Globe, AZ

Globe is a small historic city in the east-central part of Arizona, serving as the county seat of Gila County. With a population of roughly seven to eight thousand residents, it has the feel of a tight-knit mountain town, framed by the Pinal Mountains and the forested ridges of the Mogollon Rim country. Long associated with copper mining, Globe carries a distinctive Old West character in its brick downtown and well-preserved early-twentieth-century buildings, and it functions as a popular gateway for travelers heading into the surrounding public lands. It sits about ninety miles east of Phoenix, an easy drive of roughly an hour and a half along US-60, and is roughly the same distance northeast of Tucson.

Right within the city limits, Besh-Ba-Gowah Archaeological Park preserves the stone foundations of a large Salado culture pueblo occupied between roughly 1225 and 1400. The site features self-guided walking trails through the original rooms and a museum with artifacts recovered from the area, offering visitors an accessible look at the pre-contact Southwest just minutes from downtown Globe. The park is a favorite stop for travelers interested in the region's indigenous history.

A short drive northeast of town, the Tonto National Forest spreads across nearly three million acres of high desert, pine-covered mountains, and canyon country. Globe sits on the southern edge of the forest, which means trails, campgrounds, and wildlife-viewing opportunities begin almost immediately outside city limits. The forest is home to Roosevelt Lake, the largest body of water entirely within Arizona, where visitors can fish, boat, and stay at lakeside campgrounds within roughly thirty to forty-five minutes of Globe.

To the west, the historic Apache Trail (Arizona State Route 88) winds westward from the Roosevelt Lake area through the forest toward the Phoenix metro region, passing landmarks such as Tortilla Flat, Canyon Lake, and the Salt River canyon country. The unpaved sections of the road are renowned for their cliffside views, and the route is often cited as one of the more scenic drives in the Southwest. Following it from Globe provides a full day of dramatic landscape transitions, from pine forest down into saguaro-studded desert.

Globe's appeal as a base for short-term rentals lies in this combination of small-town character, deep mining and Native American history, and immediate access to some of the largest stretches of public land in Arizona. Visitors drawn by the Apache Trail, the Tonto National Forest, and the cultural sites in and around town tend to value the slower pace and lower lodging costs compared to the Phoenix area, while still being within a comfortable drive of major amenities and the state's largest city.