bypassing phoenix (west) by bocmaxima
Phoenix is not for everyone. It's a sprawling metropolis with crowded streets and freeways and can sometimes take hours to drive through. I always try to avoid it, often using really strange roads that aren't always on maps. The following are oriented for coming from Tucson to destinations outside of Phoenix.West Route (use for I-10 West or US 93 North): The easiest way to bypass Phoenix to I-10 West is I-8 to AZ 85. You could do this, or you could take the old highway, which is scarcely travelled and much more interesting.
When you exit I-8 in Gila Bend for AZ 85 north, stay on the ramp until you hit southbound AZ 85. Take the first right that's possible. This should be Old Highway 80. If you miss it, you can turn right at the next street and go back around on the neighborhood streets. Old Highway 80 will take you alongside the Gila River, past cotton fields, one of Arizona's two remaining shrimp farms, and eventually to a beautiful old suspension bridge. The road then curves into the hills. You'll hit the village of Hassayampa and will need to turn left onto Salome Highway (there should be some large power lines nearby). Follow this several miles to 355th Avenue and take a right. That's the end of the hard part, so just enjoy the drive through the desolate Hassayampa Plain. At the stop sign, turn right to stay on the paved road and you'll be near Vulture Mine, and then Wickenburg. When you hit US 60, you can continue to US 93 by going straight.
