Roger Naylor - Arizona State Parks: A Guide to Amazing Places in the Grand Canyon State

ARIZONA STATE PARKS

A Guide to Amazing Places in the Grand Canyon State

ROGER NAYLOR

2019 by the University of New Mexico Press

All rights reserved. Published 2019

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names

Naylor, Roger, 1957 author.

Title

Arizona state parks: a guide to amazing places in the Grand Canyon State / Roger Naylor.

Description

Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2019. | Series: Southwest adventure series | Includes bibliographical references and index. |

Identifiers

LCCN 2019000974 (print)

LCCN 2019001516 (e-book)

ISBN 9780826359292 (e-book)

ISBN 9780826359285 (pbk.: alk. paper)

Subjects

LCSH: ParksArizonaGuidebooks.

Classification

LCC F809.3 (e-book)

LCC F809.3. N39 2019 (print)

DDC 917.9104dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019000974

Cover photo: Brittlebush blooms along the trails at Lost Dutchman State Park. Photo by the author.

Frontispiece: Catalina State Park. Courtesy of Rick Mortensen.

Table of Contents Photo: Lake Havasu State Park. Courtesy of Arizona State Parks and Trails.

All maps by Mindy Basinger Hill

TO MARSHALL TRIMBLE, DOLAN ELLIS, BOB BOZE BELL, AND ANGEL DELGADILLO

Four men who made Arizonaand the worlda better and more interesting place.

Coyote paid me no mind.

He was just going about coyote business when he crossed the trail 50 yards ahead, giving me a sideways glance and tongue wag, which is canine for what up? I watched as he loped across a meadow sprinkled with blackfoot daisies. The clumps of white flowers were scattered about like discarded wedding bouquets. Maybe a herd of runaway brides had stampeded past.

The low slant of morning sun bathed the landscape in a creamy, dreamy light. A faint fragrance danced in on the breezethe unmistakable and haunting perfume of moisture-kissed creosote. Somewhere rain was falling. Darkly bruised clouds shoved each other around above the red cliffs of Sedona some 15 miles across the valley. Hopefully, the storm would move this way. Until then I enjoyed my sunshine and solitude. I was alone in a place quiet enough to hear the crunch of coyote paws as my new amigo trotted toward distant hills. It was just a typical day in small-town Arizona.

Some folks head for the treadmills at the gym or a track at a local school. Others may enjoy a brisk constitutional through their neighborhood. But I prefer to take my walks into the outback, courtesy of Arizona State Parks and Trails. Dead Horse Ranch State Park sits along the banks of the Verde River minutes from my house. And just that quickly I can escape. I tumble off the grid whenever I feel the urge. Instant access to wild country becomes a rare and wonderful gift. Dead Horse Ranch is a place where I get to experience broad scenic vistas, animal encounters, wildflower sightings, a sky full of drama, river, forest, and mountain all in the span of a simple morning hike.

While I have always enjoyed exploring the state parks of Arizona, I cherish them even more after moving in just down the road from one. I began to understand the quality-of-life benefits they provide for residents and the desirable destinations they are for travelers.

Arizona is best known for a national park. This is, after all, the Grand Canyon State. Its pretty sweet, having one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World entirely within our borders. But as exotic and amazing as that is, we are defined by something more intimatethe hidden treasures of Arizona State Parks and Trails.

The entire story of Arizona can be told through its 35 state parks and natural areas. The staggering diversity of the landscape is revealedclassic Sonoran Desert, high grasslands, craggy canyons, mountain forests, fragile riparian corridors, and a playground of lakes and rivers.

Some of Arizonas best spring wildflower displays take place in the parks (Lost Dutchman, Picacho Peak, and Catalina). The pristine underground cavern voted the best cave in the nation (Kartchner Caverns), the worlds largest travertine natural bridge (Tonto Natural Bridge), and one of the Southwests most legendary swimming holes (Slide Rock) are all in state parks.

The history of Arizona unfolds across the state parks. There are parks that preserve the prehistoric dwellings of Native people (Homolovi), a Spanish Colonialera presidio (Tubac Presidio), an Indian Warsera fort (Fort Verde), a Civil War battlefield (Picacho Peak), a Wild West courthouse (Tombstone Courthouse), and a notorious hoosegow (Yuma Territorial Prison). The foundations of Arizonas early economymining, ranching, and timber (Jerome, Oracle, and Riordan Mansion)are all represented by the parks.

Despite the fact that we are an arid state, you could never prove it by spending time at the parks, which include an abundance of water, such as high-mountain lakes (Fool Hollow Lake and Lyman Lake) and a surprising collection of lowland-desert fishing holes and swimming holes (Alamo Lake, Patagonia Lake, Roper Lake, and Dankworth Pond). Perhaps most intriguing of all, Arizonas enticing West Coast, defined by the mighty Colorado River, is absolutely packed with parks along its most scenic stretches (Buckskin Mountain, River Island, Cattail Cove, and Lake Havasu.)

The state parks provide the same kind of experience found in national parks and monuments, except that it feels more intimate, less hurried. Nearly every park offers some combination of guided hikes, nature talks, presentations, concerts, star parties, and other events. You have a chance to explore a new region, learn something, have an adventure, and still be back home before the weekend is over.

In 2017 I visited every Arizona state park. It seemed like a good idea. The parks were turning 60, I was turning 60it felt like kismet. And as an Arizona travel writer, poking around in every nook and cranny of this amazing state is part of the job description. It ended up being a very good year, at least for the parks (I think theyre aging better than me). The parks experienced all-time highs in attendance and revenue. And to cap the year off in fairy-tale fashion, they were acknowledged as the very best in the nation at what they do.

In September 2017 Arizona State Parks and Trails received the Gold Medal Award from the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration. The prestigious accolade honored their excellence in long-range planning, resource management, and innovative approaches to delivering superb park and recreation services.