Ten Things to Do In Pinal County

1 - CASA GRANDE RUINS

Coolidge — An Ancient Sonoran Desert People’s farming community and Great House are preserved at Casa Grande Ruins. Whether the Casa Grande was a gathering place for the Desert People or simply a waypoint marker in an extensive system of canals and trading partners is but part of the mystique. The Casa Grande was abandoned around 1450 C.E. 2 - BOYCE THOMPSON SOUTHWESTERN ARBORETUM

Discover the intricate beauty and many faces of Arizona’s oldest and largest botanical garden. Featured are plants from the world’s deserts, towering trees, captivating cacti, sheer mountain cliffs, a streamside forest, panoramic vistas, many natural habitats with varied wildlife, a desert lake, a hidden canyon, specialty gardens and more.

3 - GOLDFIELD GHOST TOWN AND MUSEUM

Apache Junction — A living-history experience with restored 1800s-era buildings from a former gold-rush community. Tourists can ride a narrow gauge train, pan for gold and experience life as it was during the busiest days of the Goldfield town. 4 - BIOSPHERE 2

One of the world’s only scientific research facilities in which scientists work in a sealed environment to study earth’s ecosystems, such as oceans and coral reefs, mangrove wetlands and Savannah grasslands.

5 - PICACHO PEAK 6 - ST. ANTHONY’S GREEK ORTHODOX MONASTERY

Picacho Peak’s most noted historic event occurred on April 15, 1862, when Confederate and Union scouting parties met in the Battle of Picacho Pass during the Civil War. Picacho Peak is not a volcanic cone, but is part of a volcanic flow that has been partially eroded away. It has long been known for its spring display of wildflowers. The monastery is dedicated to St. Anthony the Great, the father of monasticism, the renowned 3rd century anchorite. There are chapels dedicated to Saints Seraphim of Sarov, Demetrios of Thessalonica, John the Baptist, George the Great Martyr, Nicholas the Wonderworker, and Panteleimon the Healer. The main church is dedicated to Saints Anthony and Nectarios the Wonderworker. 4784 N. St. Joseph’s Way.

7 - THE APACHE TRAIL (STATE ROUTE 88)

This 40-mile trail winds along urban roadways and ends in the rugged desert mountains. Travelling past the deep reservoir lakes of Canyon and Apache Lakes the narrow, winding unpaved includes the town of Tortilla Flat and continues to Roosevelt Dam. With steep cliff drops and little in the way of safety barriers it is not recommended for large RVs, SUVs, or caravans. 8 - MCFARLAND STATE HISTORIC PARK

Courtesy of Arizona State Parks The history of the park’s building provides visitors with a look into the past. The building represents a transition between Sonoran and Anglo-American architecture with its wood-shingled pitched roof surmounting traditional adobe brick walls. Soil from the area was used to make adobe bricks which were laid on a trench foundation filled with river rocks.

9 - TOM MIX MONUMENT

A roadside memorial to silent film cowboy Tom Mix is south of Florence. On Oct. 12, 1940, Mix was driving his 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton when he came upon construction barriers at a bridge washed away by a flash flood. He was unable to stop in time and died in the crash. Located south of Florence along Highway 79. 10 - THE MATTHEW B. JUAN - IRA H. HAYES MEMORIAL PARK

Located in Sacaton on the Gila River Indian Community, this is a memorial to the men and women who served in the Armed Forces, protecting our great nation. Ira Hayes was one of the men in the iconic photograph raising the U.S. flag over Iwo Jima in WWII.