Arizona Parks

Where do you want to go? Check out the Arizona map or all your options below!
*A note about time zones: Arizona does not follow daylight savings time, however the Navajo Nation does. Please plan accordingly as you travel across northern Arizona!

Ancestral Puebloan dwellings at Canyon de Chelly

NPS Photo/Betts

NATIONAL MONUMENT

Canyon De Chelly

Chinle, AZ

For nearly 5,000 years, people have lived in these canyons - longer than anyone has lived uninterrupted anywhere on the Colorado Plateau. Their homes and images tell us their stories. Today, Navajo families make their homes, raise livestock, and farm the lands in the canyon. The National Park Service and Navajo Nation actively work together to manage park resources.

Casa Grande's Great House graced with a rainbow.

NPS Photo

NATIONAL MONUMENT

Casa Grande Ruins

Coolidge, AZ

Explore the mystery and complexity of an extended network of communities and irrigation canals. An Ancient Sonoran Desert People's farming community and "Great House" are preserved at Casa Grande Ruins. Whether the Casa Grande was a gathering place for the Desert People or simply a waypoint marker in an extensive system of canals and trading partners is but part of the mystique of the Ruins

Rock spires, called hoodoos, inspired Chiricahua National Monument

NPS Photo

NATIONAL MONUMENT

Chiricahua

Willcox, AZ

A "Wonderland of Rocks" is waiting for you to explore at Chiricahua National Monument. The 8-mile paved scenic drive and 17-miles of day-use hiking trails provide opportunities to discover the beauty, natural sounds, and inhabitants of this 11,985 acre site. Visit the Faraway Ranch Historic District to discover more about the people who have called this area home.

Montezuma Peak at Coronado National Memorial becomes alight with flowers in the spring.

NPS Photo

NATIONAL MEMORIAL

Coronado

Hereford, AZ

It was a journey of conquest, filled with exploration, wonder, and cruelty. Inspired by tales of vast cities of gold, 339 European soldiers and over 1100 Indian allies embarked on an epic journey through arid deserts and rugged mountains. They brought rich traditions and new technology into the region, irrevocably changing the lives of native peoples and continuing to influence the area today.

The adobe walls of Fort Bowie require maintenance since they are open to the elements of rain and wind.

NPS Photo

NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

Fort Bowie

Willcox, AZ

Fort Bowie commemorates the bitter conflict between Chiricahua Apaches and the U.S. military - a lasting monument to the bravery and endurance of U.S. soldiers in paving the way for settlement and the taming of the western frontier. It provides insight into a "clash of cultures," a young nation in pursuit of "manifest destiny," and the hunter/gatherer society fighting to preserve its existence.

Glen Canyon is full of gorgeous views, colors, and geological shapes.

NPS Photo/Moffit

NATIONAL RECREATION AREA

Glen Canyon

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, AZ,UT

Encompassing over 1.2 million acres, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area offers unparalleled opportunities for water-based & backcountry recreation. The 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 vast panorama of human history.

Different weather creates a multitude of colors at the Grand Canyon.

NPS Photo

NATIONAL PARK

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon, AZ

Unique combinations of geologic color and erosional forms decorate a canyon that is 277 river miles (446km) long, up to 18 miles (29km) wide, and a mile (1.6km) deep. Grand Canyon overwhelms our senses through its immense size.

Find great views at Grand Canyon-Parashant.

NPS Photo/McIntyre

NATIONAL Monument

Grand Canyon-Parashant

St. George, UT

Grand Canyon Parashant's natural splendor provides a sense of solitude to those who venture into its isolated domain. Located on the edge of one of the most beautiful places on earth, the Grand Canyon, the Monument's expansive landscape encompasses a chronicle of natural and cultural history.

Hubble Trading Post is still an active store.

NPS Photo

NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

Hubbell Trading Post

Ganado, AZ

The squeaky wooden floor greets your entry into the oldest operating trading post on the Navajo Nation. When your eyes adjust to the dim light in the "bullpen" you find you’ve just entered a mercantile. Hubbell's has been serving Ganado selling groceries, grain, hardware, horse tack, coffee and Native American Art since 1878. Discover Hubbell Trading Post NHS, where history is made every day.

Each October Anza Day events in southern Arizona bring the trial to life.

NPS Photo

NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL

Juan Bautista de Anza

Nogales, AZ to San Francisco, CA, AZ,CA

"Everyone mount up!" was the rousing call from Juan Bautista de Anza. In 1775-76, Anza led some 240 men, women, and children on an epic journey to establish the first non-Native settlement at San Francisco Bay. Today, the 1,200-mile Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail connects history, culture, and outdoor recreation from Nogales, Arizona, to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Boating is a popular activity at Lake Mead.

Andrew Cattior

NATIONAL RECREATION AREA

Lake Mead

the Mojave Desert, AZ,NV

Lake Mead NRA offers year-round recreational opportunities for boaters, swimmers, fishermen, hikers, photographers and sightseers. It is also home to thousands of desert plants and animals, adapted to survive where rain is scarce and temperatures soar.

Interior doorways at Montezuma Castle are remarkable.

NPS Photo

NATIONAL MONUMENT

Montezuma Castle

Camp Verde, AZ

Today we gaze through the windows of the past into one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in North America. This 20 room high-rise apartment, nestled into a towering limestone cliff, tells a story of ingenuity, survival and ultimately, prosperity in an unforgiving desert landscape. Come marvel at this enduring legacy of the Sinagua culture and reveal a people surprisingly similar to ourselves.

Navajo National Monument has two different Ancestral Puebloan communities; Betatakin is shown.

