From the wye junction on the north side of the Sunset Route main line in Yard Limits at Bowie (MP 1098.4), where the speed limit is 20 mph, the former SP branch heads just west of due north, Track Warrant Controlled, across a scrubby plain, past Escala (MP 1107.7), Arkill (MP 1112.8), and Tamque (MP 1118.1), on the San Simon River, turning curvily north-northwest, on a scrubby plain through which the river runs in a deep gulley, as in a badlands area, east of the line, past five bridges over side gulleys, Haeckel (MP 1125.4), a bridge over a gulley, a bridge over an arroyo, two bridges over culverts, a bridge over a gulley, and three bridges over arroyos.
The line turns northwest, as scrub gives way to fields, past Solomon, a bridge over irrigation, and Lone Star (MP 1135.2), west, leaving behind the San Simon River valley, past a grade crossing, a grade crossing at Lone Star Road, a grade crossing, a road alongside to the north, a grade crossing at 1st Avenue, a grade crossing, a grade crossing at Central Avenue (US 191), a stucco depot to the south at Safford (MP 1137.5), a grade crossing, a grade crossing at 6th Avenue, a grade crossing, a grade crossing at 8th Avenue, a grade crossing at 12th Avenue, a grade crossing, a grade crossing at 20th Avenue, a road still alongside to the north (all the way across town), a bridge over irrigation, an angled grade crossing, a grade crossing, a grade crossing at College Avenue, a grade crossing with a street intersection just north of the line, and another grade crossing with a street intersection just north of the line.
There is a rail-served grain facility on the north side, Mount Graham (10,720 ft. elevation) is off to the south, and the line turns west-northwest where an erstwhile spur to a Gravel Pit continued west, north-northwest at Thatcher (MP 1140.9), past a grade crossing, a grade crossing at Norton Road, a grade crossing at Central Road (MP 1143.2), a bridge over irrigation, a grade crossing, US 70 alongside to the north, a bridge over irrigation, a dirt road grade crossing, a bridge over irrigation, a grade crossing, a bridge over drainage, two grade crossings, west, past Pima (MP 1145.6), where the speed limit has risen to 25 mph, E 300 S Street (not US 70) alongside to the north, a dirt road grade crossing, a grade crossing, a bridge over an arroyo, and a bridge over drainage.
The line turns northwest past Dublin (MP 1147.0), a grade crossing at Tripp Canyon Road, a bridge over irrigation, a grade crossing with Patterson Mesa Road, with US 70 alongside to the north again, a bridge over drainage, Glenbar and Matthews (MP 1150.1), north-northwest, along the southwest bank of the Gila River, past a grade crossing (Klondyke Road), three bridges over drainage, Cork (MP 1153.0), a bridge over an arroyo, a dirt track grade crossing, a bridge over drainage, Ashurst (MP 1155.2), a dirt road grade crossing (Ashurst Road), a bridge over an arroyo, seven dirt road grade crossings (including Loop Road), a bridge over drainage, a bridge over an arroyo, two dirt track grade crossings, a bridge over irrigation, Springs, a grade crossing (Desert Sage Road), four bridges over drainage, a bridge over irrigation, and a bridge over an arroyo, and then curvily northwest past a grade crossing (Black Rock Road), and Fort Thomas (MP 1159.6).
There is a bridge over drainage, a bridge over an arroyo, two dirt track grade crossings, a bridge over an arroyo, a bridge over drainage, a dirt road grade crossing (Goodwin Wash Road), a bridge over drainage, a bridge over a stream, a dirt road grade crossing (Geronimo Lane), and Geronimo (MP 1164.5), a bridge over the river, a bridge over irrigation, passing onto the San Carlos Indian Reservation, a bridge over a "river", and a dirt road grade crossing, and north-northwest past a cutting, a bridge over an arroyo, MP 1166, five bridges over arroyos, a dirt track grade crossing, three bridges over arroyos, a grade crossing (BIA-90), a bridge over an arroyo, west-northwest, past a grade crossing, Bylas, two bridges over arroyos, and north, past a grade crossing, the end of US 70 alongside to the north.
The line turns west-northwest, with BIA-3 alongside to the north, past five bridges over arroyos and two dirt road grade crossings (BIA-90 and BIA-99), west past the 2,700 ft. north side siding at Calva (MP 1176.8), northwest, bridging over BIA-3, north where the original line continued ahead and passed beneath the present San Carlos Lake (reservoir), past a dirt track grade crossing (BIA-426), bridging over the Gila River (MP 1178.2), and turning northwest at MP 1179, southwest past MP 1180, a bridge over an arroyo, an embankment over an arroyo, a bridge over an arroyo, MP 1182, and a bridge over an arroyo, to come "alongside" the reservoir (there is a "lake", almost filled with reeds in places, but the line isn't alongside it), northwest to Naches (MP 1183.8), past an embankment over an arroyo and a rocky cutting, west, northwest, west-northwest, west-southwest, north, west, and southwest, past five embankments over arroyos, two rocky cuttings, two embankments over arroyos, a rocky cutting, two embankments over arroyos, a wooden trestle over an arroyo, an embankment over an arroyo, a rocky cutting, two embankments over arroyos, two bridges over arroyos, a dirt track grade crossing (Road 420) at Dili, MP 1192, an embankment above a gulley, and a dirt track grade crossing.
