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Come join us on this epic journey through the twisty back roads of Eastern Arizona, where you can take-in the beautiful scenery and enjoy your BMW in a manner that brings out its legendary BMW engineering magic.
U.S. Route 666 was first commissioned in 1926, with a northern terminus of Cortez, CO. The Signage arrived to Arizona in 1938, stretching to Douglas, of which 30 miles of it overlapped U.S. Route 66. 1985 marked the end of U.S. Route 66 designation, leaving U.S. Route 666 an orphan.
Due to dislike of the reference to the Antichrist, street signs were stolen at a faster pace than they could be replaced. Rerouting and complaints from superstitious drivers were a few of the reasons that lead to the gradual cessation of Route 666.
Eventually, Arizona changed the numbering to U.S. 191 in 1993. On May 31, 2003, U.S. Route 666 officially became extinct, leaving legends, scenic miles, and the nickname “The Devil’s Highway” for posterity.
The “Loop” will start in Alpine and wind its way east into New Mexico (Hwy 180). We will make our way to the Heifer Basin scenic overlook and then to Glenwood, New Mexico for a brief stop. From there, we will hook down and around to Clifton, Arizona (Hwy 78) and then back up to Alpine, Arizona (Hwy 191). The total distance is about 210 miles of spectacular views, mountain vistas, high mountain meadows, and enough twists, curves, and long-fast sweepers through multiple elevation changes to make you and your BMW happy for many months to come!
We will drive the loop once – on Saturday. Departure will be on Saturday morning, at about 9:30 am, from the Escudilla Mountain Cabins.
Our stop to refuel at the Marathon station in Morenci will probably be before lunch.
We will stop for lunch around 12:30 pm at Michelle’s in Morenci. Michelle always takes very good care of us.
Once we are all fed and rested, we will get back to it and continue the route back up to Alpine on the deliciously twisty portion of Highway 191 – the Devil’s Highway! We will make one final stop at the Blue Vista Outlook.
Once we return to Alpine, you will have the opportunity to recap your extraordinary adventure with other BMW enthusiasts, over a delicious meal, at the Foxfire at Alpine Restaurant at 7 pm.
When you register using the green Register for Event! button at the top of this page be sure to include first names for all attendees so we can ensure that each participant will receive their lanyard. Wait a minute after clicking once on the Submit button to allow the system time to process your request – you will receive a confirming message and an email.
Also, please be sure to let us know as soon as you can if your plans change and you are unable to come – accurate head counts are vital to planning a great event, including working with the restaurants to ensure we do not have empty places!
IMPORTANT NOTE: Our drives are designed to be fun and safe for the entire family. As such, we expect all participants to behave in a mature and safe manner. If you want to have a drag race or test the limits of your BMW then please sign up for our next track event and allow professional instructors to assist you in getting the most out of your BMW. This is not the venue for driving recklessly and you will be asked to leave.
Our base camp will be the Escudilla Mountain Cabins in Alpine, Arizona:
Website: Escudilla Mountain Cabins
Phone: (928) 339-4285 (they do not appear to take messages on their website number – (928) 386-5170)
Location: The cabins are on the left side of Highway 180 just as it veers right just past the brow of the hill.
We have secured a block of cabins and they will be available to our members on a first-come first-served basis. As usual, the rooms will fill-up quickly.
If there are no cabins available at the Escudilla Mountain Cabins, please check with:
Alpine Buckboard Cabins – (928) 339-4803.
Aspen Lodge – (866) 322-7736
Circle K gas station (used to be Shell)
17125 East Shea Boulevard
Fountain Hills, AZ 85268
(south side of the street near the Beeline Highway)
Date: Friday, October 11, 2024
Check-in: 11:30 am
Driver’s Meeting: 12:00 pm
Departure (caravan style): 12:15 pm
We will stop for lunch in Payson and for gas in Pinetop.
There will be a drive leader, as well as a secondary group coordinator, to keep the group together and help ensure safe travels for our members and the general public.
For those unable to make the Friday caravan up to Alpine, please review the “Caravan Route Details” below for directions to get to the Escudilla Mountain Cabins in Alpine. We look forward to seeing you there!
We’ll begin our drive on AZ Highway 87 (the Beeline) to Payson. Once in Payson, we will take AZ Highway 260 east to Culver’s where we will stop for lunch. We will continue east on AZ Highway 260 and will pass through Star Valley, Heber, and Show Low. Once we reach Show Low, we take side streets to get more directly to White Mountain Boulevard. We then turn right and travel south-west to the Maverik Gas Station in Pinetop. Then we continue on AZ Highway 260 south to AZ Highway 273. Turn right on AZ Highway 273 and proceed past Sunrise Park Resort to US Highway 191 where we turn right to go to Alpine and The Escudilla Mountain Cabins. Dinner will be at the Foxfire at Alpine Restaurant at 7 pm.
On Friday, lunch will be at:
Culver’s
805 E Highway 260,
Payson, AZ 85541
On Friday afternoon our gas stop will be at:
Maverik Adventure’s First Stop
4555 W White Mountain Blvd
Pinetop, AZ 85935
Note: It is about 182 miles to our next gas stop in Morenci.