Buckle your seat belts and get ready to drive! We are headed out to one of the prettiest drives in the state, Aravaipa Canyon. This drive starts in the desert, transitions into ranch lands and ends in thick lush greenery with streams, tall cliffs and a small Native American ruin.

Our adventure starts in the tiny town of Klondyke.

Take the Klondyke exit on highway 70 between Fort Thomas and Pima.

From the turn off, you will drive on a well maintained dirt road for about 20 miles. The mountain desert views are beautiful along the way. When you reach the end of the road, turn right until you come to the old Klondyke store. There is plenty of parking there, not to mention a nice look into the past.

Our Palooza starts here, but there is still quite a drive to the Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness. We will enjoy about 10 miles of outdoor fresh air and blue skies along the way.

This is the ranch county. We were greeted by passing cattle and wild turkeys along the way.

Another land mark you will see on the drive to the Canyon is the Salazar Family Church. It looks like it is still an active house of worship.

Even the cliffs in the distance seem to say that there is something special just around the corner.

The vegetation starts to change here. The trees get very close and tall. There are many crowded thickets with the loud buzzing of cicadas. I mean really, really loud!

There are several old deserted buildings along the way. We stopped and took a few pictures. I wonder what life must have been like in this beautiful place so long ago?

Stay on the main roads. This is wilderness area and you never know what creature you may encounter!

Even the trees have a touch of mystery! They are nestled in among the red cliffs and the blue skies.

There are also many small creeks along the way. It is always fun to drive through the water.

Keep on driving and you will come to the trail head where the map and and the restrooms are. Now is a good time to take that break because there are not any other restrooms along the way.

It has been a pretty drive up to here, but now the real beauty begins. There are two trails to explore. We stayed to the left toward the Turkey Creek Cliff Ruins.

Can pictures even capture a little bit of the wonder of this place? The small river crossings and shaded dirt roads were so picturesque.

All along the way, the red cliffs would pop up above the trees to whisper that they were guarding this patch of paradise.

It is a good idea to stop along the way and explore the area.

I wish I was faster with the camera because we saw a whole family of coatimundi crossing the road. But I missed the shot. You will just have to take my word for it.

Keep driving until you come to the sign for the Turkey Cliff Dwelling.

It is only a very short hike up to the ancient site. There is a hand rail to help near the top.

It is hard to believe that this was built in the 1300’s! The cliffs have definitely given it protection from the storms.

The entry is small but it is really quite roomy inside. Rob could easily stand up inside.

The Turkey Creek Cliff Dwelling is where we will be stopping today. If you are adventurous, the road does continue on all the way to Mammoth, AZ. The road is a bit more treacherous from here.

We made it up, well the boys did. Michelle and I didn’t have quite the nerves that they did. We stayed down and Michelle enjoyed the geological mysteries of the terrain.

Time to turn around and head back to civilization. It has been an AMAZING day! Even the little flowers and butterflies seemed to say, “I’m glad you came! Remember to take time to see the beauty all around you”

Aravaipa Canyon is a haven of beauty. I know we will be back again to explore and have a picnic. After all, we didn’t see the other side of the wilderness area!

Thank you for stopping by and joining us on our Polaris Palooza! “Ya’ll Come Back Now!”