20 Attractions to Explore Near McFarland State Historic Park

This is the oldest historical organization in Pinal County. The museum shares Florence and Pinal County’s rich stories through exhibits and educational programs. The museum covers Florence’s rich history and cultural diversity from precontact Native Americans to 21st-century local families who have lived, worked and attended school—continuously enriching our collective stories.

Poston Butte, is a hill located along Hunt Highway in Florence, Pinal County, Arizona, United States, near the eastern end of the Santan Mountains. Geologically, it is characterized by basalts overlying altered granite.This hill is noted for having the pyramidal tomb of Charles Debrille Poston at its summit.

Here you’ll find the Ancient Sonoran Desert People’s farming community including the preserved “Great House,” or “Casa Grande.” It also preserves a group of Hohokam structures dating to the Classic Period. visitors can explore the extensive and fascinating compound with the help of guided tours and an interpretive center that offers answers to questions, and leaves you to ponder a few more questions yet to be solved.

St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery is a Greek Orthodox monastery standing in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. It was established in the summer of 1995 in the name of Saint Anthony the Great. The closest town is Florence, Arizona. It is home for approximately 42 monks. It is open to both Orthodox and non-Orthodox visitors. Pilgrims can arrange to stay at the monastery in guest facilities, and other visitors are invited in daily from 10:30 am to 4:00 pm.

Martinez Canyon Trail is a moderate 14.4 mile out-and-back trail located near Mecca that offers scenic views and is primarily used for hiking, horses, and backpacking. The trail is open year-round and is beautiful to visit anytime. Dogs are welcome and may be off-leash in some areas.

Pinal Peak is a high mountain peak located in southern Gila County, Arizona, United States. It is the highest point of land located in between the Salt and Gila rivers in Arizona before they merge, making it visible from miles away on a clear day. The peak ranks as the 11th most prominent in Arizona. A good trekking and oofroaad drive destination and also there are so many other leisre opportunities too.

Picacho Reservoir is just 11 miles south of Coolidge in central Arizona. The reservoir was built in the 1920s as part of the San Carlos Irrigation Project. The reservoir's original purpose was water storage and flow regulation for the Florence-Casa Grande and Casa Grande Canals. The lake's design capacity was 24,500 acre-feet of water, with a surface area of over 2 square miles.

San Tan Mountains Regional Park is a large suburban park located in Pinal County. Although the park is administered by Maricopa County Parks, it is located within Pinal County. It encompasses over 10,000 acres and preserves a portion of the San Tan Mountains, south of Queen Creek. Comprising over 10,200 acres in the Sonoran Desert, the park sits south of Queen Creek Arizona and preserves a portion of the San Tan Mountains, located on their northeastern flank.

This is a roadside park deep in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, containing a monument to cowboy, actor, and Western star Tom Mix. The memorial with a metal silhouette of Mix’s steed – Tony the Wonder Horse – is near the spot in 1940 where the silent-film actor crashed and died in his era’s supercar, a 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton. Travelers stop near milepost 116 to pay their respects to an actor and trick rider who made close to 300 films from 1909 to 1935 and was paid as much as $17,000 per week.

The White Canyon Wilderness in Arizona, is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. A very large escarpment known as the "Rincon" is a prominent landmark in the southern end of the wilderness. Vegetation in the area includes chaparral variety as well as saguaro cactus typical of the Sonoran Desert that support a variety of wildlife such as black bears and mountain lions.

Picketpost Mountain is a stunning mountain that rises nearly 2,000 feet from the town of Superior. It resides in a very scenic part of the state between the Superstition Mountains and other beautiful ranges. It itself is not part of any specific range, but is nearly entirely surrounded by other ranges. The view across the valley from Superior of Apache Leap Ridge is incredible.

Arnett Creek is a stream in Arizona, that runs through central Arizona in a part of the Gila watershed that sees year-round flows—a rare find in this arid state.

This beautiful desert garden offers expansive views, creekside trails, and hundreds of plants brand-new to BTA. At 13 acres and with more than 5,000 new plantings, the addition of the Wallace collection moves Boyce Thompson Arboretum into the top tier of botanical gardens around the world. The main trail is wheelchair accessible.

This is Arizona's oldest and largest botanical garden is located in the heart of the Sonoran Desert. Founded in 1924 as a desert plant research facility and “living museum”, the arboretum is located in the Sonoran Desert on 392 acres Over 2600 species of arid land plants from around the world grow at the arboretum.

Newman Peak is the highest point of the Picacho Mountains, a compact range with impressive prominence located in the desert about 45 miles north of Tucson. despite its impressive profile and prominence, Newman Peak is difficult to access and very few people actually attempt its summit. It is one of the iconic attraction in this area and also an interesting trekking area too.

The Museum of Casa Grande preserves and exhibits the heritage of the region. Their collections represent historic and contemporary lifestyles, work, agriculture and so more. The Museum curators create special exhibits, both on-site and online, to show visitors interesting and unique selections of artifacts, writings, documents and photos from our Collections.

Queen Creek Canyon is found above the small town of Superior, AZ, about an hour's drive (depending where you start) east of the metro Phoenix area.Queen Creek and its many volcanic towers is the home of central Arizona sport climbing and bouldering. The rock is volcanic tuff and the routes go from deep-pocket pulling down to tiny-edge crimping, depending on the area.

The building was built in 1929 by Gus Kratzka as the family residence. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. The building has a rusticated concrete exterior and includes several features that made the summer heat more bearable for the retired banker and his wife. The mission of this building is to develop an art museum and creative arts center and provide citizens of the Casa Grande and Central Arizona with the opportunity to enjoy a diverse selection of quality art.

The Siphon Draw Trail to Flatiron near Phoenix, Arizona is known as one of the state’s top ten hikes to experience. This route is an unbelievable 6.05 mile round trip adventure that places hikers directly on top of the powerful and towering cliffs in the Superstition Mountains. This shady slot offers great views across the bajada, and spire-topped walls of the canyon. A seasonal waterfall trickles into a corner of the chute, which can make slickrock hazardous under heavy flows.

The Silly Mountain Trailhead is 37 miles east of Phoenix and 8 miles south of Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction, Arizona. It is one of the iconic attractions in this area and also there are so many things to explore.