Arizona State Parks: Which to Visit First, Ranked for First-Timers

If you only see one of the Arizona state parks, make it Kartchner Caverns State Park near Benson for a guided cave tour, then Slide Rock State Park in Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona for its natural sandstone water slide. After those, choose by mood: Lake Havasu State Park for a beach day, Lost Dutchman or Catalina for an easy desert walk, and Tubac Presidio or Tombstone Courthouse for territorial history.

Start underground, end in a creek: the two parks sit hours apart, but over a long weekend that pairing is, in our opinion, the best introduction the system offers.

How we chose

We ranked Arizona state parks by what first-timers usually want: a cave, a water slide, a lake, a desert walk or territorial history. Every pick was checked on its own page at azstateparks.com; fees and hours change, so check before you go.

1. Kartchner Caverns State Park, Benson: the cave tour

Kartchner Caverns State Park, 9 miles south of Benson on Highway 90 in southern Arizona, is where you tour a living cave with a guide. Two explorers found it in November 1974 and kept it a secret until February 1978, when they finally told the landowners, James and Lois Kartchner.

What to do: book the Rotunda/Throne tour, which the park lists at half a mile and about an hour and a half, with roughly 50 minutes underground. Along the way you see Kubla Khan, which the park calls the largest column formation in Arizona. The Big Room tour runs only from October 15 to April 15, so a cool-season trip gets you the choice of both.

• Allow: half a day, since the park asks you to arrive at least 30 minutes before your tour.
• Cost: the park lists cave tours for adults 14 and over at typically $30, with the entrance fee waived when you have a tour reservation.
• Booking: the park says reservations are strongly encouraged and walk-up tickets usually sell out early.
• Know before you go: no phones, cameras, bags or water on the tour; lockers are provided.

2. Slide Rock State Park, Oak Creek Canyon: the natural water slide

Slide Rock State Park, at 6871 N. Highway 89A in Oak Creek Canyon north of Sedona, is where you slide down a chute worn into red sandstone by Oak Creek. The park describes the slide as 80 feet long, 2.5 to 4 feet wide, with a seven percent decline, and algae makes it slick.

What to do: wade, swim or slide along the half mile of creek open to visitors, then walk the old Pendley Homestead, a 43-acre historic apple farm whose founder's irrigation system is still in use.

• Allow: three to four hours.
• Cost: the official site lists typically $30 per vehicle (1-4 people) from May to September and $20 from October to April, plus $5 per additional person, with children under 6 free. Cash payers need exact change.
• Booking: the park says reservations are not available. Entry is by vehicle only, with no walk-ins or drop-offs.
• Know before you go: there is no lifeguard, glass is banned in the swim area, and pets are never allowed in the creek area.

3. Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, Payson: the jaw-drop

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, 10 miles north of Payson on Highway 87, protects a bridge the park says is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world, 183 feet high over a tunnel that is 150 feet at its widest.

What to do: walk the paved path along the top of the bridge to its four viewpoints, then take the Waterfall Trail, which the park lists at about 300 feet and 15 to 20 minutes. The park rates all of its trails steep and strenuous.

• Allow: one to two hours.
• Cost: typically $10 for adults 14 and over, $5 for ages 7-13, free under 7.
• Know before you go: flooding on Pine Creek can close the trails and the area under the bridge, while the top-of-bridge path can stay open. Check the park page before you drive up.

4. Lake Havasu State Park, Lake Havasu City: the lake day

Lake Havasu State Park, at 699 London Bridge Road in Lake Havasu City, is the easiest beach day in the system: a designated swim area off a white-sand day-use beach, three boat ramps and kayak rentals from concessionaires.

What to do: swim, paddle, then walk the 1.75-mile Mohave Sunset Trail along the shore at golden hour.

• Allow: a full day.
• Cost: the official site lists typically $20 per vehicle Monday to Thursday and $25 Friday to Sunday and holidays.
• Know before you go: there is no lifeguard, and fires are not allowed on any beach.

5. Lost Dutchman State Park, Apache Junction: the easy desert walk near Phoenix

Lost Dutchman State Park, at 6109 N. Apache Trail in Apache Junction, sits at the foot of the Superstition Mountains about 40 miles east of Phoenix, and it is the simplest way to walk into real Sonoran Desert from the metro.

What to do: start on the accessible Native Plant Trail, then try the Treasure Loop, which the park lists as 2.4 miles round trip with 500 feet of elevation change.

• Allow: two to three hours.
• Cost: typically $10 per vehicle for one person, $20 for 2-4 people.
• Paying: the park says it takes cash, or Visa and Mastercard with a readable magnetic stripe only. No tap, no chip, no phone wallets. Walk-in entry and hiker drop-offs are not permitted.

6. Catalina State Park, Tucson: saguaros at the city's edge

Catalina State Park, at 11570 N. Oracle Road in Tucson, puts nearly 5,000 saguaros on 5,500 acres of foothills at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains, with more than 150 bird species recorded.

What to do: join a guided bird walk or the Romero Site interpretive hike, which covers about a thousand years of Hohokam history.

• Allow: two to four hours.
• Cost: typically $10 per vehicle for one person, $20 for 2-4 people. The after-hours self-pay station is cash only, exact change.
• Know before you go: the Cañada del Oro wash runs through the park and can flood the entrance road, so watch for flowing water in washes.

7. Picacho Peak State Park, Eloy: the landmark you've driven past

Picacho Peak State Park, at I-10 Exit 219 near Eloy, is the 1,500-foot peak you see from the freeway between Phoenix and Tucson. The park says the Anza Expedition recorded it in the 1700s, and it describes the Battle of Picacho Pass as the most westward Civil War battle that took place in Arizona.

