Tucked between Arizona’s two most populated cities of Phoenix and Tucson, Pinal County is a convenient escape from the everyday hustle and bustle. Our rural county is a place to relax and enjoy nature while also offering the thrills of new adventure. Rich in history and bursting with culture, this is the place where memories are created and discoveries are made.
Some attractions that you might like to consider:
Visible across the Phoenix Metropolitan area, the Superstition Mountains tower over the East Valley. Take a hike in the Lost Dutchman State Park before stopping for lunch at Goldfield Ghost Town, an 1890s gold mining town featuring a zipline, a narrow-gauge railroad, mine tours and gold panning, with free gunfight shows.
Head east for nature! To Pinal County’s newly opened Peralta Regional Park in Gold Canyon or the beautiful Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior, which boasts over 3,900 plant species and more than 270 migrating bird species.
Head south for history! Coolidge is home to the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, a true Arizona treasure. The four-story building was built around 1350 by the Hohokam people and named Casa Grande (Big House) by Spanish missionary Father Eusebio Kino in 1694. Nearby Florence hosts McFarland State Historic Park, a preserved courthouse dating back to the Arizona Territory period.
If it’s thrills you’re looking for, don’t miss Skydive Arizona in Eloy, the world’s largest parachuting resort and frequent host of national and world skydiving championships! While down in Oracle, at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains, you’ll find Arizona Zipline Adventures featuring Arizona’s first and fastest Zipline EcoTour.
Just a few miles west, you’ll come to the unique Biosphere 2, built to study living in an artificial environment. The 7.2 million cubic-foot enclosed ecological system that Time-Life Books calls “one of the 50 must-see wonders of the world” is the most extensive closed system ever built.
Whatever you choose, and we’ve only scratched the surface, you can find it all here in the heart of the desert. Find out more, and plan your next adventure at explore.pinal.gov.