260 is open again. It only was closed due to that big storm. But 191, the "Coronado Trail" which used to be Hwy 666, is closed.
The route from Pinetop to Eagar/Springerville does go up over 9,000 via 260, but not via 60, where it goes only to 7500.
I went cross country skiing off 260 yesterday, on top of 4 feet of snow. It was lovely!
Another thing I would like to try in this area is a prolonged mountain bike tour. You could ride dirt roads for days in this area. You could ride dirt roads from here all the way to the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico, with very little pavement riding. I think it would be pretty fun. I should get the gear and try it. I am getting a mechanic lesson pretty soon from my friend--something I really need to know for touring, besides how to change a tire, which is all I really know how to do! Like, how to fix the darned disc brakes on my MTB!!
Thanks for posting this thread. I enjoy talking about my area.
Last edited by azbackpackr; 02-01-10 at 06:23 AM.
Reason: to add something