Adventures in State Parks

Pick Your Pleasure → Fishing, Caving, Playing

State Parks Guide NORTHERN REGION PARKS

Such riparian zones are found in the entire world. Information: (928) 634-5283; www.azparks. gov/Parks/parkhtml/deadhorse.html. Location: Cottonwood, 90 miles north of Phoenix. What to Do: This ecological Eden is a nest for bird-watchers, boasting neo-tropical migrants and domestic songbirds. Camping, mountain-biking, hiking, canoeing, picnicking and fishing along the Verde River are other activities to enjoy at this 423-acre park in the Coconino National Forest. Cool Fact: In the late 1940s, the Ireys family moved from Minnesota to Arizona in search of the perfect ranch. As they surveyed different lands, a very specific landmark distinguished one ranch-a dead horse. When it came time to choose, the Ireys children voted on Dead Horse Ranch and the morbid name stuck. Claim to Fame: Within Dead Horse Ranch State Park flows the Verde River Greenway, a 6-mile stretch of the Verde River that possesses a unique ecosystem: the Fremont cottonwood/Goodding willow riparian gallery forest. This bionetwork of plants and animals is so rare that fewer than 20

① Dead Horse Ranch State Park ② Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area

Location: Show Low, 130 miles southeast of Flagstaff off State Route 260. What to Do: Camp, picnic or watch wildlife beneath 100foot pines or fish and boat on a tranquil 150-acre lake. Cool Fact: Thomas Wesley Adair and his family settled here in 1885 and grew corn, sugar cane, wheat, beans and other vegetables, but scoffers said only a fool would farm there. Claim to Fame: Great blue herons fish the shallows for rainbow trout, bass, black crappie, green sunfish, channel catfish and walleye. Arizona Game and Fish Department stocks rainbows from mid-May through September. Information: (928) 537-3680; www.azparks. gov/Parks/parkhtml/foolhollow.html.

Fort Verde State Historic Park

Location: Camp Verde, 57 miles south of Flagstaff off State Route 260. What to Do: Explore frontier life as you peruse three historic house museums, complete with 1880s furnishings. Browse interpretive exhibits with period artifacts on military life, Indian scouts and Indian Wars history. Cool Fact: This site was the primary base for General Crook's U.S. Army scouts and soldiers. On this site in April 1873, Tonto Apache Chief Chalipun, with 300 of his followers in attendance, officially surrendered to Crook. Claim to Fame: This is the best-preserved example of an Indian Wars fort, and visitors can still get an authentic taste. A bugle sounds each morning, and historians in period clothing roam the site. Information: (928) 567-3275; www.azparks. gov/Parks/parkhtml/fortverde.html.

Homolovi Ruins State Park

Location: Winslow, 55 miles east of Flagstaff. What to Do: Explore the ancient land of indigenous peoples, camp, or hike the Nusungvö ("place of rest") and the Tsu'võ ("path of the rattlesnake") trails for an all-inclusive, educational experience. Cool Fact: This pre-Columbian site dates back to the 14th century. The area is peppered with pottery shards, petroglyphs and artifacts of the Puebloan Indians. Claim to Fame: More than 300 archaeological sites have been identified within the park boundaries, including four major 14th century pueblos. Information: (928) 289-4106; www.azparks. gov/Parks/parkhtml/homolovi.html.

Jerome State Historic Park

Location: Jerome, 95 miles north of Phoenix. What to Do: At the Douglas family mansion, visitors glimpse Jerome's mining heyday through period artifacts, photographs, a video presentation, minerals, a 3-D model of the town of Jerome with its underground mines and the restored Douglas library. Cool Fact: In the 1930s, dynamite blasting caused parts of the town to shift and crack. After one powerful dynamite blast, Jerome's jail slid downhill a full city block. Claim to Fame: As home of the United Verde Mine, the largest copper-producing mine in Arizona Territory, Jerome was known as the "Billion Dollar Copper Camp." Information: (928) 634-5381; www.azparks. gov/Parks/parkhtml/jerome.html.

Lyman Lake State Park

Location: Saint Johns, 200 miles northeast of Phoenix. What to Do: Enjoy a cozy picnic, spend a quaint evening in an authentic log cabin or a yurt, relax under the shady ramadas, hit the lake for a boat ride or call ahead to reserve a guided tour of Ultimate Petroglyph Trail. Cool Fact: Because of its size, Lyman Lake is one of the few bodies of water in northeastern Arizona with no size restrictions on boats. Claim to Fame: The west end of the lake is an angler's paradise, buoyed off as a no-wake zone. The rest of the lake is a haven for all types of water sports. Information: (928) 337-4441; www.azparks.gov/Parks/parkhtml/lyman.html.

Red Rock State Park

Location: Sedona, 40 miles south of Flagstaff. What to Do: Take a self-guided or ranger-led interpretive walk through 286 acres of breathtaking trails.

