If you’ve ever made the white-knuckle drive from Phoenix to Flagstaff during the holidays, you know the stretch. It’s that winding, steep climb up the Black Canyon Grade where the desert starts to give way to scrubby junipers and colder air. Right around milepost 254, tucked between Sunset Point and Cordes Junction, a lone tree used to spark more conversation than the Grand Canyon itself.
For decades, the I-17 mystery Christmas tree wasn't just a plant. It was a ghost story with a tinsel soul.
Every year, like clockwork, this scrubby little one-seed juniper would suddenly appear decked out in ornaments, ribbons, and a silver star. No one saw who did it. No one caught them in the act. In a world of Ring cameras and viral TikToks, it remained a genuine, old-school secret.
The Legend of Scrubby
Honestly, the tree shouldn't have been there at all. It lived in a 100-foot-wide median under the jurisdiction of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), surrounded by dry brush that catches fire if a cigarette butt even looks at it funny.
Arizonans called it "Scrubby."
Dolan Ellis, the official Arizona State Balladeer, even wrote a song about the thing. He sang about it being a "random act of kindness by some secret, caring soul." It became a game for kids in the backseat: "Who can spot the tree first?" Seeing that splash of red and gold against the dusty Arizona brown meant Christmas had officially arrived in the high desert.
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The setup was surprisingly sophisticated. It wasn't just a few baubles thrown on a branch. The "elves" (as locals called them) actually installed a DIY irrigation system with plastic drip tubing and four water storage barrels. They were literally keeping this tree alive in the middle of a freeway median where rainfall is basically a suggestion.
The 2019 Fire and the Big Reveal
For years, the tree seemed invincible. ADOT employees would tell stories about brush fires that burned everything in sight but somehow stopped right at the edge of the juniper’s branches.
Then came August 2019.
A massive brush fire ripped through the area. While firefighters from the Daisy Mountain Fire Department scrambled to save the landmark, the heat was just too much. The tree didn't completely vanish, but it was scorched and left too unstable to hold its usual heavy haul of decorations. For the first time in over thirty years, the median stayed bare through the winter.
In 2021, the mystery finally cracked. A woman named Nancy Loftis from Phoenix stepped forward and admitted that she and her family had been the ones behind the magic since the late 1980s.
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It started as a simple family tradition. Nancy, her son Todd Dittbrenner, and their friends would sneak out in the middle of the night—usually right around Thanksgiving—to dress the tree. They did it because they thought it would be "something nice to do" for the thousands of people driving by. They even had a retired ADOT engineer who knew exactly who they were but kept their secret for decades because he loved the tradition as much as everyone else.
The 2024 Comeback
Most people thought the story ended with that 2019 fire. But Arizona legends don't die that easily.
In December 2024, travelers noticed something strange. The charred, skeletal remains of the original tree were suddenly sparkling again. New ornaments. New tinsel. Someone had returned to the site to decorate the "Charlie Brown" version of the I-17 mystery Christmas tree.
KJZZ News eventually confirmed it: the decorations were back, though the family behind the new effort hasn't officially confirmed if they are the original Loftis crew or a new generation of "elves." Todd Dittbrenner has publicly mentioned the idea of building a permanent metal monument in the shape of a tree so it would never burn again, but for now, the community seems to prefer the scrappy, decorated remains of the original.
Why It Still Matters
You've got to wonder why people care so much about a bush on the side of a highway.
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Maybe it’s because it represents a version of Arizona that’s disappearing—the weird, roadside-attraction energy that makes a desert road trip feel special. It’s a reminder that not everything needs to be a "content play" or a marketing stunt. Sometimes, people just want to haul water barrels and tinsel into a median at 2:00 AM because it makes a stranger smile.
The Arizona Department of Transportation still doesn't technically "condone" people stopping in the median—it’s dangerous, obviously—but they’ve historically turned a blind eye to the I-17 mystery Christmas tree. They recognize it as a "special case" of community spirit.
Planning Your Drive
If you're looking for the tree today, here is the reality:
- Location: Northbound I-17, near milepost 254 (just north of Sunset Point).
- The Look: It’s not the lush, 20-foot bush it used to be. It’s a scorched survivor, but it’s still standing.
- Safety: Do not stop your car in the median. The highway patrol is strict, and the traffic moves at 80+ mph. Take a quick look as you pass, but keep your eyes on the road.
The best way to honor the tradition isn't by adding your own ornaments—the Loftis family usually handled the cleanup and maintenance themselves—but by keeping the story alive.
If you want to keep the spirit of Scrubby going, consider a donation to Arizona wildfire prevention or local forestry groups. The original tree survived because people cared enough to water it; the tradition survives because we still love a good mystery.