Pointe Condos at Tapatio Cliffs

East Route (for US 60 East, AZ 87 North, I-17 North): There are several ways to jump on this route, and you still unfortunately have to go through the East Valley suburbs of Phoenix to use it. But it's very worth it.
To start, either take AZ 77 to AZ 79 out of Tucson to Florence, or take the AZ 87 exit off I-10 near Picacho and follow to Coolidge and turn east on AZ 287. At this point, you can either turn north on Attaway Road and head over the Gila River to get to Hunt Highway, then head west to Ellsworth Road in Queen Creek (the Hunt Hwy/Ellsworth intersection was recently re-aligned and they just sort of merge into one another) or follow AZ 79 north from Florence to US 60 and head west to the Ellsworth Road exit. The latter is actually faster as there has been a residential boom along Hunt Highway recently and the traffic has gotten pretty bad.
Take Ellsworth Road north and it will head into the mountains and become Usery Pass Road. Turn right at the stop sign, and you're on Bush Highway. This will go over the Salt River at the the area used for tubing and swimming, pass several canyon overlooks, and continue to Saguaro Lake, which is very nice and popular for boating. The road then hooks north and intersects AZ 87. If you're going to Payson, you can turn north here. For I-17 north, turn left and head west a bit.
At the first light (Mohave Road), turn right. If you don't mind a well-graded gravel road through the indian reservation, keep going straight. Otherwise, follow Mohave Road and it will become Grande when you enter Fountain Hills. Turn right when it ends at Saguaro Blvd and then right again once that ends at Fountain Hills Blvd. This road will lead into the hills and a beautiful desert and eventually to the Rio Verde community.
You'll hit a stop sign after Rio Verde. The Verde River can be accessed by going straight. Otherwise, a left will take you back to I-17. Just follow it to North Scottsdale Road, turn right, then turn left after about 2 miles onto Carefree Highway (AZ 74).