For over a thousand years, prehistoric farmers inhabited much of the present-day state of Arizona. When the first Europeans arrived, all that remained of this ancient culture were the ruins of villages, irrigation canals and various artifacts.
Fort Bowie commemorates in its 1000 acres, the story of the bitter conflict between the Chiricahua Apaches and the United States military.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (NRA) offers unparalleled opportunities for water-based & backcountry recreation.
For its time and place, there was no other pueblo like Wupatki. Less than 800 years ago, it was the tallest, largest, and perhaps the richest and most influential pueblo around. It was home to 85-100 people, and several thousand more lived within a day?
Twenty seven million years ago a volcanic eruption of immense proportions shook the land around Chiricahua National Monument. One thousand times greater than the 1980 eruption of Mount St.
The Grand Canyon is more than a great chasm carved over millennia through the rocks of the Colorado Plateau. It is more than an awe-inspiring view.
Petrified Forest is a surprising land of scenic wonders and fascinating science. The park is located in northeast Arizona and features one of the world's largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood.
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument celebrates the life and landscape of the Sonoran Desert.
The staff at Saguaro National Park invite you to ?Experience Your America? in a way that only the Sonoran Desert can offer. This unique desert is home to the most recognizable cactus in the world, the majestic saguaro.
With its majestic rock cliffs; its ribbon of cool water running through classic Sonoran Desert; and its cattail-filled marsh harboring rails and waterfowl, Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge offers a little bit of something for both wildlife and
Imperial National Wildlife Refuge protects wildlife habitat along 30 miles of the lower Colorado River in Arizona and California, including the last unchannelized section before the river enters Mexico.
Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge is a place where you can enjoy a landscape like few others - where sparrows flock in winter, antelope play again, and the valley bottom is once again the sea of grass that greeted early settlers.
Cibola NWR is located in the floodplain of the lower Colorado River and surrounded by a fringe of desert ridges and washes. The refuge encompasses both the historic Colorado River channel as well as a channelized portion constructed in the late 1960's.
Glen Canyon Dam, which is a feature of the Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP), impounds Colorado River water to form Lake Powell, one of the most popular and scenic lakes in the world. Lake Powell is part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
Formed by Horse Mesa Dam, Apache Lake is long and narrow and is the second largest Salt River Project lake.
Theodore Roosevelt Dam, the first major structure constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation on the Salt River Project (SRP), spans the Salt River to form a huge reservoir. The dam is 280 feet high and 723 feet long.
Mittry Lake Wildlife Area lies in and adjacent to the floodplain of the Colorado River between Laguna and Imperial Dams. Mittry Lake covers approximately 750 acres, with much of the shoreline covered with cattails and bullrush.
The La Posa Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA) was created in 1983 to fulfill the needs of winter visitors and to protect the local desert ecosystem from over-use.
This 42-mile stretch of two-lane blacktop is one of the last and best-preserved segments of the original Route 66, one of America's first transcontinental highways.
Day use parking andboat ramp on a water storage reservoir near ImperialDam in California.
The Imperial DamLong Term Visitor Area (LTVA) was created in 1983 tofulfill the needs of winter visitors and to protect the localdesert ecosystem from over-use.
The Sonoran Desert National Monument contains magnificent examples of untrammeled Sonoran Desert landscape.
Wild Cow Springs Recreation Site is situated in a grove of oak and large ponderosa pines within the Hualapai Mountains, at a 6, 200 foot elevation.
Swansea offers a rare glimpse into the real old west of gold seekers and gamblers. This abandoned mining town is found on the edge of the Swansea Wilderness.
Bonita Creek offers some of the most outstanding birding opportunities in Southeastern Arizona. There are over 200 species of birds within the NCA. Optimum viewing season is spring and summer.
The wilderness consists of the rugged slopes of the Dos Cabezas Mountains, with elevations ranging from 4, 080 feet to 7, 500 feet. This range allows for a variety of plant and animal life as well as excellent recreation opportunities.
The 10, 500-acre Fishhooks Wilderness is located about 30 miles northwest of Safford, Arizona in Graham County. With its scenic vistas and rugged beauty, this isolated wilderness area provides outstanding solitude for visitors.
Take a trip back in time and see how the Mogollon people became successful farmers in the southeastern Arizona, the Paleo-Indian (Clovis culture) hunters use stone-tipped spears and Cochise people hunt and gather throughout the year.
The San Pedro riparian area, containing about 40 miles of the upper San Pedro River, was designated by Congress as a National Conservation Area (NCA) on November 18, 1988.
