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Interstate 10 Westbound - Cochise County
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Interstate 10 enters Arizona with the standard
Arizona state flag sign on the left, due to advance
signage for exit 390, Cavot Road, 1/4 mile. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Exit 390 is the first exit in Arizona, and departs
here for Cavot Road. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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This is the first reassurance marker for Interstate
10 in Arizona. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Advance signage for the San Simon rest area, one
mile. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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The first rest area inside Arizona is the San
Simon Safety Rest Area. The next rest area is in
Texas Canyon, 69 miles ahead. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Interstate 10 is the Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway
through Arizona. This is the first of many signs
denoting the designation. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Advance signage for the San Simon weigh station,
2 miles. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Trucks must exit here for the San Simon weigh
station. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Advance signage for exit 382, Business Loop 10
through San Simon and Portal Road. The weigh station
can be seen in the background. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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The San Simon Valley once had some of the richest
grasslands in Arizona, but was overgrazed in the
late 1890s like most of the state. Today San Simon
is a small ranching town. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Exit 382 departs here for Business Loop 10, and
Portal Road in San Simon. Business Loop 10 is former
Arizona 86. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Advance signage for exit 378, the western end
of the Business Loop through San Simon, one mile. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Exit 378 departs here for Business Loop 10 through
San Simon. This interchange is a trumpet interchange. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Distance sign to Bowie (13 miles), Willcox (37
miles) and Tucson (117 miles). Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Due to the overgrazing and loss of vegetation
in the San Simon Valley, Interstate 10 is now subject
to blowing dust across the valley. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Advance signage for exit 366, Business Loop 10
serving Bowie. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Bowie is named after nearby Fort
Bowie National Historical Site, which was established
to protect Apache Pass from Apache raids. Use exit
366 to reach the National Historic Site. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Exit 366 departs here for Business Loop I-10.
This business loop, like the one through San Simon,
is old Arizona 86. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Westbound Interstate 10 approaching Exit 362,
Junction Business Loop I-10 in Bowie. Business Loop
I-10 follows the old alignment of Arizona 86, which
was replaced by Interstate 10 between the Arizona-New
Mexico State Line and Benson. This was never old
U.S. 80; U.S. 80 historically followed Arizona 80
and New Mexico 80 to Douglas. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Exit 362 departs here for Business Loop 10 westbound
through Bowie. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Distance sign to U.S. 191 northbound (5 miles),
Willcox (21 miles) and Tucson (100 miles). Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Advance signage for U.S. 191Y northbound to Safford,
two miles. U.S. 191Y is a former cutoff loop of
Arizona 86. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Eastbound Interstate 10 approaching Exit 355,
Junction U.S. 191 north,
one mile. U.S. 191 was known as U.S. 666 in Arizona
until the early 1990s; today is it a transcontinental
route from Douglas north to Malta, Montana. The
only route break is through Yellowstone National
Park in Wyoming, because U.S. 191 is closed in the
winter months. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Exit 352 serves U.S. 191 proper. The short section
of highway between Exit 355 and U.S. 191 is designated
as U.S. 191Y by ADOT. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Eastbound Interstate 10 at Exit 352, Junction
U.S. 191 north. U.S. 191 north leads not only to
Safford, Clifton, and Eagar via an often windy road,
it also has connections to popular parks, including
Petrified Forest National Park via U.S. 180, Canyon
de Chelly National Monument, Four Corners (where
the states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona
meet) and Arches National Park in Utah. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Reassurance marker for Interstate 10 and U.S.
191. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Distance sign to Willcox (11 miles), Benson (46
miles) and Tucson (90 miles). Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Use the next three exits for Willcox. Willcox
is named after a former general, and is a busy cattle
shipping town and farming community. Historically,
stagecoaches to places as far north as Globe departed
from here before the Railroad opened. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Advance signage for exit 344, Business Loop I-10
serving Willcox, one mile. This marks the eastern
end of the business loop, which is former Arizona
86. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Exit 344 departs here for Willcox and Business
Loop I-10. Former Arizona 86 was replaced by Interstate
10 in 1970. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Interstate 10 and U.S. Highway 191 remain co-signed
through Willcox. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Advance signage for exit 340, Arizona 186, Rex
Allen Drive and Fort Grant Drive. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Arizona 186 travels to Chiricahua
National Monument. The road was added to the
state highway system in 1956, and exit 340 accesses
Arizona 186. Arizona 186's route number is a legacy
of being a branch of former Arizona 86. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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The Arizona 186 overpass is elaborately decorated. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Eastbound Interstate 10 at Junction Eastbound
Business Loop I-10 to Willcox. This exit marks the
western end of the business loop. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Distance sign to U.S. 191 south (4 miles), Benson
(31 miles) and Tucson (75 miles). Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Interstate 10 is known for these billboards, advertising
The
THING? The THING opened in 1965, after being
displaced from old US 91 in California, and is probably
one of the most infamous roadside tourist traps/curio
shops remaining along the Interstate Highway system. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Use Exit 331 to reach the Cochise Stronghold. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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US 191 travels south to reach Douglas, on the
Arizona/Mexico border. The road was formerly known
as US 666 until 1992, when it was rebranded US 191
to eliminate sign thefts and negative cultural connotations. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Exit 331 departs here to serve US 191. US 191
northbound is multiplexed with Interstate 10. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Reassurance marker for Interstate 10 westbound. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Distance sign to the Texas Canyon rest area (10
miles), Benson (26 miles) and Tucson (70 miles). Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Advance signage for exit 322, Johnson Road, one
mile. Johnson Road is the home to The THING?, mentioned
previously. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Johnson Road departs here, as exit 322 (now well-known to drivers from all the billboards around Interstate 10 advertising The THING?) Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Interstate 10 enters Texas Canyon. Texas Canyon
(named for being on the road to Texas) is a rock-filled
canyon, and where Interstate 10 descends from the
high plains around Willcox to the San Pedro River
valley and Benson. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Advance signage for the Texas Canyon Rest Area. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Use this exit to reach the Texas Canyon rest area.
