4. Visit The Mogollon Rim

Stretching 200 miles find breathtaking views overlooking an expansive forest of pine trees. The Rim is a true geological wonder where adventures of all kinds can be found!

5. Head to A Casino

When the gaming bug bites, but Vegas isn’t in your plans, Gila County in Arizona offers plenty of options. Our list of 3 casinos gives you several  choices for your gaming fun

6. Go Shopping!

If antiquing is one of your favorite hobbies, Gila County is your gold mine for rustic treasures. Come shop our antique, boutique, and unique stores!

7. Visit Roosevelt Lake

This is the largest lake in Arizona at 15,560 surface acres. It is a favorite of avid anglers, boaters, hikers, sightseers, and anyone who loves the great outdoors!

8. Tonto Natural Bridge

The Tonto Natural Bridge State Park is home to the largest travertine bridge in the world.  Discover this mystical place, said to have healing powers.

9. Go Golfing

Gila County's golfing opportunities are about as diverse as the landscape that surrounds them. Grab a buddy and your set of clubs and hit the green!

10. Go Boating

​Gila County has lakes, streams, creeks, and rivers that offer ideal locations for swimming, water skiing, jet skiing, paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing to get wet and wild!

11. Catch A Fish

Cast your line, sit back, relax. and reel 'em in! Choose from dozens of great fishing locations throughout the entire county. Nothing can be more relaxing!

12. Visit A Winery

Gila County has a number of wineries throughout with some of the best wine in the state. The experience isn't just about the wine when you taste it in Gila County!

13. Hike the Pinal's

Located in Southern Gila County, The Pinal Mountains are the perfect escape for the adventurous soul.  Amazing outdoor recreation awaits!

14. Stargaze

 The area surrounding the Mogollon Rim occupies one of only three pure air ozone belts in the world. What that means is some major stargazing!

15. Go Hunting

There are 9 big game animal species that reside in Gila County, all of them accessible through public land pursuit. Be sure to get the proper permits first! 

16. Head to the Rodeo

Payson, AZ is known to have the World's Oldest Continous Rodeo. Experience tradition and rodeo like never before here in Gila County.

17. Take a Ghost Tour

Take a guided ghost tour through one of Globe, Arizona's historic buildings with local paranormal investigators. The tour is kid-friendly and a great blast to the past.

18. Swimming Holes

​Gila County is home to several of the State's favorite swimming holes where you work on your tan, get wet and get in an adventurous hike to-boot.  

19. Water Or Jet Ski

Enjoy water or jet skiing on Gila County's two biggest bodies of water: Roosevelt Lake and San Carlos Apache Lake. This is the best activity on a hot Arizona summer day.

20. Hit The ATV Trails

Gas-up your 4x4 or OHV, check that spare tires are sturdy – bring your GPS, maps, and plenty water -- and your sense of adventure for scenic trails and breathtaking scenery!

21. Tonto National Monument

Tonto National Monument showcases two Salado-style cliff dwellings. Colorful pottery, woven cotton cloth, and other artifacts tell a story of people living in the Sonoran Desert.

22. Hike the Arizona Trail

The Arizona Trail stretches over 800 miles from the U.S. border with Mexico to Utah, connecting deserts, mountains, canyons, wilderness, history, communities and people. 

23. Visit Besh-Ba-Gowah

Visitors will see the partially restored ancient ruin of the Salado people who occupied the site between A.D. 1225 and A.D. 1400. Take a blast back to the pass with a visit.

24. Go Birding

The Tonto National Forest is a mecca for bird watchers.  There are hundreds of different species that call this forest home. Grab your binoculars and see how many you can find!

25. Go Kayaking

Arizona might not seem like a kayaker’s paradise, but Gila County is packed with places for outdoor adventures on the water. Explore the water yourself!

26. Go Mountain Biking

The best thing about mountain biking in Gila County, Arizona is how each trail takes your breath away — not just from all the uphill pedaling.

27. Strawberry Schoolhouse

The Oldest Standing Schoolhouse in Arizona.  The year was 1884. The families living in the area petitioned the County School Superintendent to establish a school. 

28. Visit A Native Ruin

Many Native American Ruins are scattered throughout Gila County. Experience the past of the people who originated from this beautiful area decades ago.

29. Go To The Black River

The Black River is a 114-mile-long (183 km) river that forms southwest of Alpine in Arizona's White Mountains. The area is known for its great fishing.

30. Visit the Granite Dells

The Dells themselves are part of a high ridge directly west of the pocket. They alone are worth the short drive to the area. Take a peek at some of the biggest boulders around!

31. San Carlos Apache Center

A true resource of information and wealth of knowledge awaits you as you visit the San Carlos Apache Center. Don't forget to stop at the gift shop!

32. Visit Zane Grey Cabin

Zane Grey loved to experience the real west – in 1907 he headed for Northern Arizona to join an expedition with Charles Jesse. You can find more of his story there!

33. Visit Bullion Plaza

The Bullion Plaza Cultural Center & Museum is housed in the Bullion Plaza School in Miami, AZ. Originally a grammar school has shifted to a great museum of the area.

34. Explore Hells Gate

​Lying at the base of the Mogollon Rim, upper Tonto Creek has incised a 1,000-foot-deep canyon that runs entirely through the center of this Wilderness.

35. Go To AZ Poppy Fest

The Arizona Poppy fest is a event held each spring in Globe, Arizona where visitors can see the thousands of Mexican Poppies covering the hillsides.

36. Pleasant Valley Museum

The main feature of the Museum is the Pleasant Valley War exhibit between the Tewksbury's and Grahams which is still filled with controversy to this day.

37. Visit the Rim Lakes

Located along the Mogollon Rim lies the beautiful Woods Canyon and Willow Springs lakes. They are known for their great kayak and paddleboarding areas.

38. Go To Peridot Mesa

February through early April you will find expansive blankets of Mexican gold poppies dotted by the lupin, desert-chicory, and blue dick across rolling hillsides.

39. Hashknife Pony Express

Each February a group of riders takes handwritten mail from Holbrook to Scottsdale stopping in Payson along the way. This is truly a kid's favorite event!

40. Visit A Park

Enjoy picnics, places to throw a ball around, discover the largest travertine bridge or a self-guided park that teaches you about the history of mining.

41. Go Sight-Seeing

Adventure is around every corner and some of the states most valuable scenic treasures are in some cases only 45 minutes to 90 minutes away from Phoenix. 

42. Go Rock Climbing

Gila County, Arizona is said to have some of the best exposed rock in the State of Arizona.  The good news is that tons of it is great for pulling on!

43. Visit Stewart Pocket