Apache Trail and Dolly Steamboat Van Tour
Recommended by 96% of travelers
Phoenix, USA
- 8 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Ride the old fashioned Dolly Steamboat through the slot canyon at Canyon Lake and then hit the Apache Trail through the Sonora Desert on this tour from the Phoenix area. After your narrated cruise, visit the small town of Tortilla Flat, taking in views of the rare desert landscape along the way.
- Take a cruise through a slot canyon on an old-fashioned steamboat
- Ride a van through the Sonora Desert, a rare desert environment
- Lunch in the historic mining town of Tortilla Flat
- Pheonix hotel pickup and drop-off are included
What's Included
- Fuel surcharge
- Bottled water
- Driver/guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off (selected hotels only)
- Stretch 15 passenger vans with maximum 10 per van
- You must check your emails, and your Spam folder the day before the tour to learn pick up details.
- Gratuities
- No animals allowed in van.
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
We depart from hotels and resorts in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe and Mesa. Your specific hotel may not be in the pick up route on a particular day. If this happens, we will direct you to a different pick up location. You MUST check your emails, including your Spam folder, the afternoon before your tour for your pick up information. Or call the tour company directly for this information.
Operating hours.8:00 am
Itinerary
Explore the Superstition Wilderness and the Sonoran Desert in one day on this tour that includes the Apache Trail and a ride on the Dolly Steamboat, with a driver-guide to provide more background information.
Get picked up in the morning from your Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, or Mesa hotel and travel east by van towards the Superstition Wilderness. Enjoy a scenic drive along the Apache Trail, deep in the Sonoran Desert.
Stop for lunch in Tortilla Flat, a former stage coach stop with a tiny population of just six people. Afterwards, board the Dolly Steamboat for 90-minute narrated cruise through the slot canyons on Canyon Lake.
The last stop will be a short walk in the Sonoran Desert at Lost Dutchman State Park before the tour ends with drop-off back at your hotel.
Get picked up in the morning from your Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, or Mesa hotel and travel east by van towards the Superstition Wilderness. Enjoy a scenic drive along the Apache Trail, deep in the Sonoran Desert.
Stop for lunch in Tortilla Flat, a former stage coach stop with a tiny population of just six people. Afterwards, board the Dolly Steamboat for 90-minute narrated cruise through the slot canyons on Canyon Lake.
The last stop will be a short walk in the Sonoran Desert at Lost Dutchman State Park before the tour ends with drop-off back at your hotel.
1
Apache Trail Scenic Drive
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Tortilla Flat
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
3
The Dolly Steamboat
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Children 6 years and under are required to ride in a car seat that the guest must provide
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Hotel pickup and drop-off is offered for most hotels/resorts in Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe, plus in Mesa at the Mesa Hilton. *Please confirm with local operator
- Most travelers can participate
- Across Arizona Tours, LLC is not responsible for viewing conditions at the sites visited and reserves the right to alter tour itineraries due to road or weather conditions.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 206 reviews
Sue_B, Feb 2026
One of the most interesting tours we have ever taken. Full of history and interesting facts. There never was a dull moment. If you are lucky enough to have Frank as your guide, you will not b disappointed. Such a great experience
Dennis_B, Jan 2026
The tour guide was great and gave us a lot of great information about the history of the area and the vegetation that is found in the desert. Helped us get some of the best seats on the boat tour. Helped us was able to us in the restaurant with no waiting after the boat tour.
Amy_C, Jan 2026
Make sure to wear clothes that match the weather and comfy footwear because there is exploring to do outside the vehicle but so worth it. Also if you get Cynthia she is amazing and knowledgeable about anything Az. She even took time to help us find something else to do in Mesa after the tour. Above and beyond what was expected. Awesome person!
Maryam_A, Jan 2026
Patric was an amazing tour leader, very knowledgeable, the place was very unique too. Definitely recommend this tour.
Janice_N, Oct 2025
Frank shares a lot of history & knowledge, has a great personality. He's fantastic in all facets of his job!
Robert_E, Oct 2025
Relaxin, informative, and fun. Love how the captain pointed out the wildlife, and turned the boat around to allow each side to view the animals and birds.
janet_n, Sep 2025
We had a good time. I would have liked a little more time at Toritilla Flats. We didn't get to see any of the town after lunch.
Philip_B, Jul 2025
Try to do it when is not 108 degrees!!
All good. Frank was a great tour guide.
Boat ride was nice and we were fortunate to see big horn sheep.
Catherine_D, Jun 2025
A great way to spend a hot day in Phoenix. We had a great time on the boat and seeing the cacti. Eric was wonderful
BETTY_W, May 2025
Going with Eric to Dolly Steamboat & Apache Trail was FANTASTIC! So professional, kind & we all ate together and had so much fun! This Tour Company will never let you down! Don’t miss a tour! Thank you. Betsy.
Dale_H, May 2025
Loved everything about it, my favorite was the boat ride. The scenery was beautiful. I would definitely do it again.
Meryl_S, May 2025
The day was perfect, hardly a cloud in the sky. The guide, Frank, was knowledgeable and engaging. A great day for all.
