Outdoors & parks
Boyce Thompson Arboretum
Superior
Arizona's oldest botanical garden shelters desert plants from every continent in a canyon below Picketpost Mountain — glorious in wildflower season.
arboretumgardenssuperior
Area & food guide
Pinal County
Arizona, United States
Between Phoenix and Tucson, Pinal County is Arizona's open-road middle: the Superstition Mountains and Lost Dutchman legends, ancient Hohokam ruins, wildflower-covered Picacho Peak and the desert science of Biosphere 2.
- Superstition Mountains and the Lost Dutchman legend
- Casa Grande Ruins, an ancient Hohokam great house
- Picacho Peak's spring wildflowers
- Biosphere 2's glass world under the desert sun
Outdoors & parks
Outdoors & parks
Lost Dutchman State Park
Apache Junction
Camp and hike beneath the Superstitions' golden cliffs, where the legend of a lost gold mine still draws dreamers up the Siphon Draw.
hikingstate-parksuperstitions
Outdoors & parks
Oracle State Park
Oracle
A quiet Catalina-foothills refuge crossed by the Arizona Trail — stay past dusk for certified dark-sky stargazing.
dark-skystate-parktrails
Outdoors & parks
Peralta Trailhead — Superstition Mountains
Gold Canyon
The classic Superstition Wilderness hike — switchback up Peralta Canyon to a saddle staring straight at Weavers Needle's stone spire.
hikingviewswilderness
Outdoors & parks
Picacho Peak State Park
Picacho
The I-10 landmark everyone recognizes — climb its cable-assisted trail, or come in March when the slopes turn gold with poppies.
hikingstate-parkwildflowers
Outdoors & parks
San Tan Mountain Regional Park
Queen Creek
Ten thousand acres of raw Sonoran Desert at suburbia's edge — the Goldmine Trail sunrise is a Queen Creek tradition.
hikingqueen-creekregional-park
Arts & culture
Arts & culture
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Coolidge
A four-story earthen great house raised by Hohokam farmers seven centuries ago — America's first archaeological preserve still guards its mysteries.
ancienthohokamnational-monument
Arts & culture
Goldfield Ghost Town
Apache Junction
A resurrected 1890s mining camp where gunfights erupt on schedule and a narrow-gauge train loops beneath the Superstitions.
familyghost-townold-west
Arts & culture
Queen Creek Olive Mill
25062 S. Meridian Rd., Queen Creek
Arizona's only working olive farm and mill — tour the 100-acre orchard, taste the harvest, and shop for oil pressed by hands that know every tree.
Arts & culture
Superstition Mountain Museum
Apache Junction
Lost Dutchman lore, mining relics and the Elvis Memorial Chapel from the old Apacheland movie ranch — the Superstitions' story, told at their feet.
apache-junctionmuseumold-west
Day trips
Day trips
Apache Trail Scenic Drive
Apache Junction
The old stagecoach road into the Superstitions — white-knuckle curves, Canyon Lake blues and a stop at six-resident Tortilla Flat.
canyon-lakehistoric-routescenic-drive
Day trips
Biosphere 2
Oracle
Step inside the glass world where eight people once sealed themselves for two years — rainforest, ocean and desert under one roof.
attractionoraclescience
Frequently asked questions
What is there to do in Pinal County?
Between Phoenix and Tucson, Pinal County is Arizona's open-road middle: the Superstition Mountains and Lost Dutchman legends, ancient Hohokam ruins, wildflower-covered Picacho Peak and the desert science of Biosphere 2. Highlights include Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Lost Dutchman State Park, Oracle State Park, Peralta Trailhead — Superstition Mountains.
What are the best outdoor spots in Pinal County?
Popular outdoor spots around Pinal County include Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Lost Dutchman State Park, Oracle State Park, Peralta Trailhead — Superstition Mountains.