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Small Group Apache Trail Day Tour with Dolly Steamboat from Phoenix

Small Group Apache Trail Day Tour with Dolly Steamboat from Phoenix

Overview

Spend the day following the historic Apache Trail on a guided true wilderness adventure. Enjoy a visit to Goldfield Ghost Town, Tortilla Flat, and a boat ride on Canyon Lake. It's a perfect day out in the Sonoran Desert. Choose between a small-group or private option. If you select the private option, you can also select your departure time.

City: Scottsdale

Thu 26 Dec

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $159.00

Make a reservation

Thu 26 Dec

Starting at $159.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Bottled water

All taxes, fees and handling charges

Professional guide

Hotel pickup and drop-off from select Phoenix area hotels

Additional Info

Service animals allowed
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there is not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund
Arizona state law requires children under 8 years to have either a child seat or booster. Child seats are not provided, please bring your own
Minimum age is 3 years
Wheelchairs that can fold up are acceptable on tour
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitised between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised
Guides required to regularly wash hands

What To Expect

Apache Trail Scenic Drive

Only minutes from the city, the Apache Trail is the perfect way to experience the beauty of the Sonoran desert. Arizona’s first designated “Historic Highway” and a scenic byway, the original Apache Trail was a footpath by which the local Apache Tribe traveled through the Superstition Mountains.

Superstition Mountains

View these stunning desert mountains as you drive along the Apache Trail

Canyon Lake

During your tour along the Apache Trail, you will also be treated to a steamboat cruise on Canyon Lake by the famous Dolly Steamboat.

Lost Dutchman State Park

Tortilla Flat has become a fixture of the Apache Trail since its inception in 1904. Not fire, drought, or bandits could destroy this hearty stage stop which holds onto its rich tradition through its architecture and unique decorating sense. If you get too warm, you can quite literally “saddle up” to the bar and enjoy a cold beverage to cool you down. This rugged landscape in the Sonoran Desert has been the jewel that some men were looking for with the most famous involving the Lost Dutchman Mine. Rumored to have found the largest gold vein in the west, German immigrant Jacob Waltz trusted his newly found gold deposit to no one and the secret of its location was buried with him. If you have the “golden eye” maybe you can spot it while on tour!

Tortilla Flat

Two of the more colorful stops along the Apache Trail are Goldfield Ghost Town and Tortilla Flat.

Goldfield Ghost Town

Goldfield, aptly named after the precious metal found in the area, was incorporated in 1892. For five long years this town was a gold miner’s paradise, however, soon after the vein stopped producing Goldfield quickly turned into a gold mining ghost town. During the tour you will have a chance to spend time in this restored ghost town practicing your gold panning techniques, marveling at the original mining gear, or even spending some time at Lu Lu’s Bordello if you dare.

Show 3 more stops

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (97)

Dave B

Mar 2019

We booked the Apache Trail Tour and were very pleased with it. We visited many sites and attractions while on the tour. Our guide Matthew was very informative and eager to answer all our questions along the way. The only minor things were, we wished our guide had used a microphone while in the bus, it was hard to hear in the back and we would have liked a little more time at the stagecoach stop and the ghost town. We may have gotten more time on a normal tour but due to unmarked construction, we were 30-45 minutes getting started. The boat ride on Canyon Lake was spectacular and worth the whole trip itself!! This tour is well worth your time and we would book it again the next time we visit.

Response from Host

Mar 2019

Hi Dave… Thank you for joining us for a historic Apache Trail Tour, and for taking a moment to share your experience. We’re so glad that you enjoyed Matthew, as your guide, and that he was eager to answer all of your questions along the way. We look forward to seeing you again on another one of our tours, in the not too distant future. We have so much more of the amazing American West to show you!

Tess R

Feb 2019

I was really excited about this tour, until we spent the first two hours of the day driving around picking up the other 8 people on the tour, and then getting back to our car two and half hours later than planned. A better use of tour time, so could allocate time where needed would be central pick up/drop off. Tour guide rambled and contradicted himself. We did not have time for lunch at Marina as promised and Tortilla flats was so crowded we would not have had much eating time there. The Dolly Steamboat was the best part of this tour, but again, Google and make your own arrangements. We were given a mere 30 minutes at Goldfield, which was no where long enough. I let the company know right away how disappointing and a waste of time this day was, and their response was a $40 refund on a $240 day. Better than nothing, but not a trip I would suggest. Not having 4 plus hours of pick up and drop off would greatly improve trip, as well as a better guide that actually talked about the history, the flora, etc instead of himself. For the amount of $$ this tour was, save it and take yourself, read history and trivia on your own.

Response from Host

Mar 2019

Per our owner Jeff Slade Hi Tess, We apologize you did not enjoy your tour on the Apache Trail. In regards to the pick up and drop off situation, we were waiting 30 minutes at your designated pick up spot, which means the other 6 people were waiting on you. Obviously this changed our timing of the entire tour. Of course it is our goal to accommodate ALL GUESTS and we do this to the best of our ability. On a normal basis, the first guest picked up is also the first guest dropped off, however since you we're late to your meeting point, we had to reevaluate our route to best satisfy the group as a whole. Generally we do not wait more than 15 minutes at a location, but we wanted to get you out on tour to enjoy the day! Thank you for your time and feedback.

saberpunk

Feb 2019

This tour checked all my 'boxes.' I frequently travel alone on vacation. This usually doesn't stop me from exploring on my own, unless twisting roads are involved. I like looking at the views too much, and worry that I'll be so busy looking around that I'll miss a curve! So it's great to find a well-respected tour company that can do the driving for me and will take me where I want to go. Detours West did that with this tour! The stops were fun and interesting, and any of them could have filled a few hours by itself. But even better was being able to 'rubber-neck' and take all the photos I wanted, without having to look at the road even once! And the icing on the cake was our guide, Matthew. He knew so much about the area, and was able to share as much detail as we wanted. He was funny and personable, as well. I would highly recommend Detours West and this tour. I can't wait to visit Phoenix again, to take another tour with Detours!

Response from Host

Feb 2019

Awesome!… And thank you for joining us for a tour of the Apache Trail, and for taking a moment to share your experience. We’re thrilled that Matthew, could not only handle all the driving, so you could rubber-neck ;-), and throughly enjoy the beautiful views, but he was also knowledgeable and funny. Yes, please do reach out to us when we can help you plan another amazing itinerary exploring more of our beautiful corner of the country