Cool Fact: The 5-mile network of trails consists of interconnecting loops, which lead trailblazers to vistas of red rock and the vibrant flora of Oak Creek.

Claim to Fame: The park offers environmental education through interpretive programs, like guided nature walks, bird walks and eagle's nest guided hikes.

Information: (928) 282-6907; www.azparks. gov/Parks/parkhtml/redrock.html.

Riordan Mansion State Historic Park

Location: Flagstaff.

What to Do: Tour the Riordan family mansion and view displays about the family, the Arts and Crafts movement and Flagstaff's early logging era.

Cool Fact: A portrait of Timothy Riordan's daughter, Mary, creates an optical illusion that causes visitors to believe the painting's head turns to watch them as they move around the room.

Claim to Fame: The mansion is a remarkable example of the Arts and Crafts movement, filled with historic artifacts, original Gustav Stickley handcrafted furniture and personal mementos.

Information: (928) 779-4395; www.azparks. gov/Parks/parkhtml/riordan.html.

Slide Rock State Park

Location: Sedona, 20 miles south of Flagstaff off State Route 89A.

What to Do: Oak Creek sluices through sandstone to provide a natural waterslide. Try the shallows for wading, deeper pools for swimming, creekside rock slabs for picnics and short trails for exploring the park's 43 acres.

Cool Fact: Listed by Life magazine as one of America's 10 most beautiful swimming holes.

Claim to Fame: A historic apple farm remains from the 1912 homestead of Frank L. Pendley, who developed innovative irrigation here. Original orchards, apple-packing barns, the irrigation system and his house still grace the park.

Information: (928) 282-3034; www.azparks.gov/ Parks/parkhtml/sliderock.html.

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park

Location: Payson, 106 miles northeast of Phoenix.

What to Do: Trek the half-mile Pine Creek Trail, climb the 300-foot-long Waterfall Trail that ends at a waterfall cave, meander along the half-mile Gowan Loop Trail that leads to an observation deck at the bottom of the creek or relax with an overnight stay at the charming historic lodge.

Cool Fact: Prospector David Gowan first discovered the bridge as he fled from Apaches in 1877. He hid in a cave inside the bridge for three days before emerging and claiming rights to the area.

Claim to Fame: Standing at 183 feet high over a 400-foot-long tunnel, Tonto Natural Bridge is considered the largest natural travertine bridge in the world.

Information: (928) 476-4202; www.azparks.gov/ Parks/parkhtml/tonto.html.

SOUTHERN REGION PARKS Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park

Location: Superior, 69 miles east of Phoenix.

What to Do: The park offers a wide range of special programs and events in its naturally beautiful setting that includes mountain cliffs, a streamside forest, a desert lake and the natural habitat of a diverse range of wildlife. Learn about plants of the world's deserts and view specialty and demonstration gardens.

Cool Fact: Each year buzzards (better known as turkey vultures) flock to the park on their migration from Mexico. In summer, the birds roost in the eucalyptus grove of Picketpost Mountain.

Claim to Fame: The Arboretum's 323 acres comprise Arizona's oldest and largest botanical garden. It was the first purely botanical institution in the Western states.

Information: (520) 689-2811; www.azparks.gov/Parks/parkhtml/boyce.html.

Catalina State Park

Location: Catalina, 9 miles north of Tucson.

What to Do: This park boasts eight unique trails, including the mile-long Nature Trail that uses informative signs to explain the desert ecosystem.

Cool Fact: Romero Ruin Interpretive Trail leads hikers through the ruins of an ancient Hohokam village site that dates back a thousand years.

Claim to Fame: The equestrian center offers horse lovers a site for off-loading and camping with horses.

Information: (520) 628-5798; www.azparks.gov/ Parks/parkhtml/catalina.html.

Kartchner Caverns State Park

Location: Benson, 45 miles east of Tucson, 9 miles south of Interstate 10 off State Route 90.

What to Do: Check out guided cave tours, interactive displays, videos and the Discovery Center, which has fiberglass stalagmite reproductions to explore by touch.

Cool Fact: The cave's Big Room doubles as a nursery roost for thousands of cave myotis bats. Pregnant females return to Kartchner Caverns around the end of April, where they give birth to a single pup in late June. Older life thrived here too-fossils found here include an 86,000-year-old ground sloth, 34,000-year-old horse and 11,000-year-old bear.

Claim to Fame: The caverns host a cornucopia of cave oddities, including one of the world's longest soda straw stalactites at 20 feet 21 inches tall, the largest column in Arizona at 58 feet tall, the world's most extensive formation of brushite moonmilk in creamy colored masses, the first birdsnest needle quartz found in a cave and the world's first discovery of "turnip" shields, delicate globes hanging like Christmas ornaments.

Information: (520) 586-2283; www.azparks. gov/Parks/parkhtml/kartchner.html.

