Arizona
Parks
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National Historic Trail
Butterfield Overland
MO, AR, OK, TX, NM, AZ, CA
In 1857, businessman and transportation entrepreneur John Butterfield was awarded a contract to establish an overland mail route between the eastern United States and growing populations in the Far West. What became known as the Butterfield Overland Trail made an arcing sweep across the southern rim of the country. Stagecoaches left twice a week carrying passengers, freight, and mail.
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National Monument
Canyon de Chelly
Chinle, AZ
This canyon is home to Dine' families who raise livestock, farm lands, and live here. People have lived in these canyons for nearly 5,000 years, which is longer than anyone has lived continuously on the Colorado Plateau. In this place called Tsegi, their homes and images tell us their stories. Today, the park and Navajo Nation work together to manage the rich cultural and natural resources.
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National Monument
Casa Grande Ruins
Coolidge, AZ
An Ancestral Sonoran Desert People's farming community and "Great House" are preserved at Casa Grande Ruins. Whether a gathering place for people or simply a waypoint marker in an extensive system of canals and trading partners, the structures are a large part of the story of this site. Explore the history and stories of an extended network of communities and irrigation canals.
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National Monument
Chiricahua
Willcox, AZ
Explore the pinnacles, spires, and balanced rocks that originated 27 million years ago by a massive volcanic eruption. Hike within these formations that help protect the exceptional biodiversity of the sky islands region. Connect with the human history spanning thousands of years, encompassing prehistoric indigenous peoples, Chiricahua Apaches, Buffalo Soldiers, ranchers, CCC, and visitors today.
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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 hundreds of Aztec allies embarked on an epic journey through arid deserts and rugged mountains. They encountered rich traditions and brought new technologies. The resulting collision and combination of cultures reverberates today.
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National Historic Site
Fort Bowie
Willcox, AZ
Fort Bowie witnessed almost 25 years of conflict between the Chiricahua Apache and the US Army, and remains a tangible connection to the turbulent era of the late 1800s. Explore the history of Fort Bowie and Apache Pass as you hike to the visitor center and old fort ruins. Today, this peaceful landscape stands in stark contrast to the violence that once gripped this land.
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National Recreation Area
Glen Canyon
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, AZ,UT
Encompassing over 1.25 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.
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National Park
Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon, AZ
Entirely within the state of Arizona, the park encompasses 278 miles (447 km) of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands. Located on the ancestral homelands of 11 present day Tribal Communities, Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world—a mile deep canyon unmatched in the incomparable vistas it offers visitors from both north and south rims.
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National Monument
Grand Canyon-Parashant
Northern Arizona, AZ
Despite the hardships created by rugged isolation and the lack of natural waters, Parashant has a long human history spanning more than 11,000 years, and an equally rich geologic history spanning almost two billion years. Full of natural splendor and a sense of solitude, this area remains remote and unspoiled, qualities that are essential to the protection of its scientific and historic resources.
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National Historic Site
Hubbell Trading Post
Ganado, AZ
Wóshde´e´, please come in where the squeaky wooden floors greet your entry into the oldest operating Trading Post on the Navajo Nation. As your eyes adjust to the dim light in the "bullpen", you'll find you've just entered a mercantile. Hubbell's in Ganado has been selling goods and trading Native American Art since 1878. Discover Hubbell Trading Post NHS, sheep, rugs, jewelry and so much more...
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National Historic Trail
Juan Bautista de Anza
Nogales, AZ to San Francisco, CA, AZ,CA
The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail covers over 1200 miles through the homelands of 70+ Tribal communities. It follows the historic route of the 1775-76 Spanish colonizing expedition from Sonora, Mexico to San Francisco, CA. Whether urban or rural, the trail offers adventure, diverse cultural perspectives, and an opportunity to experience history.
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National Recreation Area
Lake Mead
the Mojave Desert, AZ,NV
Experience outdoor thrills amongst striking landscapes and brilliant blue waters. Hike, swim, boat, cycle, camp, fish, volunteer, and learn! This year-round national park spreads across 1.5 million acres of mountains, canyons, valleys and two vast lakes. Just a stone's throw from the dazzling lights of Las Vegas, this extraordinary playground beckons with a symphony of possibilities.
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National Monument
Montezuma Castle
Camp Verde, AZ
Established December 8, 1906, Montezuma Castle is the third National Monument dedicated to preserving Native American culture. 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.