The line turns north-northwest along an arm of the reservoir, past a rocky cutting, an embankment above a gulley, a bridge over an arroyo, and a trestle over an arroyo, northwest bridging over that arm (the San Carlos River), north along the tributary (the San Carlos River) that feeds that arm past a bridge over an arroyo, a bridge over a gulley, BIA-3 alongside to the west, a dirt road grade crossing, a road bridge carrying US 70 overhead, SR 170 alongside to the west, two dirt road grade crossings, Peridot, a bridge over an arroyo, a dirt road grade crossing (BIA-2), and a bridge over an arroyo, northwest, resuming the original route, past a grade crossing, a dirt road grade crossing in San Carlos, the overgrown 1,800 ft. north side siding at San Carlos (MP 1201.0), a road alongside to the south, a dirt road alongside to the north, a grade crossing with SR 170, an old water tank on the south side, an angled grade crossing, and a road alongside to the north.
There is a rocky cutting and two bridges over arroyos as the line turns curvily west on a ledge on the south side of a valley, with a road (SR 170) across the valley to the north, past a bridge over an arroyo, MP 1208, two bridges over arroyos, a bridge over twelve culverts (a "river"), a grade crossing (SR 170) at Cutter (MP 1213.5), a dirt track grade crossing, a grade crossing into the Apache Gold casino/resort on the north side of the line with US 70 alongside to the south, MP 1215, a bridge over a culvert, two dirt track grade crossings, the line running on a ledge above the valley to the south, and a bridge over US 70 as the line turns just north of due west past a former detector at MP 1218.7, to Pinal (MP 1219.3), where Yard Limits start.
The line turns northwest past Amster Junction, where the erstwhile branch to Amster once left on the east side, an angled grade crossing at West Thornwood Drive, a bridge over an arroyo, a grade crossing, Broad Street alongside to the east, a track to the east, US 60 bridging overhead, two tracks alongside to the east, two tracks on the west side, a grade crossing at E Cottonwood Street, north past a two storey brick depot on the east side and the yard on the west side at Globe (MP 1221.5), where the speed limit is 10 mph, a grade crossing at East Sycamore Street, street running in Pine Street past E Oak, E Cedar and E Mesquite Streets, with stuffed-and-mounted ex-SP 2-6-0 1774 on the north side of Oak Street, west of the line, and a bridge over a "river".
The line continues past Library, a grade crossing at Hackney Avenue, two bridges over "streams", a bridge over N Broad Street, a rocky cutting, a grade crossing with Globe Street, a bridge over a road, and the last of the town buildings to the west, turning just west of due north past a slag heap to the east, a branch to the Old Dominion Smelter once left on the east side at Dominion (MP 1222.9), a bridge over a culvert, MP 1223, a bridge over drainage, a bridge over an arroyo at Hamm (MP 1224.3), MP 1225, a short rock cutting, in Pinal Creek valley between the hills, a dirt road grade crossing on a curve, northeast to Kingdon, west-northwest to a grade crossing at Radium (MP 1226.5), and west, past an angled grade crossing with Hoops/Bixby Road (which is alongside to the north, west of here), with the locomotive maintenance facilities to the south at Shops (MP 1227.1).
The line turns just east of due south past an angled grade crossing with Bixby Road, the 250 ft. east side siding at Birch (MP 1227.3), where the speed limit is back to 25 mph, a dirt track grade crossing, and a grade crossing with SR 188, just west of due south past a bridge over a culvert at MP 1229, Kiser (MP 1229.3), southwest past an angled grade crossing with US 60, and a grade crossing with S. Ragus Road, and west with Railroad Avenue to the south, past a grade crossing with Old Oak Street, then Locomotive Drive to the north, to Claypool (MP 1230.2), a grade crossing with Pineway Street, with Railroad Avenue then again to the south, and a grade crossing with Grover Canyon Road, and west-southwest past a rail-served plant on the north side, grade crossing with Venwickle Street, the east end of the small Transfer Yard (six tacks on the north side) at Hill Street (MP 1230.9), where the three-track grade crossing with the eponymous street is at the west end of the yard and a line (the middle track) diverges on the north side, across US 60 at grade and climbing steeply to the International Smelter, ICCC Mill, and leaching plant, and the south track continues west past grade crossings at Marion Street Mill Street, Kent Street, Loomis Avenue, Latham Boulevard, Adonis Avenue, Glass Canyon Road, ??, and perhaps Reppy Avenue, to the yard at Miami (MP 1231.9), whence the line once continued to Inspiration Junction and Live Oak.