Four Peaks Road and Tonto’s Lower Cliff Dwelling

An overland traverse deep into the Tonto National Forest

The Four Peaks traverse is the main drive in this day trip. Forest Road 143 climbs from State Route 87 through the Tonto National Forest, crosses the high country below Four Peaks, and descends toward Tonto Basin and State Route 188. Along the way, we stopped near the saddle for a short hike on Arizona Trail Passage 20, then continued to Tonto National Monument to explore the Lower Cliff Dwelling.

The drive and the dwelling tell different parts of the Tonto Basin’s story. The road shows how the land rises and falls across the region; the cliff dwelling offers a closer look at the people who made their homes here centuries ago.

The Four Peaks Traverse

From State Route 87, FR 143 heads east across Tonto National Forest toward State Route 188. The traverse covers about 27.75 miles and takes roughly four hours one way, before stops. It climbs from the lower Sonoran Desert to a high point near 5,789 feet, crossing varied terrain beneath the Four Peaks summits of the Mazatzal Range.

The road is rated easy in the route notes, but it still calls for attentive driving. The surface is mostly hard-packed dirt with rocks at creek crossings. Narrow shelf sections around miles 7.8 and 17 have steep drop-offs and blind corners, so meeting oncoming traffic requires care. Near mile 18, the FR 648 spur toward Lone Pine offers a stopping point with views toward Roosevelt Lake and the Phoenix Valley. High clearance is recommended, and weather can affect the road.

Near the saddle, we paused the drive to hike a few miles on Arizona Trail Passage 20. That short walk was a chance to stretch our legs and experience the mountain country on foot before returning to the vehicle and continuing downhill into Tonto Basin. The full 18.6-mile passage crosses Four Peaks Wilderness between Roosevelt Lake and Pigeon Spring Trailhead.

Down Into Tonto Basin

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As the road loses elevation, the landscape opens toward Tonto Basin and Roosevelt Lake. That descent leads from the mountain country into a region where people have lived for thousands of years. Around 1300 CE, people archaeologists call Salado built cliff dwellings in natural caves overlooking the Salt River, in an area now partly covered by the lake.

“Salado” describes a community shaped by local and migrant peoples, including Ancestral Sonoran Desert, Ancestral Puebloan, and Mogollon groups. The basin supported farming, gathering, hunting, and trade. Salado people cultivated cotton, corn, beans, and squash, gathered desert plants, and drew water from a spring that still runs today.

Exploring the Lower Cliff Dwelling

At Tonto National Monument, we explored the Lower Cliff Dwelling, built to fit within a large rock alcove. Stone and mud walls, hearths, soot marks, and sections of original roof remain. The National Park Service notes that builders gathered stone nearby, while pine and juniper beams had to be carried down from the surrounding mountains. The surviving details make it easier to picture rooms used for everyday life, rather than seeing the structure as a collection of walls.

By about 1450 CE, Salado people had moved out of the basin. The reasons are uncertain, and their descendants continue to call Arizona home. In the early 1900s, increasing tourism and damage to the dwellings raised concerns about preservation. Tonto National Monument was established in 1907 to protect the site.

Next Steps

Check the Tonto National Forest Four Peaks Trail page, the Arizona Trail Association’s Passage 20: Four Peaks page, and the National Park Service’s Lower Cliff Dwelling page before visiting.