Beale Wagon Road Historic Trail

campsites at Laws Spring and Russel’s Tank. Russel’s and Spring Laws at campsites some feature of this diverse and productive land. productive and diverse this of feature some

them in 1857. in them continue to challenge the modern day pathfinder near historic historic near pathfinder day modern the challenge to continue and recreationists all here, just as you are, to make use of of use make to are, you as just here, all recreationists and

condition as they were when Lt. Beale first encountered encountered first Beale Lt. when were they as condition Beale himself. Extensive stands of piñon-juniper woodlands woodlands piñon-juniper of stands Extensive himself. Beale sales and reforestation projects, of hunters, woodcutters, woodcutters, hunters, of projects, reforestation and sales

through which the road winds remain in nearly the same same the nearly in remain winds road the which through many of which have been named after noted explorers, including including explorers, noted after named been have which of many watch for evidence of sheep and cattle grazing, of timber timber of grazing, cattle and sheep of evidence for watch

Kaibab National Forest, significant portions of the landscape landscape the of portions significant Forest, National Kaibab Ponderosa pine forests still cover the slopes of those mountains, mountains, those of slopes the cover still forests pine Ponderosa historic uses of public lands. As you retrace Beale’s steps, steps, Beale’s retrace you As lands. public of uses historic

travel back into the colorful era of the pioneers. On the the On pioneers. the of era colorful the into back travel limitless landscape that welcomed Beale and his camel caravan. caravan. camel his and Beale welcomed that landscape limitless visitors an excellent opportunity to observe current as well as as well as current observe to opportunity excellent an visitors

West, but it does offer modern day pilgrims a chance to to chance a pilgrims day modern offer does it but West, grasslands of Government Prairie and inspire visions of the the of visions inspire and Prairie Government of grasslands to notice the present. Traveling Beale Road offers forest forest offers Road Beale Traveling present. the notice to

Beale Wagon Road no longer leads hardy settlers settlers hardy leads longer no Road Wagon Beale High mountains set a dramatic backdrop for the broad broad the for backdrop dramatic a set mountains High While you’re taking this trip into the past, don’t forget forget don’t past, the into trip this taking you’re While

Pioneering Beale Road Today Road Beale Pioneering

places the original original the places

disappeared. In a few few a In disappeared.

say hostile Indians and the disruption of westward migration migration westward of disruption the and Indians hostile say

has all but completely completely but all has

California Trail in the amount of traffic it carried west. Others Others west. carried it traffic of amount the in Trail California

of the historic roadway roadway historic the of

impact of Beale Road. Some say it rivaled the Oregon/ the rivaled it say Some Road. Beale of impact

abandoned, and evidence evidence and abandoned,

Historians are mixed in their assessment of the the of assessment their in mixed are Historians

stretches have been been have stretches

interstate highway today. highway interstate rural byways. Other Other byways. rural

an amount that would produce feet rather than miles of of miles than rather feet produce would that amount an are still being used as as used being still are

Colorado River, all for the bargain price of $210,000, $210,000, of price bargain the for all River, Colorado Some segments of it it of segments Some

route for 1,240 miles, from Ft. Smith, Arkansas, to the the to Arkansas, Smith, Ft. from miles, 1,240 for route of his entire journey. journey. entire his of

smooth the way for wagons. Yet it provided a serviceable serviceable a provided it Yet wagons. for way the smooth as the most beautiful beautiful most the as

a 10-foot-wide track with the rocks pushed to the side to to side the to pushed rocks the with track 10-foot-wide a which he singled out out singled he which

say the least. In most places it amounted to no more than than more no to amounted it places most In least. the say route includes portions portions includes route

By modern standards, Beale’s road was modest, to to modest, was road Beale’s standards, modern By 23-mile stretch of Beale’s Beale’s of stretch 23-mile

a recreational trail. This This trail. recreational a building efforts, however, proved much more successful. more much proved however, efforts, building

Forest is maintained as as maintained is Forest foul smelling, evil tempered, and ugly. The lieutenant’s road road lieutenant’s The ugly. and tempered, evil smelling, foul

the Kaibab National National Kaibab the in the eyes of muleskinners who considered the animals animals the considered who muleskinners of eyes the in

that passes through through passes that across the dry, rocky landscape, but his experiment failed failed experiment his but landscape, rocky dry, the across

of Beale Wagon Road Road Wagon Beale of of the desert” surprisingly effective at packing heavy loads loads heavy packing at effective surprisingly desert” the of

Today, the section section the Today, and his crew of 50 men. The lieutenant found these “ships “ships these found lieutenant The men. 50 of crew his and

