Although the Sears-Kay Ruins 15 miles northeast of Cave Creek have never been restored and are, in fact, in ruins, they are close enough to north Scottsdale to be well worth searching out. They're also just far enough away to feel like a real discovery. It's an easy 1-mile round-trip hike to this hilltop Hohokam pueblo ruin, and along the way, interpretive plaques explain aspects of Hohokam culture. The pueblo, which dates to between 1050 and 1500, consisted of 40 rooms in four compounds. To find the ruins, head northeast from Carefree on Cave Creek Road, which becomes first Seven Springs Road and then Forest Service Road 24. For more information, contact the Tonto National Forest's Cave Creek Ranger District, 40202 N. Cave Creek Rd., Scottsdale (tel. 480/595-3300; www.fs.fed.us/r3/tonto/home).
On the south side of the Superstition Mountains, near the Gold Canyon Resort, a relatively short hike will lead you to a small canyon where ancient petroglyphs cover a rock wall beside several pools of water. Known as Hieroglyphic Canyon, this rock-art site is reached via a 1.1-mile trail up a gentle slope through dense stands of cactus. To reach the trail head, drive east from Phoenix on U.S. 60 to Gold Canyon. Turn north on King's Ranch Road and follow this road to a right turn onto Baseline Road. Then turn left on Mohican Road, left again on Valley View Drive, and right on Cloudview Avenue, which leads into the trail head parking lot.
Show Up Now for Savings
If your Phoenix vacation plans include museum-hopping and you're good at planning a day's sightseeing, you should consider buying a Show Up Now Pass (tel. 602/971-2223; www.showupnowpass.com). These passes provide discounts on admissions to numerous attractions around the Valley of the Sun and come in 1-day ($18 adults, $10 children ages 3-12), 2-day ($34 adults, $12 children) and 5-day ($49 adults, $16 children) passes, While the 1-day pass provides admission to up to 15 attractions and is a great deal, you'll have to do a lot of running around to get your money's worth.
Native Trails in Scottsdale
The sound of drumming coming from the Scottsdale Mall is insistent and irresistible, and if you happen to be shopping in Old Town Scottsdale and hear that drumming, be sure to follow the sound to its source. On a stage in front of the Scottsdale Center for the Arts, you'll find members of several Native American tribes performing traditional songs and dances. The show is a cross-cultural journey and is a great way to learn a bit about a few native cultures. The free programs, called Native Trails, are held January through mid-April on most Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays between noon and 1:30pm, and are part of the Culture Quest Scottsdale (tel. 480/421-1004; www.culturequestscottsdale.com) program, which includes a variety of seasonal programming geared toward tourists.