Carolyn_V, Apr 2025
It’s kind of slow. Our tour guide was so busy talking about himself and all of the scary, dangerous plants that we didn’t gain much knowledge of anything. We were bored and disappointed.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Thank you for your review. We will definitely discuss this with the guide. This is a wonderful tour, greatly appreciated and enjoyed by the vast majority of our guests. It's a beautiful, unique area, well worth taking a day to delight in.
John_D, Mar 2025
While the trip had a number of positives, the late pick up and drop off as well as a frustrating lunch experience( Eric was not successful at getting our group a table & the service at Tortilla Flat was poor)detracted from the trip. The boat ride at Canyon Lake was delightful but we arrived 40 minutes early and had significant down time
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Thank you for taking the time to review this tour. Because the first person we picked up was late, it set the pickup schedule about 10 minutes late. Dolly Steamboat requires us to arrive at least 30 minutes early. We will definitely discuss your concerns about lunch with Tortilla Flat. This tour is truly an amazing experience going deep into the Sonora Desert. Besides the desert walk where your guide shows you the flora that lives only in this part of the world, the experience on the cruise is amazing. The boat captain narrates the tour for our guests. There are incredible views of big horn sheep and many times eagles. The cliffs that surround the lake are filled with interesting history. We are very proud to be able to share this incredible tour with our guests..
Steven_M, Mar 2025
We had a great time. Our tour guide Derek was fantastic, talked to the group about the history of the Apache Indians, the trail and the mountains. The Dolly steamboat part was very relaxing and beautiful. Lastly, the food at Tortilla Flats was spectacular.
John_G, Feb 2025
Always call the primary operator for the pickup location. The tour company has the correct pickup location
Sandy_T, Jan 2025
Fun, educational, and relaxing. Eric gave us wonderful insights ib the history of the area and how life progressed. He was open to all questions and when asked for options of other things as to do he gave us answers. Eric also talked with my granddaughter to answer her questions, at 5 she had a few. We will come back again and use the company so we can share with others.
James_S, Dec 2024
Experienced parts of Arizona that we had no idea that even existed—Apache Trail, Canyon Lake Tortilla Flats. We enjoyed visiting the desert.
Eric was a fantastic guide.
Joseph_R, Nov 2024
The variety of venues on this one tour was really unique and made the experience so memorable. And our tour guide Eric was just terrific. He knew so much about what we could expect and what we were seeing during each stop. First we took a hike in the desert and Eric pointed different cacti and other plants unique to this environment. We then had a 90 minute paddle boat ride on Canyon Lake where we saw several dozen Mountain Sheep. We then had lunch in the small town of Tortilla Flats at a truly unique restaurant called Suspicious Saloon where the food was delicious. Set aside the day as the tour took about 8 hours in total.
Melanie_C, Nov 2024
Wonderful experience. Our tour guide Eric was great, he gave us great information and pick-up /drop-off was timely. Started with the Apache Trail, went to a mining ghost town, then had a serene ride on the Dolly steam boat. We were lucky to see some wild life and before heading back to Phoenix we stopped at a restaurant in tortilla flat. I would highly recommend this tour. There weather was also perfect, in early November for this tour.
Alan_B, Oct 2024
Driver and tour guide Patrick was excellent! Knowledgeable and had a great soundtrack playing in the background! The pick up at the hotel was convenient and the small number of other guests was great as you got to know everyone. The boat trip was fantastic and the scenery beautiful. The places we visited were interesting. Would recommend this tour to anyone!
Joanne_R, Oct 2024
The steamboat ride was wonderful and relaxing. The Captains narration was fantastic. However, our guide Frank made the trip for us. He exceeded our expectations with his knowledge of the history, vegetation and love of the area. His efforts to make our tour run efficiently added greatly to our enjoyment. Thank you Frank!
joyce_k, Oct 2024
The boat ride and lunch. Eric, our driver was fantastic and knew all about the area and was able to tell us about the catch’s and other trees and plants. He willing took pictures of us some of the prettiest places.
Debbie_S, Oct 2024
Had a great time. Eric was a wonderful tour guide and we hope to join him again on our next adventure.
Kenneth_U, Sep 2024
The knowledge from our wonderful guide Frank! We got first hand education around all of the history of the area. Learning about all the cactus and plants was super interesting.
Rekha_C, Sep 2024
It was a wonderful and picturesque drive.
Happy to learn about the plants, the Tortilla flats with 6 people!
Missed seeing the Ram and birds.
Crater lakes are one of a kind!
Carol_Y, Jul 2024
Eric was very knowledgeable and shared lots of interesting information. Tour was just enough outside exposure and van was cool and comfortable.
Pam_C, Jun 2024
All the history that Frank shared with us. The Dolly steamboat ride was great. Enjoyed eating at Tortilla Flats-great food
CathleenD_P, Jun 2024
Eric was a great host/driver for our tour today. Very knowledgeable and fun! It was a great way to spend our day!
Cynthia_W, May 2024
The Dolly steamboat was the best part. The scenery was stunning and it was great to see the desert up close. Frank was very informative.
From $160.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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