12 City Tour: The Ultimate 27-Mile Bisbee Journey
4-Hour Private Jeep Tour of All 12 Bisbee Communities
Venture far beyond the standard tourist tracks on our massive 27-mile, 4-hour private Jeep expedition across the deep, sprawling roots of Cochise County. The 12 City Tour is our most culturally involving route, specifically engineered for explorers who want to understand how a global copper boom transformed a rugged desert canyon into a patchwork of fiercely independent immigrant communities. From historic railroad lines to rugged mountain passes, you will discover the real, unvarnished history of the families who built Bisbee.
$140 - Adult | $127 - Senior | $70 Youth | Under 13 - Free
Mild Travel | Private Tour | 4 Hours
Meet Travis - Owner and 4th-Generation Local Guide
Who is Travis?
"I’m a fourth-generation Bisbee native, born here in 1966. My great-grandfather 'GG' arrived in 1913 and worked the Lowell Mine, planting our family roots deep in this beloved town. After high school, college, and raising my family in Phoenix, I came home in 2015. Now I lead tours, sharing Bisbee’s rich history, hoping every visitor falls in love with my hometown as I have."
“Why I love this tour” - a personal note from Travis
"I love this tour because it combines every suburb in Bisbee's history. Guests get to learn about the main ones like Old Bisbee, Lowell, Warren, and Naco, but they are usually amazed that there are so many more. I get a thrill knowing guests leave this tour with a whole different opinion of Bisbee. Sometimes, four hours doesn't seem to be enough time."
Itinerary at a Glance
Old Bisbee & Brewery Gulch: Saloons, Steep Streets & Historic Vistas
Your 12 City Tour winds through historic Old Bisbee’s steep streets with miners’ homes, the first jail, Lyric Theater, and Pythian Castle, then explores Brewery Gulch’s red-light district, scary stairs, and the vibrant bar district with Arizona’s oldest bar. Travis watched 'Jaws' and 'Star Wars' at the Lyric in the 70's.
It continues past the Copper Queen Hotel and historic sites to Quality Hill’s stunning 150-mile vistas into Mexico, then through Main Street and the shopping district to the open mine pits on State Route 80.
The Lavender Pit Overlook: Turquoise Veins, Massive Canyons & Living Legacies
En route to the Lavender Pit lookout, Travis shares the rich mining history of the valley, its legendary high-concentration ore veins, and the stories of the cities that once thrived here. Guests are captivated by the stunning array of colors in the landscape, and Travis often adds a personal connection: his great-grandfather, known as “GG,” began the family legacy in Lowell in 1913 as a miner. The original town of Lowell was later relocated to make way for the expansion of the massive Lavender Pit.
From the dramatic viewpoint, guests discover how the Lavender Pit earned its name while admiring the vivid mineral striations painted across the pit walls, historic headframes marking the deepest tunnels, the immense scale of the copper mining process, and Bisbee’s famous turquoise veins.
Erie Street in Lowell: 1950s Americana, Vintage Cars & Hidden Landmarks
On the way to what remains of Lowell along Erie Street, the tour passes striking evidence of smelter smoke damage before offering a final panoramic look at the massive open pits. Guests then step back in time in Lowell’s beautifully preserved 1950s Americana, with its classic storefronts and colorful vintage cars curated by Jay Allen. Most guests are shocked by the scene, admitting they had no idea this slice of mid-century America still existed in Bisbee. Travis points out the Fox Hole bar where, as teenagers, he and his friends were famously escorted out by their collars.
Additional highlights along the route include the whimsical vintage Airstreams and Dot’s Diner at the Shady Dell, the historic Evergreen Cemetery with over 10,000 graves and the founder’s headstone, the impressive copper doors of Lowell School, and Kenneth Ober’s unique ‘Chairy Tree’ art installation.
Copper Boom Communities: Uprooted Homes and Resilient Enclaves
The architecture across Bisbee's landscape tells a rich story of wartime demands and deep ethnic roots. In Saginaw, you can find historic homes that were physically dragged away from the edge of expanding corporate open-pit mines. Nearby, Galena and Briggs showcase distinct rows of mid-century housing constructed under military contracts to rapidly shelter essential soldiers and labor crews during World War II. In contrast to these company-built structures stands Tintown, a historically resilient enclave established independently by Mexican miners after corporate housing policies systematically pushed them out of residential spaces in Old Bisbee. If you want to dive deeper into the mining history that reshaped these neighborhoods, check out our Bisbee historical tours.
