Four Diamond We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort Offers Stay and Play Adventures

Story, photos and video by Cassie Hepler

Because everyone seems confused, let’s address the We-Ko-Pa namesake first! The name We-Ko-Pa means four peaks which is the popular mountain that borders the eastern skyline of Phoenix. The fabulous new 166,341-square-foot We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort replaces the original Fort McDowell Casino that many remember from 1984 as a bingo hall. Eight years later, the proud Yavapai Nation peacefully held off the attempts of federal agents to seize their slot machines, protecting their right to operate a casino on their reservation and provide livelihoods for their tribal members. That sentence alone infuriates me… freaking ‘Merica, but that’s a whole other story. Let’s focus instead on the oasis the Yavapai have created in the desert but yet super close to Scottsdale and Phoenix!

Inviting along our power plus one, Merichelle Norwood from SheMovesPhx, our day began at the crack of dawn by driving up to The Stables at Fort McDowell Adventures for an hour and a half slow horseback trail ride through the beautiful and undisturbed Yavapai land. It was Merichelle’s first time riding and I was so excited for her to experience the serenity of nature and bonding with a mare named Panda! It had been a couple years for me so I was glad to get back in the saddle with Waverly, my “round” horse. We had a small group and our fearless cowboy Dallon along with his doggos ironically named Cassie and Sadie led the way.

Come ride with me and Waverly on ExplorewithCassie’s YouTube channel!

After that serene and meditative ride, I was ready to kick it up a notch for the AZ Desert Elite UTV tour. We met at Rosa’s Ranch adjacent to the stables with Ken Salas, the owner and mastermind behind the brand. Utility Terrain Vehicles, or UTVs, are more of a powerhouse than an ATV and can seat up to 6 people.

Ken started out driving but soon let me take the wheel with a speed limit of around 30 mph so I didn’t get into too much trouble. With his extensive military background, I felt super safe as he taught me how to tackle dips, uneven terrain and slowly creep along when we stumbled along wildlife so as not the spook them on the trails he himself created. We even ventured across Yavapai land to the attached Tonto National Forest for some additional sights with a soda break at the sacred Verde River.

Back in the passenger seat, Ken drives back to the ranch so I can film and relax.

All that adventure really wipes you out! Upon our return, we were starving and looked forward to gobbling down lunch at the resort. We arrived with a friendly attendant who picked us up in a golf cart in the parking lot to the door, checked in and went to the room first which we were pleasantly surprised was a whole suite!

Then it was off to the fastest lunch at Ahnala, the casual eatery open at all hours and back to the room for a much-needed power nap. Apparently those adrenaline rushes are killer for a dead-to-the-world sleep.

When we woke up, a ninja had dropped off sweets to our suite with some We-Ko-Pa red wine! There’s nothing better than a snack after a nap. We got ready for dinner at award-winning Ember and it felt great to put on a long, flowing dress again and feel like a woman instead of a quarantine creature. We-Ko-Pa is a non-smoking facility which is outstanding in a sea of cigarette-butt smelling casinos. Mask wearing is required and we felt super safe the whole time with hand sanitizer by the elevators. Their motto is keeping lungs healthy all around and we concur. We hope other casinos follow suit with this intelligent and bold move… leaders always have to shake things up first!

The upscale Ember restaurant features the highest quality steaks and seafood prepared over wood-fired grills as well as an extensive wine collection carefully curated by a team of experts. The whole team began spoiling us the moment we walked through the door with a champagne welcome which is my kind of place!

Now that we had dinner, it was time for a show featuring local band Hollywood & The Hitmen at WKP Sports and Entertainment sports bar. Not your typical sports spot, it offers an eclectic menu and endless craft beer along with live entertainment and gaming activities. We were returning the next night for dinner so went with drinks and fell in love with the Aloha punch and Mezcal mules. Usually not one for the candy flavored cocktails, the blue potion was perfection so we each had two! For groups of more than 4 people, you can order the whole bowl.

After the show, I suggested we sign up for some casino play as new members get $15 credit each. What did we have to lose? In most casinos, you cannot take photos or video (I’ve gotten yelled at a few times other places while blogging) so we didn’t grab any shots but here you can apparently. We played some penny slots and Merichelle won $150 on her first gambling experience! We were yelling with glee as the machine was dancing, blinking and those numbers kept rising. I won $7 but hey, it was $7 I didn’t have before and paid it forward to our servers!

We were buzzing with excitement that night so it was hard to get to sleep but when we finally did, I felt pretty well rested. We had a late, lazy breakfast at Ahnala and lots of delicious iced Starbucks toasted marshmallow coffee… that stuff is dangerous!