NPS Photo/Rikimer

NATIONAL MONUMENT

Navajo

Black Mesa, AZ

The prehistoric Puebloan Ancestors built Tsegi Phase villages within the natural sandstone alcoves of our canyons. The resilient Ancestral Puebloans paved the way for current Native American groups in the Southwest region. These villages, which date from AD 1250 to 1300, thrill all who visit with original architectural elements such as roof beams, masonary walls, rock art, and hand and foot holds.

Pack trains with mules got merchandise to people living in the north.

NPS Photo

NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL

Old Spanish

AZ,CA,CO,NV,NM,UT

Follow the routes of mule pack trains across the Southwest on the Old Spanish National Historic Trail between Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Los Angeles, California. New Mexican traders moved locally produced merchandise across what are now six states to exchange for mules and horses.

The desert comes alive at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

NPS Photo

NATIONAL MONUMENT

Organ Pipe Cactus

Ajo, AZ

Look close. Look again. The sights and sounds of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, an International Biosphere Reserve, reveal a thriving community of plants and animals. Human stories echo throughout this desert preserve, chronicling thousands of years of desert living. A scenic drive, wilderness hike,or a night of camping will expose you to a living desert that thrives.

Petrified logs often remain after the rest of the soil is eroded.

NPS Photo

NATIONAL PARK

Petrified Forest

Petrified Forest National Park, AZ

Did you know that Petrified Forest is more spectacular than ever? While the park has all the wonders known for a century, there are many new adventures and discoveries to share. There are backcountry hikes into areas never open before such as Red Basin and little known areas like the Martha's Butte. There are new exhibits to bring the stories to life. Come rediscover Petrified Forest!

The fort at Pipe Spring is called Winsor Castle.

NPS Photo/Kida

NATIONAL MONUMENT

Pipe Spring

Fredonia, AZ

American Indians, Mormon pioneers, plants, animals, and many others have depended on the life-giving water found at Pipe Spring. Learn about pioneer and Kaibab Paiute life by exploring the museum, historic fort and cabins, garden, orchard, and Ridge Trail. Visit with rangers, ranch animals, and attend living history demonstrations and talks.

Saguaro National Park is famous for its saguaro cacti and sunsets.

NPS Photo/Shattuck

NATIONAL PARK

Saguaro

Tucson, AZ

Tucson, Arizona is home to the nation's largest cacti. The giant saguaro is the universal symbol of the American west. These majestic plants, found only in a small portion of the United States, are protected by Saguaro National Park, to the east and west of the modern city of Tucson. Here you have a chance to see these enormous cacti, silhouetted by the beauty of a magnificent desert sunset.

The cinder cone of Sunset Crater.

NPS Photo/Ullmann

NATIONAL MONUMENT

Sunset Crater Volcano

Flagstaff, AZ

Sunset Crater Volcano! Roughly 900 years ago, the eruption of this volcano reshaped the surrounding landscape, forever changing the lives of people, plants and animals. Hike the trail through the lava flow and cinders and you’ll likely discover colorful, ruggedly dramatic geological features coexisting with twisted Ponderosa Pines and an amazing array of wildlife.

A roof and hatchway reveal how ancient people built their dwellings.

NPS Photo

NATIONAL MONUMENT

Tonto

Roosevelt, AZ

The Salado Phenomena, 700 years ago, blended ideas of neighboring Native American cultures to emerge a unique and vibrant society. Tonto National Monument showcases two Salado-style cliff dwellings. Colorful pottery, woven cotton cloth, and other artifacts tell a story of people living and using resources from the northern Sonoran Desert from 1250 to 1450 CE.

The large church at Tumacácori was begun about 1800.

NPS Photo/Wolfe

NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK

Tumacácori

Tumacácori, AZ

More than just adobe, plaster, and wood, these ruins evoke tales of life and land transformed by cultures meeting and mixing. Father Kino’s 1691 landmark visit to an O’odham village when he established Mission Tumacácori was just one event among many. Wave after wave of change has swept or crept across this realm - this land and its people are not static. Come visit and experience this heritage.

The stabilized walls at Tuzigoot show how big these rooms were.

NPS Photo

NATIONAL MONUMENT

Tuzigoot

Clarkdale, AZ

Crowning a desert hilltop is an ancient pueblo. A child scans the desert landscape for the arrival of traders. What riches will they bring? What stories will they tell? From the rooftop of the Tuzigoot pueblo it is easy to imagine such a moment. The pueblo shows us this ancient village built by the Sinagua people. They were farmers and artists with trade connections that spanned hundreds of miles.

The loop trail at Walnut Canyon takes you around many ancient cliff dwellings.

NPS Photo

NATIONAL MONUMENT

Walnut Canyon

Flagstaff, AZ

Come gaze across the curved canyon walls! Among the remarkable geological cliff formations of the canyon itself, the shapes of the former homes of ancient inhabitants of Walnut Canyon are easily evident. On a hike along the Rim or Island Trails you can imagine what life was like along and within Walnut Canyon while visiting actual pueblos and walking in the steps of those who came before us.

Walls still stand hundreds of years later at Lomaki.

NPS Photo

NATIONAL MONUMENT

Wupatki

Flagstaff, AZ

Nestled between the Painted Desert and ponderosa highlands of northern Arizona, Wupatki is a landscape of legacies. Ancient pueblos dot red-rock outcroppings across miles of prairie. Where food and water seem impossible to find, people built pueblos, raised families, farmed, traded, and thrived. Today, if you linger and listen, earth and artifacts whisper their stories to us still.

Yuma crossing at the Colorado River was very important before dams.

NPS Photo

NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA

Yuma Crossing

Yuma, AZ

A river heritage The Colorado River crossing at Yuma, Arizona, has a rich history, accented in recent years by irrigation works that have transformed the region into an agricultural oasis. But in the process, riparian areas suffered and the riverfront became blighted. Today, Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area is working to restore the region’s wetlands and reconnect to the city.