Popular State Parks in Arizona

Arizona has thirty-one state parks. In February, 2009, the State Parks Board voted to temporarily close two state parks for repairs and to move park rangers to other state parks. The historic lodge at Tonto Natural Bridge State Park has severe roof leaks and structural problems and Jerome State Historic Park has a wall that is collapsing. All three of these parks had many visitors each year, but will now have a temporary shut down of three to six months. This is due to a budget shortfall, part of the state as well as the national scene.

A popular park, the Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park featured a popular Bible Scripture tour. The leader will point out plant species mentioned in the Bible. Other tours feature edible and medicinal desert plants and trees of the arboretum. Other guided tours are also scheduled for the region.

Several national parks may take some visitors away from the popularity of the state parks. The one, in particular, is the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona which attracts 4,400,000 visitors each year.

The attractive mild climate in Arizona during many of the months make picnicking, boating, horseback riding, canoeing, picnicking, tours, hiking, and fishing attractive activities for the visitors. The state parks have awe-inspiring scenery such as lakes, mountains, creeks, and caverns, and as noted earlier in this article, the state is taking steps to keep all of its parks in good repair. Eating facilities and lodging arrangements are readily available, both of which add to the popularity of the state parks.