After breakfast we lounged at the pool in the shade and I enjoyed the hot tub while Merichelle enjoyed a sunny snooze. Sundays and early weekdays are definitely the times to book if you want peace and quiet, the early weekdays are more congested but tons of fun. With nothing on the agenda for Sunday but massages at the recently reopened Amethyst Spa, we were just biding time until sweet back pain release.

I enjoyed the 90 minute deep tissue massage while Merichelle had the 90 minute Swedish style and boy, did I need it. My amazing masseuse John worked out all the knots in my back and said he’s never seen such a bad back and that I should be getting them twice a month. At points we had to breathe trough some really painful ones but I knew the end result would be worth it and that is was! He was articulate, respectful and I highly recommend him. The female masseuse Loree helped work out knots Merichelle didn’t even know she had.

When we went back up to the room, I laid down “to rest my back” and then slept for over an hour. I woke up ravenous as my body realigned itself and was very excited about dinner, talking about lobster tails the whole time…

So when we arrived at WKP and I saw the seafood boil on the menu, I was in like flint. Chef Mario then came out and spoiled us some more with his famous chicken wings that are baked then fried. Everything was so delicious and that fig pizza with the cauliflower crust was to die for! We gobbled it down like we hadn’t eaten in weeks and had leftovers (no cooking, yay) too. They certainly have an elevated bar menu if you even want to call it that and I would go back in a heartbeat. There’s happy hours on that long, impressive beer list too!

After dinner, Merichelle headed home for work the next day while I took a walkabout around the grounds at the stunning sunset. It’s hard to believe this place is so close to any city but yet so accessible.

I enjoyed the jet tub in the room that night and some horrible Lifetime movie with way too many commercials before dozing off with no alarm set (the best kind of sleeps).

As soon as I woke up, it was adventure time again at Saguaro Lake with Ken Salas and crew from AZ Desert Elite at Fort McDowell Adventures. The Sea-Doo jet skis are the newest addition to the offerings at We-Ko-Pa and I was the first one to test them out which is pretty rad! We attempted to go Saturday but it was packed like sardines with no more boats allowed but Monday turned out to be just perfect with barely anyone in sight. I met the gang back at Rosas Ranch and we were ready to break them in.

So easy to use and pretty intuitive, it was like riding a bike. Mine was set to a limit of 30 mph but apparently these babies can go up and past 60 mph. As much as I’m a daredevil, face-skidding on the water is not my jam so that was fine with me! We started out zooming across the lake to the skinnier slots toward the back where it is required and respectful to slow it down to a slow 5 mph crawl. After sizzling in the sun (wear a rash guard instead of forever applying sunscreen), we parked it at the beach and swam in the cool waters. It felt amazing and nature instantly recharges me!

Following behind the AZ Desert Elite team on my Sea-Doo and soaking in the views.

Still mellow and a little sore from my massage, those bumps in the waves were well cushioned by the seat on the See-Doo. And the whole console opens up in the front to store everything from a cooler to my professional Nikon camera in that watertight space. When we started back, we played around in the lake zipping around each other in circles and laughing. I lost my hat at one point (totally expected, don’t wear your favorite hat) and we reclaimed it with an awkward game of throw the wet hat at each other. And then something magical happened on my drive back to the hotel…

Once I arrived back at We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort, it was already 4 p.m. somehow as time flies when you’re having fun. With a late checkout, I also had a late lunch/early dinner back at Ahnala since I skipped breakfast that morning. Apparently jet-skiing slays ons of calories so it’s no wonder I went to town!

The last hours at a memorable place are always a little melancholy however it gave me hope that on my next bucket list item is to learn and master playing golf! According to the website, “With two award-winning golf courses set in the thriving Sonoran Desert, We-Ko-Pa Golf Club delivers one of the best golf experiences in the Scottsdale/Phoenix area. Scott Miller designed the Cholla Course, while Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw teamed up to create Saguaro. The results have captivated the golf world ever since opening for public play to much acclaim by industry leading publications such as Golf Magazine, Golfweek and Golf Digest. Offering breathtaking views of the McDowell Mountains, Red Mountain, Four Peaks and the Superstitions, We-Ko-Pa Golf Club lies on Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation land that will never be commercially developed.” And we hear the We-Ko-Pa clubhouse is a sunset experience in itself.

We certainly fell in love with the people at We-Ko-Pa and the chill vibes. I like to think we made some forever friends too and look forward to exploring more with the team!

*This is a sponsored post and Explorewithcassie was hosted for these experiences.