What to do: walk the lower trails for spring wildflowers, or join a guided summit hike on the Hunter Trail, offered on some Saturdays from October to April with registration required.

• Allow: one hour for a stretch-your-legs stop, most of a day for the summit.
• Cost: typically $10 per vehicle for one person, $20 for 2-4 people.

8. Tubac Presidio State Historic Park, Tubac: where Arizona's state parks began

Tubac Presidio State Historic Park, at One Burruel Street in Tubac, was Arizona's first state park, according to Arizona State Parks. It preserves the ruins of San Ignacio de Tubac, established in 1752, which the park calls the oldest Spanish presidio site in Arizona.

What to do: see the state's first printing press, then walk a stretch of the Anza trail that starts here.

• Allow: one to two hours, plus lunch in the village.
• Cost: typically $10 for adults 14 and over, $3 for ages 7-13, free under 7. The visitor center is free.
• Know before you go: the park lists hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is closed Mondays.

9. Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park, Tombstone: Old West, with paperwork

Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park, at 223 Toughnut Street in Tombstone, is a red-brick Victorian courthouse built in 1882 that served Cochise County until the county seat moved to Bisbee in 1931.

What to do: find the period courtroom and sheriff's office, the exhibits on the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and two items the park says are in its collection: a license to run a brothel and an invitation to a hanging.

• Allow: about an hour.
• Cost: typically $10 for adults 14 and over, $5 for ages 7-13, free under 7.
• Hours: the park lists 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from October through May and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in summer.

10. Jerome State Historic Park, Jerome: a mining mansion with a view

Jerome State Historic Park, at 100 Douglas Road in Jerome, is the Douglas Mansion, built in 1916 by James S. Douglas above his Little Daisy Mine and now a museum of the town and its mines.

What to do: study the 3-D model of Jerome and the mines beneath it, then take your picnic outside for the panoramic view across the Verde Valley.

• Allow: about an hour.
• Cost: typically $10 for adults 14 and over, $5 for ages 7-13, free under 7.

11. Fort Verde State Historic Park, Camp Verde: the frontier army post

Fort Verde State Historic Park, at 125 E. Hollamon Street in Camp Verde, was a base for General Crook's Army scouts and soldiers in the 1870s and 1880s. The park calls it the best-preserved Indian Wars period fort in Arizona.

What to do: walk through three historic house museums furnished in the 1880s style.

• Allow: about an hour.
• Cost: typically $10 for adults 14 and over, $5 for ages 7-13, free under 7.

12. Homolovi State Park, Winslow: ancestral Hopi history and dark skies

Homolovi State Park, off I-40 Exit 257 near Winslow, is a research center for the late migration period of the Hopi from the 1200s to the late 1300s. The name Homolovi is Hopi for “Place of the Little Hills,” the traditional name for Winslow.

What to do: visit the museum, then come back after dark. The park says it is the only Arizona state park with a permanent observatory, and it hosts monthly star parties from April to November.

• Allow: two hours, or overnight in the campground.
• Cost: typically $10 per vehicle for one person, $20 for 2-4 people.
• Know before you go: heavy rain can close individual archaeological sites, so check the park page.

Do I need reservations for Arizona state parks?

For most day visits to Arizona state parks, no: the official site lists no day-use reservation requirement. You do book Kartchner Caverns cave tours (strongly encouraged), campsites and cabins, and some guided programs, such as Tonto's Goodfellow Lodge tour and Picacho's guided summit hike.

Is there an annual pass?

Yes. Arizona State Parks sells an Annual Day Use Pass, listed at $200, that covers up to four people at all parks, including weekends and holidays, for one year from purchase, per the passes page.

What should first-timers pack and plan?

Check alerts, book the cave and carry the right payment: that covers most first-visit problems at Arizona state parks.

• Check the alert banner on each park's own page the morning you go, especially after rain at Slide Rock, Tonto Natural Bridge and Catalina.
• Book Kartchner Caverns tour tickets ahead and arrive 30 minutes early.
• Bring a card with a magnetic stripe or exact cash for Lost Dutchman, and exact change for any self-pay station.
• Pack a gallon of water per person per day for desert trails, as Lost Dutchman advises.
• Build a Verde Valley loop: Slide Rock in the morning, Jerome after lunch, Fort Verde before closing.

More ideas: outdoors and road trips.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Which Arizona state park should I visit first?

Kartchner Caverns State Park near Benson is our first pick for its guided tours of a living cave, which the park strongly encourages you to book ahead. In summer, Slide Rock State Park in Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona is the classic choice for its natural sandstone water slide.

How much does Slide Rock State Park cost?

Slide Rock State Park typically charges $30 per vehicle for 1-4 people from May to September and $20 from October to April, plus $5 per additional person, according to the official site. Children under 6 are free, and reservations are not available.

Do you need a reservation for Kartchner Caverns?

Reservations are not strictly required at Kartchner Caverns State Park, but the park strongly encourages them because walk-up tour tickets usually sell out early. Book online or by calling (877) MY-PARKS.

Is Tonto Natural Bridge open after flooding?

Flooding on Pine Creek can close the trails and the area under the bridge at Tonto Natural Bridge State Park near Payson, while the paved path along the top of the bridge may stay open. Check the alert at the top of the park's official page on azstateparks.com before you go.

What was Arizona's first state park?

Tubac Presidio State Historic Park in Tubac was Arizona's first state park, according to Arizona State Parks. It preserves the ruins of San Ignacio de Tubac, a Spanish presidio established in 1752.

Is there an Arizona state parks annual pass?

Yes, Arizona State Parks sells an Annual Day Use Pass listed at $200 that covers up to four people at all parks, including weekends and holidays. It expires one year from the date of purchase.