Interstate 10 reaches it's summit just before the
rest area, reaching 4974 feet in altitude. The next
rest area is not until after Casa Grande, almost
140 miles away. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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As Interstate 10 descends through Texas Canyon, it passes a series of boulder-strewn hillsides. First photo taken 06/15/08. Second photo taken 06/15/08. Third photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Advance signage for exit 318, Dragoon Road, 1/2
mile. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Dragoon Road exits here. Use Dragoon Road to reach
the Amerind museum. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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The Dragoon Road interchange is interesting in
that it is a tight trumpet interchange blasted through
the rocks. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Interstate 10 winds south of Adams Peak. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Distance sign to Arizona 80 (11 miles), Benson
(13 miles) and Tucson (57 miles). Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Advance signage for exit 312, Sibyl Road, one
mile. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Interstate 10 Eastbound meets Sibyl Road at exit
312. For many years there was a Stuckeys here, but
that has long since been torn down. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Distance sign to Benson (7 miles) and Tucson (51
miles). Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Advance signage for Business Loop 10 and Arizona
80, Pomerene Road in Benson, two miles. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Benson is named for an early peddler, and was
once a major shipping point for the mines located
south of the town. Today, the town is a railroad
and travel-driven town. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Business Loop 10 through Benson is old Arizona
86 and old U.S. 80. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Use exit 306 to reach Douglas, Bisbee and Tombstone.
Arizona 80 is former U.S. 80, decommissioned in
1991. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Exit 306 departs here as the eastern end of Business
Loop 10 through Benson. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Interstate 10 crosses the San Pedro River here.
The San Pedro River is unique in that it is the
last remaining undammed river in Arizona. Several
attempts have been made to the the river valley
as a transporation corridor, but all have failed
(the most recent being Arizona 176). Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Advance signage for exit 304, Ocotillo Street. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Ocotillo Street departs from Interstate 10 westbound
at exit 304. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Now on the west side of Benson, this photo shows westbound Interstate 10 as it approaches Exit 302, Junction Arizona 90 South, one-half mile. Photo taken 06/15/08. |
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Arizona 90 leads south to Kartchner Caverns State
Park, Fort Huachuca Military Reservation, and the
city of Sierra Vista. At Sierra Vista, Arizona 90
turns due east to meet Arizona 80 midway between
Tombstone and Bisbee. Photo taken 03/28/04. |
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Westbound Interstate 10 at Exit 302, Junction
Arizona 90 South to Sierra Vista. Photo taken 03/28/04. |
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Mileage sign along westbound Interstate 10 for
Exit 281, Junction Arizona 83; Exit 260, Junction
Interstate 19; and downtown Tucson. Photo taken 03/28/04. |
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The next exit along westbound Interstate 10 is
Exit 299, Skyline Road, one mile. Photo taken 03/28/04. |
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The Skyline Road exit connects to the frontage
road north of the freeway (called Skyline Road)
and to Smith Ranch Road, which leads south to Smith
Ranch. Photo taken 03/28/04. |
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Westbound Interstate 10 at Exit 299, Skyline Road. Photo taken 03/28/04. |
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The next exit along westbound is Exit 297, J-Six
Ranch Road and Mescal Road, one mile. Photo taken 03/28/04. |
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J-Six Ranch Road leads south into a development
(Thunderbird Trail) but ends before reaching the
Coronado National Forest boundary. Mescal Road leads
north past Mescal and the railroad tracks before
reaching the Coronado National Forest. Photo taken 03/28/04. |
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Westbound Interstate 10 at Exit 297, J-Six Ranch
Road and Mescal Road. As noted by the sign, there
is no more gas until reaching the outer limits of
Tucson, some 28 miles from here. Photo taken 03/28/04. |
Photo Credits:
2004-03-28 by AARoads. 2008-06-15 by Kevin Trinkle.
Connect with:
Business Loop I-10
U.S. Highway 191
Arizona 80 / Historic U.S. 80
Page Updated 02-10-2009. |
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