East, were provided to carry supplies and tools for Beale Beale for tools and supplies carry to provided were East, route he pioneered. he route

miles of desert. Twenty-two camels, fresh from the Middle Middle the from fresh camels, Twenty-two desert. of miles affirm the value of the the of value the affirm

was chosen to chart the road’s course through hundreds of of hundreds through course road’s the chart to chosen was ability as a pathfinder and and pathfinder a as ability

A retired Navy lieutenant, Edward Fitzgerald Beale, Beale, Fitzgerald Edward lieutenant, Navy retired A its course. As such, they bear strong testimony to Beale’s Beale’s to testimony strong bear they such, As course. its historic route. route. historic

Railroad, Route 66, and Interstate 40, all more or less follow follow less or more all 40, Interstate and 66, Route Railroad, strategic places along the road and enjoy highlights of this this of highlights enjoy and road the along places strategic unique as its appointed task. appointed its as unique

provide another testimonial to its worth. The Santa Fe Fe Santa The worth. its to testimonial another provide world.” Or you can drive to interpretive stations located at at located stations interpretive to drive can you Or world.” expedition sent to survey and construct that road was as as was road that construct and survey to sent expedition

The transcontinental routes that replaced Beale Road Road Beale replaced that routes transcontinental The broad vistas that Lt. Beale described as “unsurpassed in the the in “unsurpassed as described Beale Lt. that vistas broad built through the heart of the new lands to California. The The California. to lands new the of heart the through built

follow along step-by-step if you wish and thrill to the same same the to thrill and wish you if step-by-step along follow the Southwest’s first federally funded interstate road to be be to road interstate funded federally first Southwest’s the (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) Railroad in 1883. in Railroad Fe) Santa Northern (Burlington

marked for its entire course across the forest. You can can You forest. the across course entire its for marked expeditions to explore the area. In 1857, it commissioned commissioned it 1857, In area. the explore to expeditions stockmen until the construction of the Atlantic and Pacific Pacific and Atlantic the of construction the until stockmen

the pioneers who followed his lead will find the road clearly clearly road the find will lead his followed who pioneers the canyons, and rocky plateaus, Congress sent a number of of number a sent Congress plateaus, rocky and canyons, humble road continued to serve both immigrants and and immigrants both serve to continued road humble

Those who wish to retrace the steps of Lt. Beale and and Beale Lt. of steps the retrace to wish who Those to provide access to this region of rugged deserts, deep deep deserts, rugged of region this to access provide to of sheep and cattle were driven along its course. Beale’s Beale’s course. its along driven were cattle and sheep of

trackless wilderness on its southwestern corner. Eager Eager corner. southwestern its on wilderness trackless uncounted thousands followed its simple tracks. Millions Millions tracks. simple its followed thousands uncounted prairie.

the United States found itself the new owner of a virtually virtually a of owner new the itself found States United the success. History and the wagon ruts tell us, however, that that however, us, tell ruts wagon the and History success. or as two lines of rocks setting a straight course across the the across course straight a setting rocks of lines two as or

In 1848, at the end of the Mexican-American War, War, Mexican-American the of end the at 1848, In by the Civil War kept it from ever achieving that kind of of kind that achieving ever from it kept War Civil the by roadbed is still visible as a slight depression in the rocky soil soil rocky the in depression slight a as visible still is roadbed Beale Wagon Road Wagon Beale

The Wind Breathes History Hike, Bring Your Horse (or Camel) But . . .

“There are spots of the old road off the beaten path where one can still go, shut out the sound of motors, and hear on the wind the Travel on stretches of Beale Wagon Road, which United States Department of Agriculture grating of the iron ringed wheels on the rocks, the thud of hoofs on have remained relatively undisturbed since the days of the sand and, perhaps, if the wind is right, the indignant groan of a Forest Service camel.” pioneers, is restricted to the same modes of transportation available to the lieutenant and his expedition. That excludes Southwestern Region “Beale’s Road Through Arizona” passenger cars, 4-wheel drive vehicles, ATVs, dirt bikes, Eldon G. Bowman and Jack Beale Smith RG-R3-07-5 and mountain bikes. But this doesn’t mean you have to “rough it” to visit this historic attraction. You can retrace Beale’s historic Beale Wagon Road journey in your car or on your mountain bike where Beale Road exists as a Forest Service road in some places. Historic Trail Interpretive stations and parking areas further enhance the route’s accessibility near locations that have special historic Williams Ranger District significance or offer outstanding recreation opportunities. Kaibab National Forest Consult the map found on the inside of this brochure. Please remember to leave historic sites, artifacts, and other cultural remains undisturbed for others to enjoy.