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National Monument
Navajo
Black Mesa, AZ
For centuries, the Hopi, San Juan Southern Paiute, Zuni, and Navajo people have inhabited the canyons. Springs fed into farmlands on the canyon floor and homes were built in the natural sandstone alcoves. The cliff dwellings of Betatakin, Keet Seel, and Inscription House were last physically occupied around 1300 AD but the villages have a spiritual presence that can still be felt today.
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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.
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National Monument
Organ Pipe Cactus
Ajo, AZ
Look closely. 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 the Sonoran Desert, chronicling thousands of years of desert living. A wilderness hike, a scenic drive, or a night of camping will expose you to a living desert abounding with hidden life.
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National Park
Petrified Forest
Petrified Forest National Park, AZ
Park Hours: 8am to 5pm, MST. Don't forget that Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings. Petrified Forest is best known for its Triassic fossils. It's like having two parks in one, an ecosystem over 200 million years old with plants and animals now represented in the surreal landscape of the Painted Desert. There is also a living park with its own denizens adapted to a demanding environment.
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National Monument
Pipe Spring
Fredonia, AZ
The rich history of Pipe Spring and its flowing water comes alive as you explore the traditions of the Kaibab Paiute and the Mormon settlers through the museum, historic fort, cabins, and garden. Hike the Ridge Trail to enjoy geologic wonders, plants, and wildlife. Attend living history demonstrations and talks and be sure to visit with our amazing ranch animals!
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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.
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National Monument
Sunset Crater Volcano
Flagstaff, AZ
The lava flow lies on the land like a dream, a wonderland of rock. A thousand years ago the ground was torn open and lava erupted into the sky, forever changing the landscape and the lives of the people who lived here. A thousand years later, trees and flowers grow among the rocks, and people visit the lava flow to see and remember the most recent volcanic eruption in Arizona.
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National Monument
Tonto
Roosevelt, AZ
Located within the northern range of the Sonoran Desert lie two cliff dwellings that were occupied from 1300-1450 CE (common era). They represent a vibrant culture consisting of local and immigrant groups that lived in the Tonto Basin. Together they formed a new ideology, which archeologists refer to as Salado. Today, descendants of the cliff dwellers continue to call Arizona home.
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National Historical Park
Tumacácori
Tumacácori, AZ
Tumacácori sits at a cultural crossroads in the Santa Cruz River valley. Here O’odham, Yaqui, and Apache people met and mingled with European Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries, settlers, and soldiers, sometimes in conflict and sometimes in cooperation. Follow the timeworn paths and discover stories that connect us to enduring relationships, vibrant cultures, and traditions of long ago.
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National Monument
Tuzigoot
Clarkdale, AZ
Water flows under and through this landscape, feeding the growth of people and towns. The Verde Valley is watered by snowmelt, summer monsoons, and springs that well up from the ancient sedimentary rocks. In the heart of the valley, a thousand years ago, people began to build a little hilltop pueblo that would grow into one of the largest villages in the area.
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National Monument
Walnut Canyon
Flagstaff, AZ
Since time immemorial, Indigenous Peoples have lived and traveled throughout Walnut Canyon’s dynamic landscape. Vibrant communities built their homes in the cliffs and farmed along the canyon’s rim. Today the park preserves this landscape, and the ancestral homes in and around the canyon.
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National Monument
Wupatki
Flagstaff, AZ
Nestled between the Painted Desert and ponderosa highlands of northern Arizona, Wupatki National Monument is an unlikely landscape for a thriving community. The early 1100's marked a time of cooler and wetter weather, when the ancestors of contemporary Pueblo communities created a bustling center of trade and culture. For indigenous peoples, these sites represent the footprints of their ancestors.
By The Numbers
- 22 National Parks
- 10,431,792 Visitors to National Parks
- $1,997,000,000 Economic Benefit from National Park Tourism »
- $78,612,742 of Land & Water Conservation Fund Appropriated for Projects (since 1965) »
- 30 Certified Local Governments »
- 116 Community Conservation & Recreation Projects (since 1987) »
- 2 National Heritage Areas »
- 3 National Trails Administered by NPS »
- 1,508 National Register of Historic Places Listings »
- 46 National Historic Landmarks »
- 10 National Natural Landmarks »
- 2 World Heritage Sites »
- 633 Places Recorded by Heritage Documentation Programs »
- 11,836,335 Objects in National Park Museum Collections »
- 13,470 Archeological Sites in National Parks »
- 3 Teaching with Historic Places Lesson Plans »
- 10 Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itineraries »
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These numbers are just a sample of the National Park Service's work. Figures are for the fiscal year that ended 9/30/2020.