State Route 71 (or SR 71) is a state highway in central

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 ...

that stretches between its northeast terminus at its junction with State Route 89 at

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

and its southwest terminus at its junction with U.S. Route 60 at

Aguila Águila or Aguila is Spanish for "eagle". It may refer to: Places *El Aguila, Valle del Cauca, a town and municipality in Colombia * Aguila, Arizona, United States Ships * Chilean brigantine ''Águila'' (1796), the first ship of the Chilean Navy ...

. It primarily serves as a

shortcut Shortcut may refer to: Navigation * Rat running or shortcut, a minor-road alternative to a signposted route * File shortcut, a handle which allows the user to find a file or resource located in a different directory or folder on a computer * Key ...

between Prescott and the major roads going to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

as there are no towns located on the route other than at the ends of the highway.

Route description

The route begins at U.S. Route 60 just east of the city of

. The road bends slightly northeastward before heading straight north, with fields on the west side of the road. After crossing from

Maricopa County Maricopa County is in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,420,568, making it the state's most populous county, and the fourth-most populous in the United States. It contains about 6 ...

into

Yavapai County Yavapai County is near the center of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, its population was 236,209, making it the fourth-most populous county in Arizona. The county seat is Prescott. Yavapai County comprises the Prescott, AZ M ...

, SR 71 then heads northeastward into a desert area, continuing for several miles in a straight direction through the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...

. While heading northeast, the route meets U.S. Route 93, at the

diamond interchange A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a controlled-access highway crosses a minor road. Design The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge. Approaching the ...

forming the intersection called the Joshua Tree Forest Parkway of Arizona. SR 71 then enters into the town of

, which is littered with several small houses. The route ends at an at-grade intersection with

Arizona State Route 89 State Route 89 (SR 89) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is part of the former route of U.S. Route 89 (US 89) throughout the state. Route description The southern terminus of SR 89 is located at an intersectio ...

History

The current road was originally designated a state route in 1936. Prior to 1934, the SR 71 designation was given to a road from

US 180 U.S. Route 180 is an east–west United States highway. Like many three-digit routes, US 180 no longer meets its "parent", US 80. US 80 was decommissioned west of Mesquite, Texas, and was replaced in Texas by Interstate 20 and Interstate 10 ...

near Safford to US 60 in

Eagar Eagar is a town in Apache County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 4,885. Eagar was first settled in 1871. History Brothers William Walter John Thomas and Joel Sixtus settled the area under the dir ...

. This previous incarnation of SR 71 had existed since 1927 and was part of the original state highway system introduced by the Arizona State Highway Commission on 9 September 1927. SR 71 was absorbed into SR 81 in 1934 and subsequently SR 81 became an extension of

US 666 The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

(now

US 191 U.S. Route 191 (US 191) is a spur of U.S. Route 91 that has two branches. The southern branch runs for from Douglas, Arizona on the Mexican border to the southern part of Yellowstone National Park. The northern branch runs for from the north ...

Junction list

References

External links

SR 71 at Arizona Roads
{{Authority control 071 Prescott, Arizona Transportation in Maricopa County, Arizona Transportation in Yavapai County, Arizona