Skip to main content

2016 Fall Mountain Trip Part 20; US Route 160 in Arizona

By
Following reaching the western terminus of US Route 163 in Kayenta I turned west on US Route 160 towards US 89 and the Grand Canyon.


This blog serves as Part 20 of the 2016 Fall Mountain Trip Series, Part 19 can be found here:

2016 Fall Mountain Trip Part 19; US Route 163 through Monument Valley 

US 160 through Arizona is entirely contained within the Navajo Nation from the New Mexico State line westward to US 89 near Tuba City.  The current designation of US 160 was extended into Arizona in 1970.

The original designations on the current corridor of US 160 in Arizona was AZ 364 from the New Mexico State Line west to Teec Nos Pos and AZ 64 all the way to US 89.  The designation of AZ 64 was extended east of Cameron in 1961 to the New Mexico State Line via the current corridor of US 160 and US 64.  AZ 64 can be seen built all the way east to the Navajo County line on this 1961 Arizona Highway sectional map.

1961 Arizona Highway Sectional Map

In 1966 the current route of US 160 from the New Mexico State Line to US 89 was changed to US 164.  US 164 from Arizona extended eastward to a terminus at Cortez, Colorado.  Within Arizona the route of US 164 apparently multiplexed US 89 all the way to Flagstaff.   Some of the US 164 field signage can be seen on USends.com.

USends on US 164

In 1970 US 160 was rerouted from Crescent Junction, Utah onto it's current route in Arizona.  The change to US 160 can be seen on this 1971 Arizona Highway sectional map.

1971 Arizona Highway Sectional Map

As shown in the blog cover photo I made a right hand turn from US 163 onto US 160 westbound in Kayenta of Navajo County. West of Tsegi US 160 meets a significant junction with AZ 564 which is an artifact of AZ  64.


AZ 564 provides access to Navajo National Monument and was covered on a previous blog.

Arizona State Route 564 and Navajo National Monument

Near the Coconino County Line US 160 west intersects AZ 98.


In Tuba City US 160 west intersects AZ 264.  AZ 264 is the longest child route of AZ 64 and extends east through the Hopi Nation and Navajo Nation to NM 264.


West of Tuba City US 160 terminates at US 89.  I turned southward on US 89 to reach AZ 64 to access Grand Canyon National Park.



Part 21 of the 2016 Fall Mountain Trip series covers former US Route 89 over the 1911 Cameron Suspension Bridge.

2016 Fall Mountain Trip Part 21; former US Route 89 on the Cameron Suspension Bridge

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

US Route 199

By
I was planning on driving US Route 199 for the third time this weekend.  However "external factors" have pushed my visit to US Route 199 back for the time being.  While I can't do a driving log for US Route 199 at the moment I can still write about it's history.


This blog will be slightly different from the usual flair for Gribblenation.  Generally I have a stockpile of my own road photos from which to draw from.  In the case of US Route 199 I was far more focused on hiking photos during my first two visits in 2014 and 2016 than the actual highway.  At some point I will add a series of modern driving log photos but for the time being I will draw from numerous other sources to illustrate US Route 199.


Part 1; the History of US Route 199

Present US Route 199 is a 80.05 mile highway which connects US Route 101 in Crescent City of Del Norte, California northeast to Interstate 5 in Grants Pass of Josephine County, Oregon.  US Route 199 is one of the original US Routes and …
1 comment
Read more

The Tioga Pass Road

By
Last Summer the Tioga Pass Road over the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Yosemite National Park opened late due to the heavy snow pack from the previous winter.  Approaching the start of July the Park Service finally had cleared the road to Tioga Pass.  That being the case I headed up shortly after the 4th of July holiday during a lull in the tourist season.


The Tioga Pass Road runs from the Big Oak Flat Road at Crane Flat east to US Route 395 ("US 395").  The Tioga Pass Road is largely within the boundary of Yosemite National Park but is maintained by Caltrans as California State Route 120 ("CA 120") east of the Tioga Pass entry station to US 395.  The National Park Service maintained portion of the Tioga Pass Road serve as a implied connection between the two segments of CA 120.  The Tioga Pass Road is the highway mountain pass in California reaching Tioga Pass at 9,945 feet above sea level.



Part 1; the history of the Tioga Pass Road

Tioga Pass first obtained notewort…
3 comments
Read more

Trans-Sierra Highways; California State Route 108 over Sonora Pass

By
In the fall of 2016 and late summer of 2020 I took a series of drives over mountain passes in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  Both traps culminated by way of crossing over the Sierra Nevada Mountains westbound by way of the 9,624 foot Sonora Pass on California State Route 108.  
California State Route 108 ("CA 108") is a 99 mile east/west State Highway which originates at US Route 395 in the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains.  CA 108 crosses the crest of the Sierra Nevada Mountains by way of the 9,624 foot Sonora Pass and terminates at CA 99 co-signed with CA 132 in downtown Modesto.  CA 108 has a 21 mile unconstructed segment which would extend it to Interstate 5 near Crow's Landing if completed.  
Part 1; the history of Sonora Pass and California State Route 108Much of the early history of Sonora Pass is described by way of two informational plaques at the actual Pass.  The first documented crossing of Sonora Pass was in October of 1841 by way of a course slightly due nor…
1 comment
Read more