Over Salt River and up I-17, to play in the snow we go!
We’ll be really smart, and get an early start, as US 180 traffic can be very slow!
On the shoulders of US 180, the snow is so white and close! 
But help first repsonders out and park in legal lots, because emergency vehilces need the whole road.

It happens every winter. After a hefty snowfall in northern Arizona, many of us in the Phoenix-metro area get a sense of excitement.  

Snow! Let’s go! We can dust off our mittens and hats and build snowmen!

But, before you hop in your car and drive north, there's something to know: Don't park on highways to play in the snow. We get it, everyone in the car gets excited at seeing the first dusting of snow. But there's better snow -- and more snow -- to play in that isn't on the highway shoulder, so keep driving.

Not only is parking on highway shoulders dangerous for people and their vehicles, it puts in harm's way other motorists and can restrict travel for first responders.

A few more Know Snow tips for making the most out of a winter day-trip to Arizona's high country:

Give snowplows plenty of room to work. That means staying at least four car lengths behind a plow and never passing a snowplow that’s clearing the road.

Consider leaving for home a little earlier. When congestion occurs, it typically peaks after snow-play areas along US 180 near Flagstaff start closing around 4 p.m. To avoid the worst traffic, you may want to begin your trip home earlier in the afternoon. 

Be prepared. No matter where you’re traveling, if you are headed into snowy, icy or cold conditions, you want to be prepared for potential delays. Follow our Know Snow advice, including taking warm clothing and blankets, a fully charged mobile phone and charger, a flashlight with extra batteries, drinking water, healthy snacks, a first-aid kit and necessary medications. Also make sure your gas tank is at least half to three-quarters full at all times and ensure that your wipers, window defroster, headlights, taillights, brake lights and turn signals work.

One of the most important tips takes place before you even get behind the wheel: Research weather conditions. Visit az511.gov or dial 511 for updated road conditions. Follow ADOT's Twitter account at @ArizonaDOT and our Facebook page. However, never use a cellphone or mobile device while driving.

Do state highways have a case of long-lost triplets?

You can ask one person what they could find along US 180 and they would say it's the route that takes you northwest out of Flagstaff, like in the photo to the right. From there you can access Snowbowl, Humphrey's Peak, the Lava River Cave and eventually State Route 64 to head either to Williams or the Grand Canyon.

Ask another person and they might tell you that US 180 allows you to travel between Holbrook and St. Johns, with maybe a stop at the Petrified Forest National Park or a section of the Zuni Indian Reservation along the way.

And, funny enough, they would both be right. There's even a third person who will tell you that US 180 runs between the New Mexico state line and Alpine.

So, which is the real US 180? The one near Flagstaff, the one near Alpine, or the one between St. Johns and Holbrook? If they are all real, why do these stretches of road dozens of miles apart all have the same number?

For that answer we turned to our list of historic roads, which gives some insight into the routing of US 180 in Arizona. 

That stretch between St. Johns and Holbrook is the oldest part. Long before there were highways , let alone automobiles, this route was part of an established wagon trail during Arizona's territorial days. In the earliest maps of proposed highways for the state, it also shows up. On a 1917 map found in our history of transportation in Arizona, it's listed as part of the National Old Trails Highway, coming in from New Mexico. 

Starting with a map in 1926 and lasting into the early 1930s, this route was listed as being part of US 70. US 180 did exist, but funny enough, ran between the New Mexico state line and Globe – basically the route of US 70 runs today. Starting in the 1930s, the road between Holbrook and New Mexico started to be labeled US 260, something that would continued until the early 1960s when it was renumbered to the current US 180. 

We'll also note that during this time the road didn't go straight between St. Johns and Holbrook, but detoured through the communities of Concho and Hunt. It wouldn't be until the early 1970s that the more direct route would be established and the Concho-Hunt portion would be relabeled as an alternate, or US 180A.

Meanwhile, the section between Flagstaff and State Route 64 would not become part of the state highway system until 1960. Initially it was known as State Route 164, something that would be changed the very next year during a renumbering.

So we've followed the numbering a bit, but why the three different segments? Well, the answer to that isn't so much that there are three US 180s, but rather the highway sometimes travels incognito. 

In road numbering there is something called a "concurrence," when two or more highways share the exact same route. So, Interstate 40 between Holbrook and Flagstaff is also technically US 180 between Holbrook and Flagstaff, though I-40 gets top billing, as it were. The same thing happens between St. Johns and Alpine, where the road may be marked on maps as US 191, but it is US 180 at the same time.

