
NATIVE AMERICAN ADVENTURE ITINERARY
Adventure Highlights:
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Tribal Gaming: Apache Gold Resort & Mazatzal Hotel & Casino
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Native American History & Culture
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200-room prehistoric Salado masonry pueblo
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Native American cliff dwellings
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Ancient settlements like the "Mogollons" at Shoofly Indian Ruins
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Largest Travertine Bridge in the World
History:
Living up to its slogan, Gila County has always been a wild country. It was once home to 1,000's of different Native American settlments. The area was literally surrounded by the Sinagua to the north, the Anasazi to the northeast, the Mogollon to the southeast, the Salado to the south, and the Hohokam to the southwest. This adventure will guide you through their ancient lives. Welcome to Arizona's Wild History.
Find A Place To Stay
How To Get There
Below you will find important information on how to get to each of the attractions on this Itinerary.
Museum in the Peridot, Arizona
Address: Mile Marker 272, Highway #70, Peridot, AZ 85542
Phone: (928) 475-2894
[Map it] [Website]
Address: 5 US-70, San Carlos, AZ 85550
Phone: (928) 475-7800
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More Info]
Address: 1324 S Jesse Hayes Rd, Globe, AZ 85501
Phone: (928) 425-0320
Tonto National Monument
Payson, Arizona
[
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Address: 1-5 Houston Mesa Rd, Payson, AZ 85541Open all day
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Address: Highway 87, Pine, AZ 85544
Phone: (928) 476-4202
Address: Highway 87, Mile Marker 251, Payson, AZ 85541
Phone: (928) 474-6044
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Where To Eat
A key component of any adventure is finding a place to eat. Gila County has a great diversity of foods and places to eat. For a complete list by city [ Click Here ].
What To Plan For
• For everyone’s safety, please drive your vehicle only on paved surfaces and stay on designated trails.
• For your safety, please don’t use glass containers in any the places on this itinerary
• All of these parks and museums adhere to firearm and hunting regulations. Please familiarize yourself with this information.
Pets
• For the enjoyment of your visit and the consideration of our other guests, we ask that you keep your pet on a maximum six-foot leash at all times.
• Each place on this itinerary has specific pet policies that must be followed. Make sure if you have questions you contact them first to make sure your pet can be included in your adventure.
Weather
• Depending on the time of the year it can be hot and cold. So check the weather beforehand to make sure you have the proper clothes and accessories.
Considerations:
• Due to the nature of this Itinerary there are several places that are fee based or you must buy a permit to enter. Please read carefully the information on each part of this itinerary to make sure you are prepared.
DAY 1: San Carlos Apache Lands
Apache - Nde (The People) are a culturally rich Nation with heritage tied to Mother Earth, evident to this day our existence is steeped in thousands of years of lineage in descending knowledge passed down generational since time of creation, The People welcome you to engage our community, through trade, discover our intelligence and knowledge. We welcome exchange with all, to share a unique culture and rich history. Hon Dah - Welcome, come in.
Day 1:
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Visit the San Carlos Apache Cultural Museum
Museum in the Peridot, Arizona
Address: Mile Marker 272, Highway #70, Peridot, AZ 85542
Phone: (928) 475-2894[Map it] [Website]
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Visit Apache Gold Casino and Golf Resort

Gaming Fun: Apache Gold Casino, located five miles east of Globe, Arizona on Highway 70, features 600 of the newest slot machines, available 24/7. Discover the most penny slots in the State along with exclusive games like Apache Ponies. Find state-of-the art video and reel slot machines and progressives as well as Black Jack. Play at our 200-seat Bingo Hall that's open five days a week. Enjoy it all in a friendly and casual atmosphere that promises more uninterrupted play which means more chances to win. Join our Player's Club to win valuable points for prizes and "perks" -- like rounds of golf, hotel stays, and dining.
#1 Golf Course in Arizona: Ranked by Golfweek Magazine as one of the top golf courses in Arizona. Apache Stronghold Golf Club is an 18-hole, par 72 high desert golf course with a USGA rating of 74.6 and a USGA slope of 145. Opened in 1999, the 7,519 yard-long course was designed by Tom Doak and challenges golfers with natural features including desert washes, rolling topography and natural rugged bunkers. The mountain and desert vistas are panoramic and unspoiled. At 3,200 feet elevation, the golfing experience is cooler than nearby Phoenix and Tucson during the summer months and mild during the winter season. With five sets of tees to choose from, this memorable course accommodates serious to casual golfers. The property includes a driving range and clubhouse.
Apache Gold Casino Resort
Address: 5 US-70, San Carlos, AZ 85550
Phone: (928) 475-7800
[Map It] [Website]
Day 2: Globe, Besh-Ba-Gowah & Tonto National Monument
Day 2:
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Globe, Arizona

