The highway features several scenic view exits along its route that overlook the many mountains and valleys in northern Arizona.

(It is accompanied by frontage roads for most of this portion, and they carry the Black Canyon Highway name to distinguish from the freeway status.)

At the Durango Curve southwest of downtown, between the 19th Avenue and Buckeye Road interchanges, it picks up the designation Maricopa Freeway all the way to the southern terminus at the second I-10 junction.

[8] It was incorporated into the new Interstate Highway System, established by the federal government later that year, and designated as part of I-17.

[5] The first interchange on the Black Canyon Freeway was built in 1950 west of downtown Phoenix and was extended to Grand Avenue in 1957.

[9] The final section of I-17, near Camp Verde and Montezuma Castle, began construction in February 1977 and opened to traffic in August 1978.

[14] I-17 inherited its milepost locations from SR 69, which the freeway replaced between Phoenix and Cordes Junction.

The current span is only four lanes wide and is subject to frequent traffic jams on weekends as motorists travel to and from Sedona, Flagstaff, or other high country destinations.

was a former three-mile (4.8 km) business loop of I-17 that served the west side of Black Canyon City, Arizona.

[citation needed] Major intersections The entire route was in Black Canyon City.