An Arizona state park is an area of land in the U.S. state of Arizona preserved by the state for its natural, cultural, or recreational resources. The state park system in Arizona includes both state parks and state historic parks, as well as other designations such as natural areas and recreation areas. Arizona currently has 30 state park units, which are managed wholly or partly by the Arizona State Parks government agency. In 2010 several Arizona state parks were closed due to budget cuts. Some have since reopened thanks to support in the form of donations and partnerships with local agencies.
| Park name | County | Area in acres (ha) | Elevation in feet (m) |
Date estab- lished |
Status | Remarks | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alamo Lake State Park | La Paz & Mohave | 70034900000000000004,900 acres (2,000 ha) | 70031300000000000001,300 ft (400 m) | 1969 | Open due to donations | Features a remote reservoir on the Bill Williams River with premiere bass fishing and stargazing | |
| Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park | Pinal | 7002323000000000000323 acres (131 ha) | 70032400000000000002,400 ft (730 m) | 1976 | Open | Comprises Arizona's oldest and largest botanical garden | |
| Buckskin Mountain State Park | La Paz | 70031677000000000001,677 acres (679 ha) | 7002420000000000000420 ft (130 m) | 1967 | Open | Provides water recreation on the Colorado River in the Parker Valley | |
| Catalina State Park | Pima | 70035493000000000005,493 acres (2,223 ha) | 70032650000000000002,650 ft (810 m) | 1974 | Open | Preserves a diverse desert landscape at the foot of the Santa Catalina Mountains | |
| Cattail Cove State Park | Mohave | 70032000000000000002,000 acres (810 ha) | 7002450000000000000450 ft (140 m) | 1970 | Open | Provides water recreation on Lake Havasu | |
| Dead Horse Ranch State Park | Yavapai | 7002423000000000000423 acres (171 ha) | 70033300000000000003,300 ft (1,000 m) | 1972 | Open | Provides outdoor recreation along the Verde River | |
| Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area | Navajo | 7002800000000000000800 acres (320 ha) | 70036300000000000006,300 ft (1,900 m) | 1994 | Open | Surrounds a 150-acre (61 ha) mountain reservoir | |
| Fort Verde State Historic Park | Yavapai | 700111000000000000011 acres (4.5 ha) | 70033260000000000003,260 ft (990 m) | 1970 | Open 5 days a week due to local partnership | Interprets the best-preserved Indian Wars-era fort in Arizona, active from 1871–1891 | |
| Homolovi State Park | Navajo | 70034500000000000004,500 acres (1,800 ha) | 70034900000000000004,900 ft (1,500 m) | 1986 | Open | Preserves several pueblo ruins and other Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites | |
| Jerome State Historic Park | Yavapai | 70035000000000000005,000 ft (1,500 m) | 1957 | Open 5 days a week due to local partnership | Honors the Douglas family of mining entrepreneurs in their 1916 adobe mansion | ||
| Kartchner Caverns State Park | Cochise | 70034700000000000004,700 ft (1,400 m) | 1988 | Open | Preserves a limestone cave kept in near-pristine condition since its discovery in 1974 | ||
| Lake Havasu State Park | Mohave | 7002928000000000000928 acres (376 ha) | 7002480000000000000480 ft (150 m) | 1965 | Open | Provides water recreation on Lake Havasu | |
| Lost Dutchman State Park | Pinal | 7002320000000000000320 acres (130 ha) | 70032000000000000002,000 ft (610 m) | 1977 | Open | Faces the Superstition Mountains, where the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine is said to be hidden | |
| Lyman Lake State Park | Apache | 70031200000000000001,200 acres (490 ha) | 70036000000000000006,000 ft (1,800 m) | 1960 | Open summers/early fall | Features Lyman Reservoir and a 14th Century pueblo ruin | |
