Parks
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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. In the place called Tsegi, their homes and images tell us their stories. Today, Navajo families make their homes, raise livestock, and farm the lands in the canyons. A place like no other, the park and Navajo Nation work together to manage the land's resources.
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National Monument
Casa Grande Ruins
Coolidge, AZ
Explore the mystery and complexity of an extended network of communities and irrigation canals. An Ancestral 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.
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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.
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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 the 1.5 mile trail 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
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.
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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 Trading Post has been serving Ganado selling goods and Native American Art since 1878. Discover Hubbell Trading Post NHS, where history is made every day!
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National Historic Trail
Juan Bautista de Anza
Nogales, AZ to San Francisco, CA, AZ,CA
"¡Vayan Subiendo!"("Everyone mount up!") was the rousing call from Juan Bautista de Anza. In 1775-76, he 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.
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National Recreation Area
Lake Mead
the Mojave Desert, AZ,NV
Swim, boat, hike, cycle, camp and fish at America’s first and largest national recreation area. With striking landscapes and brilliant blue waters, this year-round playground spreads across 1.5 million acres of mountains, canyons, valleys and two vast lakes. See the Hoover Dam from the waters of Lake Mead or Lake Mohave, or find solitude in one of the park's nine wilderness areas.
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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.
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National Monument
Navajo
Black Mesa, AZ
Navajo National Monument was established in 1909 to preserve and interpret the archaeological and cultural heritage of the Ancestral Pueblo people who built Tsegi Phase villages within the natural sandstone alcoves of the canyons. Betatakin, Keet Seel, and Inscription House were occupied from approximately 1250 AD to 1300 AD and are among the best preserved cliff dwellings in the state of Arizona.
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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 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.
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National Monument
Parashant
Northern Arizona, AZ
Take a lonely and rocky two-track road in a 4x4 to the edge of the Grand Wash Cliffs. Find a stunning solitary vista deep into the Grand Canyon. Relax in the shade of ponderosas at Mt. Trumbull. Touch ancient waters at Pakoon Springs in one of the driest places in the world. Parashant is remote. There are no crowds here. Be equipped to leave pavement, cell service, and the 21st century behind.
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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 that bring the stories to life. Come rediscover Petrified Forest!
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National Monument
Pipe Spring
Fredonia, AZ
Beneath vermilion cliffs, American Indians, Mormon ranchers, plants, animals, and many others have depended on the life-giving water found at the desert oasis at Pipe Spring. Learn about settler and Kaibab Paiute life by exploring the museum, historic fort and cabins, garden, and Ridge Trail. Visit with rangers and ranch animals, and attend living history demonstrations and talks.
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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 cinder cone volcano's rim is the dusky red of sunset, but the crater is only part of the story. Around 1085 the ground began to shake, and lava spewed high into the air. When the eruption finished, it had changed both the landscape and the people who lived here. Today, it teaches how nature and humankind affect each other—and how rebirth and renewal happen in the wake of disaster.
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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.
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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
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.
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National Monument
Walnut Canyon
Flagstaff, AZ
Come gaze across curved canyon walls. Among the remarkable geological formations of the canyon itself, the former homes of ancient inhabitants are easily evident. Along the trails you can imagine life within Walnut Canyon, while visiting actual pueblos and walking in the steps of those who came before.
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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.
By The Numbers
- 22 National Parks
- 13,017,288 Visitors to National Parks
- $2,099,100,000 Economic Benefit from National Park Tourism »
- $185,206,799 of Rehabilitation Projects Stimulated by Tax Incentives (since 1995) »
- $64,635,613 of Land & Water Conservation Fund Appropriated for Projects (since 1965) »
- $32,655,425 in Historic Preservation Grants (since 1969) »
- 30 Certified Local Governments »
- 101 Community Conservation & Recreation Projects (since 1987) »
- 866 Acres Transferred by Federal Lands to Parks for Local Parks and Recreation (since 1948) »
- 204,882 Hours Donated by Volunteers »
- 1 National Heritage Area »
- 2 National Trails Managed by NPS »
- 1,465 National Register of Historic Places Listings »
- 46 National Historic Landmarks »
- 10 National Natural Landmarks »
- 1 World Heritage Site »
- 616 Places Recorded by Heritage Documentation Programs »
- 12,794,983 Objects in National Park Museum Collections »
- 12,881 Archeological Sites in National Parks »
- 21 Threatened & Endangered Species 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 9/30/2018.