If you love to fish, then you’ll feel at home in many of Arizona’s state parks, where you can catch largemouth bass, bluegill, trout, catfish, and panfish. Several trails are also yours to explore, including ones for beginners and advanced hikers. You’ll marvel at the state’s riparian, desert, and mountainous ecologies.
Given how diverse and plentiful Arizona’s state parks are, it can be difficult to come to a group consensus on which ones to visit. Even when traveling alone, you might find it challenging to decide on the parks that should be at the top of your bucket list. This guide to six parks in Arizona’s Verde Valley will help you zero in on which parks are best suited to your interests.
Moab has so much to offer that locals you meet—like park officials or your rafting guides—may recommend additional attractions that aren’t on this guide. As you explore the area, look for petroglyphs, one of the most unique aspects of Moab’s landscape. They’re well worth a visit, as many of them are thousands of years old. As you would with any museum masterpiece, keep a respectful distance from the art and do not touch it.