Day Trip 4 itinerary

Day Trip Adventures in Casa Grande

Embark on an unforgettable journey on Day 4 of your Casa Grande adventure, where you can visit the Tom Mix Memorial, delve into the mysteries of the Biosphere II, and marvel at the breathtaking vistas from the historic Apache Leap.

Tom Mix Monument

A few miles east on I-10, at Exit 226 Red Rock interchange, you can get away from the hustle and bustle of the traffic by taking Park Link Drive east to Hwy 79 (Pinal Pioneer Parkway). Park Link Drive is a 20-mile road, which connects to Pinal Pioneer Parkway to the east. Midway between Florence, AZ and Oracle Junction, you will pass the Tom Mix Monument, built to memorialize silent-film star Tom Mix, who died in a car accident in 1940.

Continue driving north on Pinal Pioneer Parkway, and turn right on Paisano Drive. At the end of the road you will find St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery, which is a working monastery. Call ahead to see if the monastery is open to visitors and instructions for your visit.

The plant in the greenhouse. Plants is a hobby which soothes.

Biosphere II

A few miles south on I-10, at Exit 226 Red Rock interchange, you can get away from the hustle and bustle of the traffic by taking Park Link Drive east to Hwy 79 (Pinal Pioneer Parkway). Park Link Drive is a 20-mile road, which connects to Pinal Pioneer Parkway to the east. Take Park Link Drive east to SR 79. Drive south on SR 79 then turn east on State Route 77 for a visit to the very interesting and uniquely informative Biosphere II, a step into more modern history, a science-based look to the possibilities of the future. The world’s largest controlled environment dedicated to understanding the impacts of climate change. Take the self-guided tour; you’ll be glad you did!

https://biosphere2.org/

Apache Leap

After your tour, continue east on SR 77, which winds north, past the small towns of Mammoth, Oracle, Dudleyville and Winkelman. This is a beautiful drive through the higher elevations of the county, past the mining communities. Like agri-business, mining was another major economic driver for Pinal County. Heading to Kearny, AZ on SR 77, you will be able to see the spectacular Ray Open Pit Mine, which is educational, too. Stop at the overlook to get a magnificent view of the mine and read the placards about the history of the mine and the region.

Turning west to Superior, AZ on Hwy. 60, stop to hunt for Apache Tears at the mountain they call Apache Leap and admire the mysterious Superstition Mountains, that, like their name, beckoned to prospectors seeking the evasive Lost Dutchman Mine for many years in the early 1900s.