KINISHBA RUINS — Seven centuries ago, this place might have seemed like a grand stone metropolis in a high lonesome landscape.
The ruins site — near the town of Fort Apache on lands of the White Mountain Apache Tribe — was once a village with 500 or more ground-floor rooms, some of them standing two or three stories high. At its peak, around A.D. 1325, the prehistoric pueblo may have been home to 800 to 1,000 people.
A visit to the partly rebuilt structure, which is a national historic landmark, offers an up-close view into the distant past.
What you'll see
A flat loop trail, about one-third of a mile long, winds around and through parts of the ruins — passing sun-baked stone walls, open plazas and a ceremonial room known as a kiva.
Along the way, watch for — but don't remove — pieces of pottery made by inhabitants of the village.
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The road to ruins
To reach Kinishba from Tucson, take Arizona 77 north, past Oracle, to Globe. Continue northeast on U.S. 60, past the Salt River Canyon, to a right-hand turnoff for Arizona 73. Follow that route to the town of Fort Apache. Proceed to the Fort Apache Historic Park, where you'll pay a $5 fee and get directions to the nearby Kinishba site.
Information: 1-928-338-4525.
