{"id":1000,"date":"2026-06-01T12:34:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T12:34:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=1000"},"modified":"2026-06-01T12:34:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T12:34:08","slug":"one-last-rest-stop-a-beloved-arizona-road-trip-staple-closes-after-40-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=1000","title":{"rendered":"One last rest stop: A beloved Arizona road trip staple closes after 40 years"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PICACHO, AZ \u2014 For decades, it was a familiar stop for Arizona travelers making the drive between Phoenix and Tucson, or others crisscrossing the country on I-10.<\/p>\n

Read more Woman hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after shooting in Guadalupe<\/a><\/p>\n

Whether it was for fuel, a bathroom break, souvenirs, or a Dairy Queen Blizzard, Bowlin\u2019s Picacho Peak Travel Center became a must-stop for generations of families. Now, that chapter has come to an end.<\/p>\n

Bowlin\u2019s Picacho Peak Travel Center and the adjacent Dairy Queen officially closed Saturday after 40 years in business at the base of Picacho Peak.<\/p>\n

“It’s a wonderful store. I’ve been coming here since I was five years old,” Gary Urias said.<\/p>\n

Katherine Reynolds also has memories of road trip stops here as a kid.<\/p>\n

“I get a little emotional because I love this store,” Reynolds said. \u201cIt\u2019s a staple to a lot of people. I have been coming here since I was like five.\u201d<\/p>\n

As an adult, she\u2019s living proof that the memories last a lifetime.<\/p>\n

“I mean, who knew I was going to end up working here?” Reynolds said, who became the store\u2019s manager for five years.<\/p>\n

According to Bowlin Travel Centers, the company was unable to reach a new lease agreement with the Arizona State Land Department, leading to the closure of the travel center and Dairy Queen location.<\/p>\n

Read more Newark imposes curfew around immigration detention center following clashes<\/a><\/p>\n

The news prompted many travelers to make one final visit during the last week of operation.<\/p>\n

Emma, an employee at the Dairy Queen, said customers stopped in specifically to get a Blizzard and share memories before the doors closed.<\/p>\n

“I even had a customer tell me that their dad proposed to their mom in the parking lot many years ago,” she said.<\/p>\n

Employees are now moving on to their next roadside posts. Reynolds said she will be heading to the company’s Benson location.<\/p>\n

While the closure marks the end of a longtime Arizona travel tradition, there is some good news for travelers needing a bathroom break. The neighboring Picacho Peak Plaza will remain open, and Bowlin Travel Centers says it plans to announce a new food option for the site in the near future.<\/p>\n

For now, though, road-trippers are saying goodbye to a place that served as a midway point between Arizona’s two largest cities, and a stop filled with memories for countless drives over the last four decades.<\/p>\n

Read more MOST ACCURATE FORECAST: Triple digits back in the Valley this week<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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