These 9 State Parks In Arizona Will Knock Your Socks Off

What are the best state parks in Arizona?  

Arizona is home to more than 30 state parks, but there definitely are some that are more popular than others. For example, Slide Rock State Park is so world-famous that it can be hard to get in – usually the line is SO long that it takes hours to reach the front! We won’t count Grand Canyon National Park (as it’s a “national” park, after all), but we will include Red Rock State Park, which is in Sedona and quite possibly more epic than the Grand Canyon anyway (depending on what you’re into, we guess). There’s also Kartchner Caverns State Park, which provides a look into some of the most intricate and amazing cave systems in the southwest. Lake Havasu State Park is a MAJOR favorite among in-state and out-of-state visitors (it’s currently the #1 destination of the southwest for spring break revelry), and it’s beautiful, too! Finally, Catalina State Park, way down south near Tucson, is breathtakingly beautiful and worth a visit, too.  

What are some lesser-known hiking trails in Arizona?  

Arizona is full of world-famous hikes, but what about some of the lesser-known and lesser-trekked ones? Those are wonderful, too, and can be painfully underrated. For example, near Kingman, there’s the Hualapai Peak Trail, an 8.1-mile adventure that takes you to the highest point of the Hualapai Mountains. It’s a little on the challenging side, but we promise it’s worth it. Flagstaff is home to some amazing, totally underappreciated trails as well; some of our favorites include Passage 34, in the San Fransisco Peak. It’s a haul, as it connects two more loved trails, but also well worth the journey. While you’re up there, try out the Kelsey-Dorsey Loop Trail, which is amazing (and has springs). For more of our favorite, easier, shorter hiking trails, check out this list of some of our favorite hiking trails in Arizona under five miles.