Walking & Geoheritage Tour of Phoenix, Arizona

Walking & Geoheritage Tour of Phoenix, Arizona

The tour begins with the sandstone girding the Convention Center and winds westward 2 km to the Arizona Capitol Building. Constructed in 1898 of entirely Arizona materials, the Capitol is one of the most beautiful buildings in Phoenix. Standing proudly atop the Capitol Building’s copper cupola crown, bearing a torch and garland, is the 17-foot tall statue of Winged Victory. 

The second part of the tour showcases geoheritage sites of the Phoenix Basin and nearby McDowell Mountains. Each stop is accompanied by an image and a brief description of geologic features. At Dreamy Draw, an historic mercury mine, the story of the original miner, Sam Hughes, is revisited.  Piestewa Peak, named after the first American Indian woman, to fall in the Iraq War is a favorite summer twilight hiking spot.