By Michelle Thompson
Looking for fun ways to create family memories and explore the state? Arizona State Parks and Trails has everything you need! Get the kids outdoors and on an adventure by visiting the parks for fun activities like hiking, camping, fishing, kayaking, swimming, or learning about plants and animals. The parks have fun programs available, and you can stay for a day or a weekend and enjoy as much time as you want.
Head to Cottonwood, Arizona, where a picture-perfect park in the middle of town may surprise you. Dead Horse Ranch State Park has three lagoons perfect for fishing, and you can get kayaking in the connected Verde River Greenway State Natural Area. Dead Horse Ranch does not feature any dead horses, but there is horseback riding available in the park! You can also camp in a tent or an RV, or even stay in an air-conditioned cabin. The park has miles of great trails, plus picnic tables and lush green tree canopies for shade. You may even catch sight of a beaver or river otter along the banks of the Verde River.
From Cottonwood, explore nearby parks in Camp Verde and Sedona. Slide Rock State Park is a popular summer destination, but Red Rock State Park in Sedona has amazing views, great hiking trails, daily guided nature walks and Wednesday and Sunday bird walks. Visitors to the park regularly spot mule deer, but other creatures like javelina also explore the grounds. In Camp Verde, kids can explore the state’s newest park, Rockin’ River Ranch State Park! This park sits on the Verde River and has trails that could lead to exciting discoveries like animal tracks or springtime birds singing. This park is only open Friday-Sunday, but it’s a great weekend escape not far from the metro Phoenix area.
In St. Johns, near the White Mountains in the eastern part of the state, you can explore Lyman Lake State Park. The park is hosting fishing clinics from May to August, with all equipment provided. You can also join a ranger-led hike every Saturday from May 25 to August 30, or enjoy a concert by the campfire monthly from May to August. This beautiful park is a great camping retreat, with RV, tent sites and cabins right next to the lake. You can rent paddleboards, kayaks or jet-skis if you don’t have your own, or you can just enjoy dipping your toes in the water.
If your idea of fun includes beaches and more beaches, you may want to head to Arizona’s west coast. Four parks to choose from and unlimited fun all along the water. Start in Lake Havasu with its namesake park and white sand beaches, or head south to Cattail Cove State Park, also in Lake Havasu City. Buckskin Mountain and River Island State Parks in Parker offer amazing ways to explore the Colorado River – from boat or by jumping right in! Plus, Buckskin offers beachfront campsites, and River Island has an incredible trail system that showcases a variety of stunning views. Every June, Buckskin Mountain State Park is the starting line for the Parker Tube Float, and exciting trip on inflatables of every size, shape and color down the river.
Arizona’s other crown jewel, Kartchner Caverns State Park, is a great place for kids to explore. Take a tour through the Throne Room and see the original footprints of the discoverers of the cave. Formations like cave bacon, shields, soda straws and helictites will capture the imagination, making Kartchner Caverns a memory that will last a lifetime. Advance reservations for cave tours are recommended, but exploring the underground wonderland and learning about how it was formed and is still preserved is unforgettable no matter your age. After April 15, the second room of the cave, the Big Room, is closed to house a maternity colony of bats, and you can learn all about them at the park. There are plenty of above-ground adventures at Kartchner Caverns, too, including a campground, a café, trails along the base of the Whetstone Mountains, and a butterfly garden.
For kids eager to learn about Arizona’s unique stories and growth, there are historic parks to explore, each showcasing a different feature of the state’s history. Start in the southern part of the state at Tubac Presidio State Historic Park, where you can see a schoolhouse from the 1800s (check out the old-school rules on the chalkboard) as well as the ruins of the Spanish presidio founded in 1752. The state’s first newspaper printing press is also on display. From there, head to Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park and check out life in the wild, wild west. The town itself hosts gunfights and showcases cowboy life, but the park’s museum tells its real history. Check out the courthouse and jail or pay a visit to the saloon and gaming room. There’s even a display about Wyatt Earp!
In Yuma, visit both Colorado River and Yuma Territorial Prison state historic parks to learn about life in the 1800s. Spend a minute in an old jail cell or have a prison picnic on the grounds. Travel to Flagstaff to explore a mansion built for two families, connected with a common area known as the billiard room. The beauty of Flagstaff in spring and summer will make the trip worthwhile on its own, but Riordan Mansion State Historic Park showcases life in the early 1900s while Flagstaff was being established. Near Dead Horse Ranch, take a trip into Jerome and explore the Douglas Mansion at Jerome State Historic Park. Kids will marvel at standing above an old mine shaft, and exhibits on rocks and minerals that glow in the dark will spark their interest.
At every park, kids can pick up a Junior Ranger workbook featuring the Parks’ mascot, Rocky Ringtail. Once the activities are completed, a park ranger will pledge them in as the newest Junior Ranger and give them a Junior Ranger button. Posters are available so kids can collect them all and showcase their state park credentials. Each park’s workbook features the unique attributes of the park, along with fun activities for the kids to complete while they are there. It’s a great way to raise the next generation of stewards for Arizona’s amazing outdoor spaces.
Learn more about the parks, the wildlife, becoming a Junior Ranger, the programs and activities by visiting AZStateParks.com or by following us on social media @azstateparks.
Michelle Thompson is the deputy assistant director at Arizona State Parks and Trails. In her role, she manages communications, marketing and research for the agency and works to educate and inform the public about the amazing opportunities at the parks, as well as the agency’s grant program, State Historic Preservation Office, and off-highway vehicle program. She has more than 25 years of experience in communications in a variety of industries and organizations.
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