No matter what stretch of US 180 you are on, you are bound to see some beautiful sights. As our list of historic roads says about the roughly 120-mile highway, "from Alpine at 8,050 feet elevation in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest ...  to the painted deserts of Petrified Forest National Park around 5,400 feet, travelers have the opportunity to see some of Arizona’s most colorful rural landscapes in a leisurely three-hour journey."

Now that does sound like it's worth a road trip. 

Kathleen Mendes thinks about beer bottles a lot. And furniture. And car parts.

Those are just a sampling of things she has seen and helped remove from her section of US 180 in northeastern Arizona.

Mendes became an Adopt a Highway volunteer back in October 2010, and has been cleaning between milepost 337 and 339 ever since. Back then there was a lot of litter that needed to be removed. Today it's more maintenance than anything.

The work is meaningful to her. She first moved to nearby Concho in 1999 and the area is home. She also feels an obligation to help leave a positive and respectful impression on the environment. When Mendes started cleaning her segment, it was an event to help instill as similar desire in others. People would come out to clean and she even made it into a scavener hunt for the kids. If the children were too young to help alongside the highway, they would be somewhere safe making crafts. Those kids are all grown now, but Mendes keeps cleaning her segment. She feels an obligation to do it and said she wishes everyone had a similar attitude. The only real investment is the time it takes to do it, Mendes said.

Her main advice for others considering adopting a stretch of highway is to not look at it as drudgery, but as an adventure.

For example, someone on the way to the dump lost a dresser. Mendes came upon it, the drawers lying nearby. She went to pick those up and found a rattlesnake underneath one. Before then she would have never thought about a rattlesnake being there since it was so near the road. It never occurred to her. She exercises greater caution now. 

In her years of doing this, as she looks at those beer bottles, car parts, and broken furniture, it's almost educational. 

It's also given her a lot more empathy for the people whose items she cleans up. It is not about discarded trash, but a million other stories that could have happened, she said.

"There is a lot to be learned. Why do people throw items from their vehicle? What is the behavior that creates the issue?” Mendes said.

If you'd like to join Mendes in keeping our state looking its best, visit azdot.gov/adoptahighway to pick our your own stretch of highway. 

ADOT has been studying two important roadway corridors in the growing Flagstaff area and now we want your input.

ADOT is developing a master plan for Milton Road, also known as SR 89A, which is the primary road coming into Flagstaff as well as US 180, also known as Humphreys Street and Fort Valley Road. US 180 is the primary corridor to Arizona Snowbowl and other snow play areas. The highway is also an alternate route to SR 64 and the Grand Canyon.

The purpose of the master plan is to create a 20-year vision for two busy transportation corridors that addresses current and future safety, traffic congestion and transit issues by looking at different ways to improve traffic flow and safety and address transit needs.

ADOT is holding virtual public meetings this week on Wednesday, Nov. 18 and Thursday, Nov. 19 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in order to answer questions and get public input on these master plans.

The public is encouraged to visit azdot.gov/MiltonCorridorMasterPlan and azdot.gov/US180CorridorMasterPlan to submit comments via an online survey. All comments on these studies will need to be received by Dec. 4. 

Questions and comments may also be submitted by emailing [email protected] and [email protected]. Members of the public can also submit comments by phone by calling 602-522-7777.
 

By David Woodfill / ADOT Communications

It's a winter tradition: When Arizona's high country gets a fresh blanket of snow, many folks head up to throw snowballs, ski and more.

An associated tradition is heavy traffic around areas popular for snow play, especially US 180 northwest of Flagstaff. At day's end, that highway can see big delays as people head back toward Flagstaff. The photo above shows the backup near the Arizona Snowbowl turnoff a few years back.

If you're heading to play in the snow, have a great time. But please keep safety in mind, starting with being prepared for extended time in winter weather. Pack an emergency kit that includes blankets, warm clothing, food, water, cat litter or sand for traction, a first-aid kit, a fully charged cellphone and a flashlight with extra batteries. ADOT's Know Snow page has more tips for you and your vehicle, including keeping your gas tank full or close to it.

Also, keep in mind that parking on highway shoulders to play in the snow not only can slow traffic but is dangerous for you, your passengers and other drivers. Highway shoulders are for emergencies only. First responders may need to use that shoulder, and ADOT's snowplows can hurl show and ice far off a highway. So please use designated parking areas.

Finally, check the weather forecast, research road conditions by visiting az511.gov or calling 511, and consider delaying travel if snow is falling. If you decide to go anyway while it's snowing, be prepared for the possibility of delays and closures caused by poor conditions and slide-offs. And give ADOT's snowplows plenty of room to work, staying at least four vehicle lengths behind and never passing a plow.

We don't want to spoil the fun that is building a snowperson; we just want you to plan ahead and use common sense on your trip.