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Monuments & Parks
Slide Rock State Park, Oak Creek Canyon Outside of the bustling Metropolitan areas, Arizona features a multitude of hidden gems. Arizona's monuments and parks provide spectacular views and photo opportunities, educational and cultural preservation and easy access (via car, foot, bicycle, train or even mule).
Please click on one of Arizona's natural wonders below for more information.
Canyon De Chelly
Canyon De Chelly (pronounced d'shay from the Navajo word "Tsegi" meaning "rock canyon") is a monument comprised of multiple canyons. Precise geological formations have been carved from two million years of water cutting through the sandstone. These deep gorges allowed humans to live uninterrupted in the area for more than 5,000 years. Visitors can enjoy a beautiful scenic drive along the rim, stopping at the numerous look-out points. Hiking, off-road tours, Navajo-guided horseback rides and camping are also popular ways to experience parts of the canyon.
Chiricahua National Monument
Twenty seven million years ago a volcanic eruption of immense proportions shook the land around the present day Chiricahua (pronounced chee-ree-KAW-wah ) National Monument. The eruption eventually laid down two thousand feet of siliceous ash and pumice. This mixture fused into a rock called rhyolitic tuff and eventually eroded into the spires and unusual rock formations that can be seen today. The 12,000 acre monument is a Mecca for hikers and birders. The plants and animals found in the region represent one of the premier areas for biological diversity in the northern hemisphere.
The Colorado River
For millions of years the Colorado River has left its mark on the southwest. Since the river was formed, it has created chasms, including the Grand Canyon, as it carved its 1,400-mile course from Colorado's Rocky Mountains through the Grand Canyon to Lake Mead on the Arizona-Nevada border before heading south along the Arizona-California border to its mouth at the Sea of Cortez. Early settlers along the river's path tried to divert its waters for irrigation, but each year the Colorado, fed by melting snow in the spring and early summer, flooded low-lying lands along its route, destroying lives, crops and property. In late summer and early fall, the river often dried to a trickle, too low to divert. Without water, crops and livestock withered and died.
Today, the mighty Colorado River remains an important resource for the State of Arizona and the southwest. More than 25 million people in seven states and Mexico depend on the river for basic living as well as agriculture, mining, recreation, ranching and tourism.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Lake Powell
The Glen Canyon National Recreation Area offers unparalleled opportunities for water-based and backcountry recreation. Spanning from Lees Ferry (the first accessible Colorado River crossing) in Arizona to the Orange Cliffs of southern Utah, the recreation area offers boating, fishing, swimming, backcountry hiking and four-wheel driving as well as breathtaking scenery, natural wonders (such as the Rainbow Bridge, the world's largest natural bridge) and an important resource in the Glen Canyon Dam. Lake Powell "America's favorite houseboat destination," offers water recreation at its finest with its blue-green water, sandy beaches and picturesque backdrop.
Grand Canyon National Park
One of the world's seven natural wonders, the Grand Canyon offers spectacular vistas of canyon walls that have been sculpted from the earth over the millennia by the mighty Colorado River. The shifting sun creates a palette of constantly changing colors, from deep russet to pale pink, to washed granite to golden brown.
Visitors are intrigued by the beauty and wonder that is the Grand Canyon National Park. More than four million people visit the park each year making it one of the country's top ten most-visited national parks. Hiking, backpacking and river rafting are among the adventures that await those who want a close encounter with the canyon's rugged expanse. The canyon's famous, sure-footed mules offer a less-strenuous journey. The trek to Phantom Ranch, at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, is one of the most satisfying hikes in the state. It's challenging without being overwhelming and rewards hikers with some of the finest vistas. A private helicopter or plane ride is a great way to view the canyon from above. Passengers on the Grand Canyon Railway enjoy strolling musicians, a mock train robbery and spectacular sights as they view the canyon by rail.
The Grand Canyon's South Rim is open year-round and has six lodging choices, several restaurants, gift shops, a general store and a visitor's center. The North Rim is open from mid-May through October, depending on weather conditions, and lodging is also available.
Kartchner Caverns
Located nine miles south of Benson, Kartchner Caverns State Park is the home to down-dropped palaeozoic rocks that have been carved out of limestone and filled with speleothems that have been growing for 50,000 years. They are still growing due to careful development and maintainance. Discovered in 1974, two amateur hikers kept the pristine cave passages a secret until their story was made public in 1988 when the landowner sold the area to the state for development as a park and show cavern. Visitors can go back more than 200,000 years and enter one of the world's most spectacular living caves. The two major features of the caverns available to the public are the "Throne Room" (contains one of the world's longest soda straw stalactites and a 50-foot high column called Kubla Khan) and the "Big Room" (contains the world's most extensive formation of brushite moonmilk).
