Arizona State Parks

As always, we are planning a multitude of activities for the holidays at State Parks. "First Day" hikes on January 1, 2013 are always popular and you can start booking them now so you can be out walking on New Year's Day. We know taking your family for a holiday excursion can be daunting when you add up all the costs for meals and hotels. But did you ever think it was odd you were traveling somewhere else when your family from cold states always wants to come to warm Arizona for the holidays? This year why not have individual family groups rent RVs so you can all head out around the state for a week of camping in your State Parks?

Discover the local cuisine, go on a wine-tasting party in the Verde Valley, or take fishing poles and spend the week catching bass and trout. You can stay in little cabins at Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood, or just get a cot and tent to sleep comfortably while enjoying our hot showers and flush toilets. Take your golf clubs, binoculars, hiking boots and boats for experiences throughout the state. At one of our Lake Havasu area parks you can rent canoes and kayaks for a sightseeing tour around a lake, rent a wave runner or paddleboard, or simply boat and fish on the water. During your time on the lake you can take a jet boating excursion up the Topock Gorge or head on down to the London Bridge in your boat for dinner.

If you are a "day trip" traveler, the best deal for holiday gift giving is a $75 Annual Pass for State Parks. Wrap up those memories and tie them with a bow for four adults and the family to travel 365 days a year for day trips to the best recreational and cultural sites Arizona has to offer....

As always, park rangers will be there to provide the safety, security and friendly guided tours that make Arizona's State Parks premier destinations for families from around the world. Plan early and make your camping reservations at http://www.AZStateParks.com or call (520) 586-2283.

Bryan Martyn, Executive Director Arizona State Parks