Lost Dutchman State Park

Location: Apache Junction, 35 miles as well as a replica of the courtyard gallows, where seven men were hanged in the 1880s. Information: (520) 457-3311; www.azparks. gov/Parks/parkhtml/tombstone.html.

Tubac Presidio State Historic Park

Location: Tubac, 45 miles south of Tucson off Interstate 19. What to Do: History comes to life as you explore remnants of a 1752 Spanish fort, visit an 1885 schoolhouse or walk the trail of Juan Bautista de Anza. Cool Fact: Arizona's first state park, the presidio (fort) was intended to protect the missions and quell further uprisings. The oldest of the three Spanish presidios in the state, Tubac once served as the region's capital. Claim to Fame: Two of its displays-the 1885 schoolhouse and the Otero Community Hallare on the National Register of Historic Places. Information: (520) 398-2252; www. azparks.gov/Parks/parkhtml/tubac.html.

WESTERN REGION PARKS Alamo Lake State Park

Location: North of Wenden, 100 miles west of Phoenix off U.S. Route 60. What to Do: An oasis for anglers and nature lovers, Alamo Lake State Park offers pristine Sonoran Desert scenery. Watch wildlife or go hiking, picnicking, fishing or boating. Grab a green chili cheeseburger at the Wayside Inn & RV Park, where photos of best catches are plastered on the walls. Cool Fact: Because the park is far from city lights and about 30 miles north of the freeway, campers and stargazers enjoy a spectacular starlight show under an ink-black sky. Claim to Fame: Created with the completion of Alamo Dam in 1968, the lake has become a fishing haven that also attracts bald eagles. Although its water level fluctuates sharply (it was once recorded rising 11 vertical feet in one night), the lake offers some of the best bass fishing in the state. Information: (928) 669-2088; www. azparks.gov/Parks/parkhtml/alamo.html.

Buckskin Mountain State Park

Location: Parker, 175 miles northwest of Phoenix. What To Do: Camp cabana-style, shoot hoops, serve up some volleyball, explore the network of hiking trails or cast off toward River Island. Cool Fact: This state park offers some of the best views of mountains and wildlife along the Parker Strip-an 18-mile stretch along the Colorado River between Parker and Headgate dams. Claim to Fame: In the hot summer months, Buckskin State Park and River Island are popular getaways, providing a water wonderland and aquatic oasis for boating, jetskiing, swimming and camping. Information: (928) 667-3231; www.azparks. gov/Parks/parkhtml/bucksin.html.

Cattail Cove State Park

Location: Lake Havasu City, 200 miles northwest of Phoenix. What To Do: Swim, fish, jetski, camp, sail into secluded coves or brave Whytes Retreat Trail. Cool Fact: The area surrounding the park is a geological paradise teeming with obsidian, volcanic rock, geodes, turquoise and jasper. Claim to Fame: The park offers 61 camping spots in the park, including 28 campsites along the water's edge where you can "camp" in your boat. Information: (928) 855-1223; www. azparks.gov/Parks/parkhtml/cattail.html.

Lake Havasu State Park

Location: Lake Havasu, 200 miles west of Phoenix. What To Do: Three boat launching ramps, 42 campsites, scenic trails and jetski rentals offer tons of fun in the sun. Cool Fact: A haven for water-sports enthusiasts, the lake gained notoriety when MTV hosted its "Spring Break Bash" there in 1995. Claim to Fame: This water-sport recreation center is minutes from the famed London Bridge, which, in 1962, was falling down. The city of London sold the bridge and shipped it to Lake Havasu, where it was reassembled brick by brick and dedicated in 1972. Information: (928) 855-2784; www.azparks. gov/Parks/parkhtml/havasu.html.

Yuma Crossing State Park

Location: Yuma, 245 miles west of Phoenix. What to Do: Visit the 1907 U.S. Army Quartermaster Supply Depot, an early adobe house, a transportation museum, a historic adobe corral and the park's visitors center. Cool Fact: California gold-rushers and Western pioneers crossed the Colorado River at Yuma Crossing, where steamships and paddle-wheelers once plied the waterways. Claim to Fame: Congress authorized the Quartermaster Depot in 1865 as a materiel transfer and distribution point for troops stationed in Arizona Territorial outposts. The site was also utilized as a weather station from 1875 until 1949. Information: (928) 329-0471; www.azparks. gov/Parks/parkhtml/yumacross.html.

Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park

Location: Yuma, 245 miles west of Phoenix. What To Do: Tour the historic prison, visit the museum for facts on the prison's former staff and inmates, or participate in special events throughout the year, like the Gathering of the Gunfighters. in January or the Haunted Tours in October. Cool Fact: The men who constructed the cells also called them home as the prison's first inmates. Claim to Fame: Although this prison has an infamous reputation for mistreatment of prisoners, the only punishments were dark cells for those who refused to follow prison regulations and the ball and chain for prisoners who attempted escape. Information: (928) 783-4771; www.azparks. gov/Parks/parkhtml/yuma.html. All