History of the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive

This monument sign was erected by Maricopa County in 1966. There were two, one on Scottsdale Road and one on Cave Creek Road.

For years, the only way into Cave Creek was via Cave Creek Road, a narrow two-lane road through open desert and there weren’t many houses in the foothills. In 1963 Scottsdale Road had just been paved up 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. Review Black Mountain News Articles

A Tiny Community Comes Together

Before it was completed almost everyone in the Cave Creek-Carefee area was involved. The local lumber yard provided the wood, businessmen worked evenings constructing the signs, school kids helped with the painting, and numerous other volunteers installed the signs and cleared the areas around the selected plants, which had been chosen by a local botanist. See “Early History” for more information this effort. The result was a 17-mile U-shaped scenic drive which ran up Scottsdale Road and back down Cave Creek Road. Dozens of trees and shrubs representing more than 20 plant families were identified by redwood signs. See “Diagram of Plant Sites.” A large redwood Drive Entry signs was installed (see ” Historic Photographs”. Over the years Cave Creek residents, like Ted Clark and Jo Walker, contributed their time and leadership to keep the tradition of the Scenic Drive alive. The saga of the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive continues. Early History, Cave Creek Improvement Assoc. Diagram of Plant Sites   Historic Photographs

Maricopa County Supports the Drive

In May of 1966 the Maricopa County Planning Department prepared a detailed report on the drive. Vince Thelander, chairman of the study committee and resident of Cave Creek wrote, “The idea for this report was conceived with the thought .. that it might serve as an inspiration to other communities to take ACTION IN THE PRESERVATION OF natural beauties in their areas … this is truly an example of a community doing things for itself with a minimum of government assistance.” Maricopa County followed up by establishing setbacks along the roads and putting up concrete slab markers (referred to as “monuments”) with iron letters at each end of the drive. (see “Historic Photographs”). For additional information see “Maricopa County Planning Report”.  Maricopa County Planning Report, 1966

“Plant Parents” Care for Drive

Over the years, the signs and plants were maintained by volunteers called plant parents. The volunteers including resident families, local Boy Scouts troops and school children. The Cave Creek Improvement Association, under the leadership of Jo Walker, assumed responsibility for the drive representing its interests before planning commission meetings related to new development. Note that most of the plant signs are on private property and not the responsibility of any government. For more information on CCIA and their efforts see “Background Information, Desert Foothills Scenic Drive, Jo Walker, 1987. Background Information, Jo Walker Report, 1987

The Drive in Decline

In the mid-1980s the area around the Cave Creek Road part of the drive was annexed by Phoenix; and the Scottsdale Road portion of the drive was annexed by Scottsdale. Not everybody that lived in the effected areas favored the annexations. Interest in the drive, which had been under the jurisdiction of Maricopa County and supported heavily by the residents of Cave Creek/Carefree, waned. New arrivals knew little of the drive’s traditions. Most people didn’t know who was responsible for maintaining the drive. Time passed. Plants died. Plant identification signs disappeared. But for the most part, the spirit of the drive and its setbacks were respected but not without effort. For more information on this period, see “Paving the Way to Ruin …,” Arizona Republic, 1995. Paving the Way to Ruin, 1995

Friends to the Rescue

In 1994 an informal group of residents, the Foothills Drive Homeowners Coalition, organized to oppose a proposed commercial development at the intersection of Scottsdale Road and Dynamite Road. A member of the group, Les Conklin, was concerned about the decline of the drive and organized a restoration effort. By restoring and promoting the drive, organizers sought to preserve the area’s heritage and have a positive impact on future development. The vision was that the drive could provide a common theme – respect for desert character – that could influence the future of the entire 6 mile length of the drive. Encouraged by indications of support from Dick Bowers, Scottsdale City Manager, and then mayor, Herb Drinkwater, the restoration was completed and a relationship was fostered with the City of Scottsdale. In 1996 the group incorporated as Friends of the Scenic Drive with the primary mission of preserving and enhancing the drive.

Development Creates Challenges

Having survived the confusion and stress of changing government jurisdictions brought on by the annexations of Maricopa County land by Phoenix and Scottsdale, the Scenic Drive faced a new challenge – growth. The 1990s was a period of rapid development in north Scottsdale. However, rather than being destroyed by development, the Scenic Drive was enhanced, and adjusted to fit its new circumstances. Beginning in 1995, Friends and the City of Scottsdale began a program to improvements to the drive that included the restoration of plant exhibits, enhancement of the drive’s large monument sign, the installation of large entry signs at the northern and southern ends of the drive, and the creation of an exhibit area near the large monument sign. To publicize the Scenic Drive, Friends launched one of Arizona’s first nonprofit Web sites in 1995. View 1995 Photos of Plant Exhibits & Scottsdale Road Friends with support from the Scottsdale Pride Commission organized Cookout at the Ranch and launched a campaign to reduce visual pollution by conducting regular volunteer litter pickups. Friends also instituted a voluntary ban of political signs along the drive. The voluntary ban, the cookout, and the litter cleanups continue to the present. During the

Friends of the Scenic Drive Volunteer Mary Cambal Poses with Volunteers from McDowell Sonoran Land Trust at Cookout at the Ranch XII. Photo Courtesy of Dennis Liddel

late 90s, in separate projects, Scottsdale Road was widened to four lanes, new water pipers were installed, and power lines were buried along part of the Scenic Drive. Friends, working with the City of Scottsdale, moved roadside plant exhibits and re-vegetated, when necessary, to accommodate the new infrastructure. In February 1999, Mayor “Sam Campagna and the Scottsdale City Council honored the Scenic Drive as a “Scottsdale Place.”

Voters Approve Enhancements in 2000 In 2000, Scottsdale voters approved $27 million for the enhancement and beautification of 27-mile long Scottsdale Road. Approximately, $7 million will be allocated for scenic drive enhancements. In addition, planners of Scottsdale’s McDowell Preserve, included land that will link the main body of the preserve to Scottsdale Road and the Scenic Drive. Since 2000, Friends has continued its beautification efforts. Traffic light standards, roadside utility boxes, traffic sign posts, and the backs of traffic signs have been painted dark brown to blend into the natural environment. The area surrounding the northern drive entry sign, once barren, has been revegetated with native Sonoran plants, and a new turn lane made it easier for visitors to access the exhibit site. In 2003, Friends received the Community Leadership Governor’s Pride in Arizona Award. In 2005, Friends became a division of the Greater Pinnacle Peak Association, a nonprofit 501 c (3) corporation, founded in 1977.