The Mogollon Rim
Formed by erosion and faulting, the Mogollon Rim is a topographical and geological feature running across Arizona and extending 400 miles into southwest New Mexico. The face of the rim is a multi-colored wall of rock, dotted by ponderosa pine trees, manzanita and shrub oak. This giant wall of rock jutted upward a mile above sea level when the earth's surface shifted thousands of years ago. With its unparalleled beauty, sightseeing is commonplace on the rim, but this forest area also offers hiking and horseback trails, Indian ruins, picturesque lakes for boating and fishing and backcountry skiing. The eastern portion of the rim was the site of Arizona's largest wildfire in June 2002. The Rodeo-Chediski fire destroyed 470,000 acres of land.
Monument Valley
Located along the Utah/Arizona border, Monument Valley is an area of free standing sandstone rock formations that rise up to 1,000 feet tall from the desert floor. The impressive sandstone formations are the result of centuries and millennia of erosion, uplift and volcanic activity. Monument Valley is home to the Navajo people who have preserved their traditions, language, art forms, pastoral sheep-herding way of life, and their relation of harmony and respect with the land. Today, Monument Valley is protected as a Navajo Tribal Park. Visitors may drive along a self-guided route that passes some of the most famous buttes and spires, but much of the area can only be seen on tours conducted by official Navajo guides.
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, located in Ajo, celebrates the landscape of the Sonoran Desert. The Organ Pipe Cactus is the second largest cactus in the United States (the Saguaro is the largest). A cluster of five to 20 water-storing branches grow out of the ground to create its formation. At this 330,000 acre park, visitors may tour by car, hike a backcountry trail or camp under the starry desert sky.
Petrified Forest National Park
Petrified Forest National Park in northeastern Arizona features one of the world's largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood. Also included in the Park's 218,000 acres are the multi-hued badlands of the Painted Desert, archeological sites and displays of 225 million-year-old fossils. The park is accessible by private vehicle and commercial tours.
Saguaro National Park
The Saguaro (pronounced sa-wah-row) National Park, located in Tucson, is home to the most recognizable cactus in the world, the saguaro. The desert plant has an average life span of 150 years and a mature saguaro may grow to 50 feet high and weigh more than ten tons. The cactus serves as an important lifeline for many animals in the park. They provide their sweet fruits to hungry desert animals and also provide homes to a variety of birds, such as the Harris' hawk, Gila woodpecker and the tiny elf owl. Many visitors enjoy the scenic roads, bird watching, photography opportunities, 150 miles of hiking trails and guided walking tours.
Sunset Crater
More than 900 years ago a volcanic eruption shook a portion of farmland in a settlement close to Flagstaff. After the volcano's dark lava flow cooled and the surface hardened, the formation of jagged rock and a 1,000 foot-high cinder cone known today as Sunset Crater remained. Visitors are intrigued by the environments adaptability to the eruption as plants and animals thrive in the present-day region. Lava-flow trail is a one-mile self-guided loop in which visitors can explore the formations. The steep, one-mile Lenox Crater Trail provides hikers an opportunity to climb a cinder cone.
Tonto Natural Bridge State Park
Tucked away in a tiny valley surrounded by a forest of pine trees, Tonto Natural Bridge has been in the making for thousands of years. Through several stages of development, it is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world. The bridge stands 183 feet high over a 400-foot long tunnel that measures 150 feet at its widest point. The Park is located ten miles north of Payson. Visitors may travel on one of three challenging hiking trails or simply view the majestic scenery from one of four viewpoints or the observation deck.
The White Mountains
Arizona's White Mountains, located in the eastern part of the state, offers a variety of year-round attractions. With an elevation of 9,000 feet, summer activities include golfing, camping, fishing, mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding. In the winter, the White Mountains become just that - white. Sunrise Ski Resort offers outstanding ski runs and other winter sports opportunities including snowmobiling, ice fishing and cross country skiing. Much of the White Mountains area is on Native American land. Rodeos, cultural festivals and parades are common events in the White Mountains region.
Arizona State Parks
From pine-scented forests to awe-inspiring desert vistas, there is something for everyone at one of Arizona's 27 state parks. The statewide system of parks include conservation, recreation and historical sites. Visit one of the historic parks and walk in the footsteps of cultures past, learn about nature and the diverse ecosystem or simply hike, fish and camp under the stars. www.azstateparks.com
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