Recently I set out in search of lost highways in Coyote Pass. In this picturesque wonderland chapters of the American story are etched in ruts, broken asphalt, and in trails.

In Search of Lost Highways

Trucks headed north to Las Vegas on U.S. 93 labor to make the steep grade on the climb through Coyote Pass. Until the I 11 interchange is completed, south bound drivers encounter a road block at Kingman, Arizona that often has traffic backed up to the summit of the pass and beyond. But as steep as the grade is, it is better than what drivers encountered on U.S. 466 ninety years ago.

And that highway was a dramatic improvement over the “highway” that had been built to connect Kingman with the mining town of Chloride in about 1913. I can only imagine how amazing a drive on that road was for pioneers that had traveled through the pass on the Mohave Prescott Road in the mid 19th century.

Near the summit where traces of U.S. 466, the 1913 highway, and the Mohave Prescott Road vanish under the asphalt of U.S. 93 there are panoramic views of the Cerbat Mountain foothills dominated by towering buttes and mesas. The cloud shrouded Hualapai Mountains served as the backdrop on the day that I set out in search of lost highways.

The Adventure Begins

Even if your not in search of lost highways, the trail system is a highly recommended detour for Route 66 travelers. Likewise with the extensive trail network at the nearby White Cliffs Wagon Trail area. Both trail heads are less than two miles from downtwon Kingman. And they are accessed by paved roads.

This particular Jim Hinckley’s America adventure began at the Camp Beale Loop trailhead. This is part of the Cerbat Foothills Recreation Area, an extensive trail network about a mile from downtown Kingman.

In addition to the maps in kiosks at the trailhead, I also used an Arizona Good Roads Association guide published in 1913 to keep me on track.

History At Every Turn

The pass is dotted with springs that flow even in the hottest months of summer. So, for the Cerbat clan of the Hualapai people, Coyote Pass was an ideal place to camp, to hunt, and to raise a few crops.

The springs are most likely the reason a Native American trade route that connected villages in present day New Mexico with ones on the coast of California followed the pass through the Cerbat Mountains. For travelers following that trade route, including the expedition of Father Garces in 1776, places such as Beale’s Springs were a greatly appreciated oasis.

The American Story

In 1848 the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in California opened the flood gates for westward migration.This sparked a gold rush of another kind for proponents of northern, central, and southern railroads to California.

In September of 1851 Captain Lorenzo Sitgreaves, with a crew of topographers, naturalists, artists, and and an escort of cavalary set out from the Zuni Pueblo. Their pack train followed much of the old trade route to the Colorado River. Then they followed the river south to Yuma.

In 1853 Congress passed the Pacific Railroad Survey Bill, appropriating $150,000.00 for studies. Four survey teams were assigned to study main routes under consideration. Lieutenant Amiel Weeks Whipple was put in charge of the 35th Parallel Survey.

Even though the old trade route was well mapped, and well watered, Whipple chose to explore another option. And so he traveled south, and along the Bill williams River.

Beale, Camels and Route 66

My thoughtful spot, Beale Springs near Kingman, Arizona ©In 1857, Lieutenant Edward Fitzgerald Beale was tasked with building a wagon road across New Mexico and Arizona near the 35th parallel. As an interesting historic footnote, this expedition had a secondary objective. Secretary or War Jefferson Davis had authorized the testing of camels for use as military transport in the desert southwest.

Beale’s Road, a primary trade corridor across northern Arizona before construction of the railroad in the early 1880s, roughly followed Lt. Amiel Whipple’s trail. Beale’s Springs, and nearby Atlantic Srpings, were important oasis for travelers.

In the early 1880s the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad followed Beale’s Road. But because of the steep grades in Coyote Pass, the railroad followed Kingman Canyon a few miles to the south into the Sacramento Valley. The National Old Trail Road, and then Route 66, followed the same course.

Coyote Pass

Before the railroad the Colorado River served as the interstate highway of its days. Steamboats carried cargo to river ports such as Hardyville near present day Bullhead City, Arizona. And extensive an extensive network of military roads and toll roads was built to carry goods to the interior of the territory, and mineral wealth to the river.

Counted among these was the Mohave Prescott Road, or Hardyville Road. It served as a vital trade corridor between Hardyville, and Fort Mohave, with Fort Whipple and the territorial Arizona capital of Prescott. And so during the Hualapai Wars of the 1870s, a military outpost was established at Beale Springs. This would later be the center of the newly created Hualapai Reservation, and the starting part for the Hualapai Trail of Tears when the Hualapai were force marched to a reservation on the Colorado River.

In the years that followed the military outpost was replaced by a ranch, a popular stop for travelers as a cook baked fresh apple pies. A hotel was built at the springs, and a brief time it served as a primary water source for the fledgling community of Kingman.

Traces of all this history, as well as the roads and trails, are evident in the pass. That as well as the stunning scenery make it an ideal place for a bit of a walkabout, and to set ou in search of lost highways.