Historic Rails and Relocated Neighborhoods: The Cross-Cultural Frontier
The outlying communities surrounding Bisbee reflect a diverse mix of railway history, military support, and labor migration. Don Luis dates back to 1885, built specifically to house the Mexican railway laborers who laid the region's early shipping tracks—its unique name paying tribute to a local builder whose name the workers struggled to enunciate in English. In San Jose, the neighborhood landscape features homes built in 1951 to comfortably support military families stationed at nearby Fort Huachuca. This area ties directly to Bisbee Junction, the vital historic home of the main railway station that connected the district to global metal markets. Finally, Bakerville preserves a unique architectural and cultural past, containing homes moved safely away from the active open pits alongside the deep heritage of Bisbee’s early Serbian immigrant community. To experience all 12 of these unique historic districts in a single day, you can book a private 12 City Jeep Tour online to secure your preferred date.
The Naco Border Experience: Fort Naco, Border Walls & Biplane Bombers
In Naco, tour guests experience a compelling blend of living border history and surprising military landmarks. They stand beside the imposing border wall that divides the twin towns of Naco, Arizona, and Naco, Sonora, then visit the remarkably preserved Fort Naco, a historic U.S. Army post from the 1910s. Many guests are genuinely surprised to discover the fort, admitting they had no idea such a significant historic site existed so close to the border.
Guests also learn about the first foreign aerial bomber in American history - Patrick Murphy’s chaotic 1913 biplane mission for Pancho Villa.
Travis loves sharing that, as a child, he used to ride the school bus across the border on elementary school field trips into Naco, Sonora. Guests hear the wild tale of Murphy’s drunken bombing run - homemade bombs lit with cigarettes from a wobbly biplane - while standing on the very ground where history unfolded.
Historic Warren: Millionaire Mansions, Legendary Ballparks & Dark Turning Points
The historic district of Warren serves as a living museum, engineered in 1905 as Arizona's first planned green suburbs to house upper-management mining executives. As our Jeep glides past the mansions on Vista Avenue, you will discover the immense wealth generated by the Calumet & Arizona Mining Company.
The centerpiece of this neighborhood is the legendary Warren Ballpark, which has operated continuously since 1909. This field holds a deeply personal connection for me; it’s where I played football as a kid, once getting my hand completely shattered mid-game. My coaches kept me from ever exiting the field.
It was right here at the ballpark that the diabolical 1917 Bisbee Deportation reached its climax, where over a thousand striking miners were rounded up at gunpoint by a deputized sheriff's posse. Guests are often left visibly shocked as we stop on the exact ground where these workers were forced onto cattle cars and abandoned in the desert.
Pickup, Parking & Meeting Point
WE MEET YOU WHERE IT'S CONVENIENT
Getting to your Jeep Tour is straightforward and stress-free. We offer a central meeting location in Old Bisbee, with free guest-choice pickup available within Bisbee city limits when arranged in advance.
Our Default Meeting Location is at 10 Copper Queen Plaza
This easy-to-find downtown location is our default meeting point and works well for guests driving in who want to park and walk to the default location.
If you're staying in town or prefer that Travis pick you up, we offer free pickup at any Bisbee city-limit location. Your pickup location could be a parking lot, restaurant, shop, hotel, or Airbnb.
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Please arrive 10 minutes early to ensure a relaxed start
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Comfortable step-in access makes boarding easy for all guests
FAQS
How long is this tour?
Expect about 4 hours total. The exact duration may vary depending on stops, questions, traffic, and how much time you spend photographing.
Do you go off-road?
No, we travel on pavement only over 30 miles and stop several times for photo opportunities.
Do you go to the Lavender Pit?
Yes, we stop at the overlook on its edge and view down to the bottom of the open pits.
Where do we meet?
We provide free pickup within Bisbee city limits or you can meet us at 10 Copper Queen Plaza.
Is it suitable for limited mobility?
Yes. Our vehicles have easy step-in access. Tell us any needs when booking.
What if the weather changes?
We will cancel the tour in the event of snow or ice.
TESTIMONIAL
The highlight of our trip to Arizona was our Big Jeep Tour with owner, Travis. Travis was born and raised in Bisbee. Multiple generations of his family have lived and worked there, some in the mines. As a result, his tour information is first-hand and personally experienced. He knows dates, people, places, and history. It was fascinating to us. Travis founded Big Jeep Tours (BJT) because he was afraid the history of Bisbee would be forgotten and lost. As a result, the purpose and passion of BJT is to inform and share with as many people as possible, the history of Bisbee. Lastly, Travis is gracious and caring. He was always conscious of our well-being, always asking if we were OK and comfortable. I highly recommend you do not miss the Big Jeep Tour.