal in central Maricopa County that led to the founding of several communities, now among the wealthier neighborhoods of suburban Phoenix, constructed in the late 1880s. Flood irrigation of residential yards is st ...
and past the
Granite Reef Dam. The highway continues along the Salt River near its confluence with the
Verde River and past
Red Mountain. It crosses the river on the Blue Point Bridge, which is a location used traditionally as the start of tubing trips down the river. From there, the road continues northerly past the
Stewart Mountain Dam and
Saguaro Lake to connect with
State Route 87 (Beeline Highway).
History
The highway was named after Harvey Granville Bush, a Mesa lumberman. Construction on what was then called "The Harvey Bush Highway" began on March 21, 1933. The road opened to the public in 1934.
Major intersections
See also
*
*
References
External links
{{Attached KML, display=title,inline
Tonto National Forest Recreation Areas
Roads in Arizona
Transportation in Maricopa County, Arizona