‘All the Way to the Border’ event cleans length of SR 286

THREE POINTS – A 45-mile state highway in Southern Arizona is a whole lot nicer thanks to a large-scale volunteer cleanup held Saturday in partnership with the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Adopt a Highway program. 

Dozens of volunteers fanned out along State Route 286, which travels between the border community of Sasabe and State Route 86 west of Tucson. Much of its path is through high desert grassland in the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge and set beneath the scenic Baboquivari Mountains. 

It was the 11th annual “All the Way to the Border” cleanup organized by Melissa Owen, a ranch owner who lives in Sasabe.

The event gets an assist from ADOT’s Tucson-based Southcentral District, which issues a special permit for the cleanup, and from ADOT’s Three Points Maintenance Yard, which had staff on hand during the event and collects the bagged litter.

Through ADOT’s Adopt a Highway program, more than more than 7,000 volunteers tend to adopted miles throughout the year, supported by ADOT permitting and maintenance staff. In 2025 alone, these volunteers filled nearly 13,000 bags with litter.

To learn more about Adopt a Highway and find information on getting involved, please visit azdot.gov/adoptahighway.