History of the Scenic Drive: Beginnings

Home » All Articles » History of the Scenic Drive: Beginnings

Posted By Les Conklin on Feb 14, 2015

Original Scenic Drive Monument Sign, Located on the east side of Scottsdale Road, just south of Jomax Road, in Maricopa County, 1968

For years, the only way into Cave Creek was via Cave Creek Road, a narrow two-lane road through open desert. There weren’t many houses in the foothills.

In 1963, north Scottsdale did not exist. Scottsdale Road had just been paved from Pinnacle Peak Road north to the new town of Carefree. It was natural for residents to worry about the future of their beloved desert. Copies of Black Mountain News described the efforts and thinking that led to the establishment of the Scenic Drive.

The large monument sign, pictured to the right, was erected by Maricopa County in 1968 and it marked the location of a small park with picnic tables and restrooms for visitors enjoying the Scenic Drive.

Read Scenic Drive Beginnings

Author: Les Conklin

Les Conklin is a resident of north Scottsdale He founded Friends of the Scenic Drive, the Monte de Paz HOA and is the president of the Greater Pinnacle Peak Association. He was named to Scottsdale's History Maker Hall of Fame in 2014. Les is a past editor of A Peek at the Peak and the author of Images of America: Pinnacle Peak. He served on the Scottsdale's Pride Commission, McDowell Sonoran Preserve Commission, the boards of several local nonprofits and was a founding organizer of the city's Adopt-A-Road Program.. Les is a volunteer guide at the Musical Instrument Museum.