Parties led by Corydon E. Cooley and Calvin Jackson were the first white man to extensively explore the mineral wealth of the region. Jackson continued to prospect in the Pinal Mountains and was joined by a former member of Cooley's expedition, William A. "Hunkydory" Holmes. When these prospectors began to be harassed by Apaches, they constructed a rough fort in late October 1869 at Big Johnny Gulch, 2 miles north of what would later become Globe.
They never found gold, but they did discover silver, and in November 1870, 15 claims were staked at what was to become one of the richest mineral districts in the US. In 1871 they organized themselves into the Pinal Mining Company, at a place they called "Cottonwood Springs, Arizona Territory." Soon other prospectors also began making claims throughout the region. Informaiton provided courtesy of desertusa.com
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Explore the Prehistoric Salado Masonary Pueblo - Besh-Ba-Gowah

Besh-Ba-Gowah was occupied by Salado populations between AD 1225 and AD 1400. "Salado" is the term applied to the complex of cultural attributes of the prehistoric peoples who inhabited the Globe/Miami and Tonto Basin regions between AD 1150 and AD 1450.
Besh-Ba-Gowah architecture consists of multi-storied, masonry room block clusters connected by long, narrow corridors or elongated plazas. These room blocks, and corridors are situated around a large communal plaza area measuring 12 meters north/south by 27 meters east/west.
Material recovered from Besh-Ba-Gowah has formed the foundation for the profession's current understanding and definition of the Salado culture concept. Thus, Besh-Ba-Gowah is considered one of the Salado culture "type sites".
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Eat Lunch in Globe, Arizona
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Discover The Ancient Cliff Dwellings of the Tonto National Monument

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Head to Payson, Arizona for the night
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Day 3: Payson, Shoofly Ruins & Tonto Natural Bridge
Visit Payson, AZ


Shoofly Village Archaeological Ruins offers visitors a self-guided tour back into another era. At one time, the Rim Country was home to probably 1,000 different sites, the very heart of the prehistoric cultures in the Southwest. The people who lived in the Rim country -- known variously as Mogollons, Ancient Ones or Bunheads -- were literally surrounded by the Sinagua to the north, the Anasazi to the northeast, the Mogollon to the southeast, the Salado to the south, and the Hohokam to the southwest.The Shoofly Indian Ruins were believed to have been occupied between A.D. 1000-1250. At an elevation of 5,240 feet, Shoofly Village once had a total of 79 structures of which the rock outlines, once the base of the walls, are still visible. At the center of this site is where a larger structure once existed, believed to have been a building with 26 rooms averaging 37.4 square meters each, and part of this structure was perhaps two stories high. In clusters around the core area were 39 smaller structures and 14 more were scattered about the general area and at least one of these structures had a curved wall. The entire compound of approximately 3.75 acres (1.5 hectares) is enclosed by a small rock fence.
Located atop the northern edge of Houston Mesa, the immediate area is comprised of grassland and sparsely populated with Juniper and Chaparral. The average annual rainfall for the area is about 20 inches. Shoofly Village Ruins is easily accessible...a mere 100 yards off Houston Mesa road (all paved).
This site was first recorded in 1930 by archaeologist John Hughes but full scale excavations did not occur until 1984. These excavations were conducted by Dr. Charles Redman from Arizona State University, as a field school program, over a four year period. More excavations are being considered. The people who once occupied the Shoofly Village appeared to have been similar to those who once occupied the Flagstaff, Arizona area and also the Sinaqua from the Upper Verde Valley but with notable differences. It is believed the Shoofly residents possibly had, or once had, Hohokam ties. As both farmers and hunters, they grew corn, beans, squash, possibly cotton and successfully hunted deer, elk, rabbits, rodents, birds, and migratory fowl (ducks and geese). It is also believed they may have raised turkeys (wild turkeys are indigenous to the area). Their brown clay pottery were mostly jar-shaped vessels but were not decorated with designs. The decorated pottery found was believed to have come from the Little Colorado and Flagstaff areas. The arrowheads located were very small, less than an inch long (likely arrowhead hunters over the years found the bigger ones).Directions to the Shoofly Indian Ruins:Take Highway 87 north from Payson to Houston Mesa Road and turn east. The parking lot is a short distance beyond the Mesa del Caballo subdivision just off the paved road. Picnic tables, ramadas, and toilet facilities are provided.
Take A Step Back In Time At the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park

For More info on The Tonto Natural Bridge click here.

ITINERARY & MAP
QUICK FACTS
DURATION
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1, 2 or 3 days
DESTINATION
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United States
BEST TIMES
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Summer
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Fall
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Winter
ADVENTURE TYPE
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Ups and downs
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Rock Climbing
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Trails
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Remote Wilderness
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Possible weather (Could be hot or cold)
MINIMUM AGE
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All ages
VIDEO
TRAIL DESCRIPTIONS
