Things to Do in Verde Village

As the Bradshaw Mountain range stretches into the Sonoran Dessert, its landscapes change quickly. Shrub-strewn hills dip into valleys dotted with cacti. Clear streams run through dense copses, and then open to bare, clay-red plateaus. The guides at Desert Wolf Tours unveil these unforgiving yet magical landscapes, chiefly by leading caravans of Tomcars. These all-terrain vehicles let guests power over rocks, up hillsides, and through card towers to visit destinations such as old turquoise and gold mines and a ghost town.

Desert Wolf's team also takes visitors into the desert for recreational target shooting, supplying them with firearms, such as M16 rifles and Glock 17 handguns, to shoot under the supervision of NRA-certified instructors. Desert Wolf, a family-owned business, adheres to eco-friendly practices, participating in programs such as the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. These efforts have not only earned the respect of guests, but also a certificate of excellence from TripAdvisor.

A flurry of paintballs whiz through the air, splattering their targets with brightly colored pigment. Players at Westworld Paintball Adventures explore either indoor or outdoor fields, where they can unleash a paintball-pelting fury, rain or shine. At Splatter Ranch’s outdoor enclave, paintballers find cover in gullies or clusters of shrubbery as majestic cacti stand guard a safe distance away. The field and on-site pro shop spread across 20 acres of terrain, which is peppered with a few buildings where players can duck into or play Rochambeau for decoy duty.

At the indoor arena, Xtreme Pursuit, players kick up clouds of dirt as they chase each other around a 33,000-square-foot facility and take shelter in bunkers and buildings amid specialized lighting, a sound system, and fog machines. The facility is air-conditioned and open year-round, with a pro shop supplying equipment to players.

In the shadow of the mountains of Tonto National Forest, Bartlett Lake watercrafts skid across 2,815 acres of the lake's pristine waters. The marina abounds with recreational facilities—its fleet of professional jet skis, pontoons, and ski boats sit parked along docks of grills, a general store, and a covered, floating patio. A 45-foot yacht towers over the rest of the rental boats, furnishing lively parties of up to 25 people with a slide, bar, and restroom, while a large houseboat floats along the lake peacefully—an impressive vessel complete with private rooms, a deck, and kitchen. As visitors navigate the lake or forage the surrounding area's desert terrain trails, they have the opportunity to admire indigenous plants and abundant wildlife.

There's something timeless about Macdonald Ranch. Maybe it's that visitors can take a guided horseback ride through the desert, pose for an old-time photo, or ride a stagecoach—which in certain cases, might be held up by actors dressed as outlaws. But whatever the reason guests dock their zeppelin at Macdonald Ranch, the staff hopes to treat them to a fun ranch experience. They surround them with music, cowboy shows, and seasonal attractions such as the annual pumpkin festival.

Macdonald Ranch covers 1,300 acres of the scenic Sonoran Desert. Whether on horseback or a hayride, guests can explore the area and view its desert flora, hawks, petrified spurs, and coyotes.

Randy Long entered the working world as a travel agent, a vocation that whet his appetite for globetrotting, adventure, and haggling with airlines. When he became a father and husband, he passed a passion for thrill seeking on to his family, and their recent escapades include scuba diving in Barbados and dog sledding in Alaska. It was this thirst for exploration and a love of aviation that drove Randy to become an FAA-certified powered-parachute instructor and found Arizona Powerchutes.

Powered parachutes are comprised of two-seater, wheeled carts that float 20 feet beneath 40-foot parachutes. At sunrise—or sunset during the cooler months—Randy and a passenger climb aboard the cart, and Randy hits the throttle, gathering speed for about 100 feet before the parachute fully inflates and hoists the cart into the air. Randy adjusts the altitude to his patron's comfort level and steers crafts over the exotic plants and mountain silhouettes of the Sonoran Desert, averaging a speed of 26 miles per hour. After journeys, powered parachutes float to land safely, as they are inspected by the pilot prior to each flight and by an FAA-approved facility after every 100 hours of operation.

Since hosting their first class in 1989, Arizona Climbing and Adventure School's instructors have sent an estimated 37,000 students scurrying up the earth's craggy cliffs. Instead of learning climbing in an indoor facility, participants climb nature’s precipices outdoors upon the Southwest's cliffs and mountains. Adventurer and school director Mark Brontsema guides his students and fellow instructors by a philosophy that emphasizes self-reliance, goal setting, and teamwork. He now brings more than three decades to his post as school director, taking time from a busy schedule that includes writing gear reviews for the New York Times.

The school offers a large number of courses that target students of varying skill levels and reveal technique secrets in small groups of two to six students. Classes may focus on rappelling and anchors, guide services, and equipment-free bouldering, which relies solely on the climber's hands, feet, and retractable suction cups. Adventure courses include day trips and overnight climbing excursions, while special workshops address topics such as backpacking, being an ecologically responsible climber and hiker, and using GPS devices.