ONE OF THE SEVEN natural wonders of the world, ruins of ancient Anasazi Indian Villages, fossils 225 million years old; this is only a fraction of what Arizona has to offer. With 11.2 million acres located within National Forest lands, Arizona’s most magnificent landscape is protected by National, State and Local Park systems, monuments and wilderness areas. Arizona’s protected places offer an awe-inspiring experience one can’t live without.
Experience an underground delight as you tour a living limestone cave with many unique and world-class formations. Voted one of the top ten caves in the world. The park also offers hiking trails, a hummingbird garden, a campground, as well as a large, interactive discovery center that houses a replica of the cave, a documentary video and gift shop. Tour reservations are strongly recommended. Picnic areas available. 2980 Route S. 90, Benson, 520.586.2283, www.azstateparks.com
Surrounded by the natural beauty of Sedona's red rocks, Oak Creek meanders through the park and provides visitors the opportunity to experience a lush riparian habitat and many forms of wildlife along a five-mile network of trails. The park also offers educational information about the scenic northern Arizona landscape. Group-use areas available. 4050 Red Rock Loop Road, Sedona, 928.282.6907, www.azstateparks.com
Visitors can go back in time at Riordan Mansion State Historic Park in Flagstaff and tour the unique arts & crafts mansion filled with original furnishings. Built in 1904 for the Riordan brothers, the Mansion is an impressive reminder of gracious living in a small logging town. Tour reservations are strongly recommended. Picnic area available. Groups up to 125 people. 409 W. Riordan Road, Flagstaff, 928.779.4395, www.azstateparks.com
This Park is a salute to five centuries of transportation across the Colorado River and is recognized as a key location in the cultural and educational development of western history. During the late 1800s, the crossing served as the main supply depot for the military. Group-use areas available. 201 N 4th Ave., Yuma, 928.329.0471, www.azstateparks.com
One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and located entirely in northwestern Arizona, the Grand Canyon, incised by the Colorado River, is immense, averaging 4,000 feet deep for its entire 277 miles. Nestled within are numerous side canyons abundant with greenery, wildlife, waterfalls, raging rapids and calm, glassy pools. The historic South Rim is open year-round and the more remote North Rim is closed in winter. Entrance Fees: $25 per private vehicle, $12 per pedestrian, motorcycle rider, or cyclist. Admission is for seven days and includes both the North Rim and South Rim. Commercial Vehicles: 1-25 passengers - $8 per person. Motor Coach, 26+ passengers, $300 flat fee. 928.638.7888, www.nps.gov/grca
The pristine living desert is preserved in 80,000 acres of this park, home to a remarkable variety of plants and animals. The largest concentration of the majestic saguaro cactus flourishes here, along with palo verde trees, rare cacti, and wildflowers that bloom vividly in spring and summer. Scenic loop drives and over 150 miles of hiking trails, ranging from flat and easy strolls in the Sonoran Desert to steep and rugged hikes into the Rincon Mountains attract visitors year-round. Entrance Fees: $25 sedan, 1 to 6 people; $40 van, 7 to 25 people; $100 motor coach 26+ people. 520.733.5100, www.nps.gov/sagu
Offering unparalleled opportunities for water-based and backcountry recreation, this recreation area stretches for hundreds of miles from Lees Ferry in Arizona to the Orange Cliffs of southern Utah, encompassing scenic vistas, geologic wonders, and a panorama of human history. The park offers opportunities for boating, fishing, swimming, backcountry hiking and four-wheel drive trips. Commercial Entrance Fees: $25 plus $7 pp, Sedan, 1-6 people; $40 per day, Van or Minibus, 7-25 passengers; $100 per day Motor Coach, 26+ passengers. 928.608.6200, www.nps.gov/glca
Lake Mead’s huge lakes cater to boaters, swimmers, sunbathers, and fishermen while its desert rewards hikers, wildlife photographers, and roadside sightseers. Three of America’s four desert ecosystems – the Mojave, the Great Basin, and the Sonoran Desert – meet in Lake Mead NRA. As a result, this seemingly barren area contains a surprising variety of plants and animals, some of which may be found nowhere else in the world. Entrance Fees (valid for 5 days): $3 per individual, $5 per vehicle. 702.293.8990, www.nps.gov/lame
The Coronado National Forest covers 1,780,000 acres of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. Elevations range from 3,000 feet to 10,720 feet in 12 widely scattered mountain ranges or “sky islands” that rise dramatically from the desert floor, supporting plant communities as biologically diverse as those encountered on a trip from Mexico to Canada. Visitors may experience all four seasons during a single day’s journey, wandering through the desert among giant saguaro cactus and colorful wildflowers in the morning, enjoying lunch beside a mountain stream, and playing in the snow later in the afternoon. 520.749.8700, www.fs.fed.us/r3/coronado/
Reflecting one of the longest continuously inhabited landscapes of North America, the cultural resources of Canyon de Chelly – including distinctive architecture, artifacts, and rock imagery – exhibit remarkable preservation integrity. Canyon de Chelly also sustains a living community of Navajo people, who are connected to a landscape of great historical and spiritual significance. Entrance Fees: Free into NM. However, to drive on the canyon bottom, a 4-wheel drive vehicle, a Park Service permit and an authorized Navajo guide are required. The fee is $15 per hour for 1 vehicle, $5 per hour for each additional vehicle with a 5-vehicle limit per guide. Hiking within the canyon requires a Park Service permit and an authorized Navajo guide, except along the 2.5-mile (4-km) White House Ruins Trail. One guide may take up to 15 people for $15 per hour. 928.674.5500, www.nps.gov/cach
It’s not a castle and Montezuma was never here. Nestled into a limestone recess high above the flood plain of Beaver Creek in the Verde Valley, stands one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in North America. The five-story, 20-room cliff dwelling served as a “high-rise apartment building” for prehistoric Sinagua Indians over 600 years ago. Early settlers to the area assumed that the imposing structure was associated with the Aztec emperor Montezuma, but the castle was abandoned almost a century before Montezuma was born. Entrance Fees: $5 per person (valid for 7 days). 928.567.3322, www.nps.gov/moca
A surprising land of scenic wonders and fascinating science, the park features one of the world’s largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood, the multi-hued badlands of the Chinle Formation known as the Painted Desert, historic structures, archeological sites, and displays fossils more than 225 million years old. Commercial Entrance Fees: $25 plus $5 pp, Sedan, 1-6 people; $50 per day, Van, 7-15 people; $60 per day, Minibus, 16-25 people; $100 per day, Motor Coach, 26+ passengers. 928.524.6228, www.nps.gov/pefo
The world’s largest collection of optical telescopes – 22 optical and two radio telescopes representing eight astronomical research institutions – can be found at this Observatory on Arizona’s Tohono O’odham Reservation. Self-guided tours of the 4-meter, 2.1-meter and solar telescopes and free guided tours three times a day are available. The night program starts shortly before sunset, with a brief tour of a research telescope and a stop to watch the sunset. Advance arrangements are recommended for groups. 520.318.8726, www.noao.edu/kpno/
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