Lake Mary Rd from Flagstaff to Payson

Motorcycle Roads & Rides > Routes > United States > Arizona

Average Rating - This road has been rated by 4 visitors

State: Arizona
Date Submitted: June 1, 2007
Submitted by: 4DWUDS
Motorcycle Road Length: 85 Miles

Written Directions

Start at Lake Mary Road just south of Flagstaff on I-17. (Indian Route 3) Continue South till it meets State Route 87. From there go South on 87 which leads to Payson.

Scenery

The route takes you along the side of Lake Mary then lots of driving through the tall pines and nice gentle curves until the stop sign at Highway 87. Turn south and again enjoy the cooler temp of the forest. You'll be traveling through Coconino National Forest. As you head south you will leave the forest and start to come down of the rim, careful coming down the mountain, sharp curves and slow traffic coming up the hill. Continue on through Pine and Strawberry on into Payson. Now either turn around and go back or continue on south to Phoenix.

Road Quality

All the roads are two lane and well maintained. Be on the lookout for road kill and at night LOTS of Deer and Elk will cross your path .

Roadside Amenities

Not a lot of tourist traps until you get to Pine and Strawberry. 1 gas station in Clint's well and another in Strawberry. Don't look for gas after 7PM. Nobody's open.

Photo contributed by a visitor in July 09: "Upper Lake Mary, Coconino National Forest, AZ "

Additional Info

- View the weather forecast for this area from Yahoo weather .

Nickname (optional) 4DWUDS

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Reviewed by Guest on April 18, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: t. carl seals
motorcycle_year: 2006
motorcycle_make: Triumph
motorcycle_type: Sport-Touring
Comment: Lame. No twisties, what road were you people on? Low speed limit and lots of lake to your right, woods to your left. You'll find yourself looking at your speedo to keep out of trouble more than you'll admire any scenery here.
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Reviewed by Guest on July 3, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Mark S.
motorcycle_year: 2002
motorcycle_make: Kawasaki
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: Took this route last week (actually this was the back-half of a ride north from Phoenix up 89A into Flagstaff and then south down Lake Mary Rd.). Left Phoenix at 9:30am headed north and 100 degree temps. An hour and a half later (and 20 degrees cooler) was turning off of I-17 onto 179 north which hooks you up with 89A heading into Sedona. Absolutely stunning scenery included the Red Rock country of Sedona, the outstandingly beautiful splendor of Oak Creek Canyon, the majesty of the Coconino National Forest and Flagstaff's ponderosa pine country. A quick stop and leg-stretch in Flagstaff, and I start my trek south on Lake Mary Rd. I'd recommend gassing-up in Flagstaff before heading south. Having camped up in this area, I was aware of what an incredible ride this would be on a motorcycle. Driving down the east side of Lower and Upper Lake Mary you pass miles of wonderful fresh pine-smelling woods with glimpses of the lake revealing itself between tree limbs. Turning west on Lake Mormon Rd ( a few miles below Upper Lake Mary) you travel for a couple handfuls of miles and see to your left an expansive and huge "field" extending a half-mile across. This is actually the temporary state of Mormon Lake, as the mountain run-off has been low for the past dozen years which normally kept this lakebed filled. I remember years ago having friends come up here and catching their limits on walleyes and perch. It will come around again one of these years when the drought AZ has experienced this decade passes. Up ahead is Mormon Lake Village, population 50 or 5000 (depending on the season). Great place to stop and have a cold beverage at the Lodge. From there I continued on and rejoined Lake Mary Road heading south to Happy Jack, AZ. Don't look for any facilities--the 'town' is more or less just a ranger station, population: 2. Continuing south you travel thru more statuesque pine forests with some of the best twists and curves around. I opted to head west on 260 which takes you down from the elevated forests to the lower (and hotter) desert plains and into Camp Verde for more gas, a drink, and onward south on I-17 back into Phoenix. Don't pass this ride up if you get the chance, but if you've got a choice, ride it in the spring or fall due to the valley's heat at ride's end.
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Reviewed by Guest on July 2, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Fred Horton
motorcycle_year: 2007
motorcycle_make: Kawasaki
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: There is a variety of scenery. The weather is nice even in summer. Lake Mary had water and was beautiful. Lots of twisties. The roads seem to be well maintained and had no issues. Just a wonderful relaxing ride.
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Reviewed by Guest on June 18, 2008 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Gene Roberts
motorcycle_year: 2000
motorcycle_make: Kawasaki
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: I would downgrade The Lake Mary Road to 3 out of 5 stars for road condition. I just rode it on 6/14/2008 and there were quite a few spots where the road had deteriorated. That's not to say I wouldn't take that route again, but I had to pay a lot closer attention the road surface on Lake Mary Road than I did once we hit 87 which is in excellent shape. Another issue is that the shadows from the trees on Lake Mary Road tend to mask some of the holes. It's still worth taking due to the scenery.
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