| McFarland State Historic Park | Pinal | 70031500000000000001,500 ft (460 m) | 1974 | Open due to local partnerships | Preserves a courthouse and jail from the Arizona Territory era | ||
| Oracle State Park | Pinal | 70033948000000000003,948 acres (1,598 ha) | 70033700000000000003,700 ft (1,100 m) | 1986 | Open Saturdays spring and fall | Features an environmental learning center, a historic ranchhouse, and wildlife habitat in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains | |
| Patagonia Lake State Park | Santa Cruz | 70032658000000000002,658 acres (1,076 ha) | 70033750000000000003,750 ft (1,140 m) | 1974 | Open | Provides recreational opportunities on 265-acre (107 ha) Patagonia Lake | |
| Picacho Peak State Park | Pinal | 70033747000000000003,747 acres (1,516 ha) | 70032000000000000002,000 ft (610 m) | 1965 | Closed for summer 2012; will re-open Sept. 15, 2012 | Features a distinctive 3,374-foot (1,028 m) peak and spring wildflowers | |
| Red Rock State Park | Yavapai | 7002286000000000000286 acres (116 ha) | 70033900000000000003,900 ft (1,200 m) | 1986 | Open | Preserves a section of scenic red rock canyon | |
| Riordan Mansion State Historic Park | Coconino | 70005000000000000005 acres (2.0 ha) | 70036900000000000006,900 ft (2,100 m) | 1978 | Open 5 days a week | Interprets the 1904 adjoined homes of influential lumber-baron brothers Timothy and Michael Riordan | |
| Roper Lake State Park | Graham | 7002338000000000000338 acres (137 ha) | 70033130000000000003,130 ft (950 m) | 1972 | Open due to local partnership | Features a 32-acre (13 ha) fishing reservoir and a pond fed by a natural hot spring | |
| San Rafael State Natural Area | Santa Cruz | 70033557000000000003,557 acres (1,439 ha) | 70034750000000000004,750 ft (1,450 m) | 1999 | Not open to the public | Preserves a native grassland largely free of invasive plants. A former ranch complex is now a district on the National Register of Historic Places | |
| Slide Rock State Park | Coconino | 700143000000000000043 acres (17 ha) | 70034930000000000004,930 ft (1,500 m) | 1985 | Open | Features a natural waterslide and a historic apple orchard in Oak Creek Canyon | |
| Sonoita Creek State Natural Area | Santa Cruz | 70039584000000000009,584 acres (3,879 ha) | 70033750000000000003,750 ft (1,140 m) | 1994 | Open | Preserves a diverse transition zone around Sonoita Creek adjacent to Patagonia Lake State Park | |
| Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park | Cochise | 70034539000000000004,539 ft (1,383 m) | 1949 | Open due to local partnership | Preserves the historic 1882 courthouse, sheriff’s office, and jail | ||
| Tonto Natural Bridge State Park | Gila | 7002161000000000000161 acres (65 ha) | 70034530000000000004,530 ft (1,380 m) | 1969 | Open | Features the world's largest natural arch made of travertine | |
| Tubac Presidio State Historic Park | Santa Cruz | 70033500000000000003,500 ft (1,100 m) | 1958 | Open 5 days a week due to local partnership | Preserves the ruins of the 1753 Presidio San Ignacio de Tubac, an 1885 schoolhouse, and other structures plus a museum | ||
| Verde River Greenway State Natural Area | Yavapai | 7002480000000000000480 acres (190 ha) | 70033300000000000003,300 ft (1,000 m) | 1986 | Open | Preserves a 6-mile (9.7 km) section of the Verde River adjacent to Dead Horse Ranch State Park | |
| Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park | Yuma | 7002120000000000000120 ft (37 m) | 1997 | Open | Interprets an 1864 U.S. Army facility that supplied 14 military posts around the Southwest | ||
| Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park | Yuma | 7002120000000000000120 ft (37 m) | 1960 | Open | Interprets the famous Arizona Territory prison that operated from 1876 to 1909 |
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