CHANDLER, AZ — Just 30 minutes from downtown Phoenix, visitors can experience a side of Arizona many have unknowingly driven past.
Koli Equestrian Center at Wild Horse Pass is one of 250 locations featured in Passport250, a free mobile-friendly guide created to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. The goal is to connect people with Arizona’s landmarks, cultural experiences and hidden gems.
The Arizona America250 Commission and the Arizona Office of Tourism worked with residents to help shape the list.
“We actually reached out to Arizonans and asked them, ‘Tell us your favorite places. Tell us your hidden gems. Tell us where you take your family, or where you have good memories,’” said Josh Coddington with the Arizona Office of Tourism.
Coddington tells ABC15 Mornings Anchor Kaley O'Kelley, that Passport250 is a love letter to Arizona, built by Arizonans for Arizonans.
One of those destinations is Koli Equestrian Center on the Gila River Indian Community, where guided horseback rides offer visitors more than a tour of the open desert.
An estimated 1,500 wild horses roam the community near the Sierra Estrella Mountains.
Wrangler Matthew Love said the horses are often tucked away near the mountains, meaning many Valley residents may never realize how many still live there.
“I’ve lived here a long time. I’ve driven past Wild Horse Pass. I never really understood how many wild horses were out here,” O’Kelley said while visiting the center.
Love guides visitors through the desert on horseback, including private rides that offer guests a chance to see the wild horses that gave Wild Horse Pass its name.
At the heart of the experience is Chuck Pablo, owner and operator of Chuck’s Trail Rides and Adventures. Pablo is a member of the Gila River Indian Community and has spent nearly 25 years leading rides across the land he calls home.
“I like to share the stories with the people that come out here — just the culture, the tradition that we have out here,” Pablo said. “People come from all over — all over the world, actually — to come out here to see the land.”
The experience is rooted in the people and traditions that have shaped the land for thousands of years.
Pablo said artifacts, including broken pieces of pottery, can still be found in areas along the trails. Guides may point out some of those locations, but others are intentionally kept private to protect what remains.
“There are still artifacts out there that sometimes we’ll point out — not always — because we don’t want them disappearing,” Pablo said.
The Gila River Indian Community is home to the Akimel O’odham and Pee Posh people. Pablo said sharing the history and culture of the land allows visitors to understand that it is not simply a story of the past.
“We’ve been here for quite some time, and I’ve seen so many different changes, and I’m just glad to still be here,” he said.
When O’Kelley noted that America is celebrating its 250th birthday, Pablo offered a simple reminder: “We’ve been here a lot longer than that.”
Passport250 includes 249 other Arizona destinations, ranging from historic landmarks and dark-sky locations to Indigenous cultural experiences and lesser-known local favorites.
The digital pass is free and can be delivered directly to a user’s phone. Participants can explore the map, visit featured locations and digitally check in along the way.