Betty's Kitchen and Interpretive Area is a lush, shady spot along the Lower Colorado River, with a picnic area, 0.5-mile interpretive trail, and fishing pier.
The Black Hills Back Country Byway offers 21 miles of back country driving adventure through the northern end of the Peloncillo Mountains in southeastern Arizona.
This area boasts rugged mountains, canyon streams, saguaro cactus, and mesquite bosques that are home to desert dwellers such as coati mundi, javelina, and a wide variety of neo-tropical migratory birds and native fish.
Approximately 500, 000 acres of public land in the San Simon Valley provide unlimited recreational opportunities. In addition, the Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area is located in the heart of the San Simon Valley.
The Mittry LakeWildlife Area includes about 600 acres of water surfaceand 2400 acres of marsh or upland. A wide variety ofvegetative and wildlife species can be found here, with ascenic backdrop of three mountain ranges.
Adjacent to rapidly expanding communities, the 71, 000-acre Agua Fria National Monument is approximately 40 miles north of central Phoenix. The monument encompasses two mesas and the canyon of the Agua Fria River.
The Parker Strip Area is a long stretch of land surrounding Lake Havasu, formed on the Colorado River by the Parker Dam.
Hot springs, river rafting, birdwatching, and miles of trails make this National Conservation Area popular among those in the know. Bonita Creek wildlife viewing area is accessible and has numerous interpretive displays and shade shelters.
Windy Point and Packsaddle Recreation Sites are situated two miles apart along the crest of the Cerbat Mountains, high above the old mining town of Chloride, Arizona.
In a state where desert arroyos, washes, and many streambeds remain bone-dry most of the time, the year-round flow of Cienega Creek makes it a highly valuable resource.
Consisting of the rugged slopes of the Dos Cabezas Mountains, elevations range from 4, 080 feet to 7, 500 feet, allowing for a variety of plant and animal life, as well as excellent recreational opportunities.
A graded county road provides access to the east Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness boundary. Creek crossings and seasonal road conditions may necessitate high-clearance or four-wheel-drive vehicles.
Rug Road got its name from the remnants of carpet that people have used to fill holes and ledges along the road to make it more passable. The road is one of the roughest roads in the Safford Field Office - it is not for the faint of heart.
The wilderness lies within the rugged Peloncillo Range, which stretches from Mexico to the Gila River. This remote and primitive area flanking the New Mexico state line shows little signs of human activity.
Redfield Canyon is a narrow red-walled chasm suitable for hiking during the spring and fall seasons. Tall cliffs pocked with eroded caves and strewn with boulders, Redfield Canyon offers the visitor a variety of recreational opportunities.
The 4, 812 acre Baker Canyon Wilderness Study Area is 30 miles east of Douglas, Arizona in Cochise County. The Wilderness Study Area is unusually rich in wildlife. It is part of a wildlife corridor connecting ecosystems in Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico.
This Ironwood Forest National Monument is made up of 129, 000-acres and contains a significant system of cultural and historical sites covering a 5, 000 year period.
This remote and unspoiled, 294, 000-acre monument is a geologic treasure, containing Paria Plateau, Vermilion Cliffs, Coyote Buttes and Paria Canyon. Elevations rangefrom 3, 100 to 7, 100 feet. For on-line reservations, click on: https://www.az.blm.
The trail is 23 miles long one way, with an elevation range of 3, 700 to 6, 200 feet. It winds through the rugged canyons of the Gila Mountains and Turtle Mountain.With the exception of Bonita Creek, streams and springs are scarce along the route.
This Corps lake is managed by Arizona State Parks. The project web address links to the Arizona State Parks web pages. Alamo Lake is one of the best bass lakes in Arizona. Also, the area has good wildlife viewing opportunities.
Located in northern Arizona, lies the Kaibab National Forest. The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River divides the North Kaibab and Tusayan Ranger Districts of the Kaibab National Forest.
Snuggled along the crest of the Mogollon Rim and stretching 90 miles south, the Tonto National Forest spreads over a spectacular 2.9 millon acres of pine and cactus country just northwest of Phoenix, Arizona.
The Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests encompass two million acres of magnificent mountain country in east-central Arizona and New Mexico.
Located in central Arizona, lies the Coconino National Forest. Northward lies the Colorado Plateau, a high, cold desert of flat-lying rocks and sheer-walled canyons.
Located in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, lies the Coronado National Forest. The forest covers 1, 780, 196 acres.
The Forest is located about 70 air miles northwest of Phoenix, Arizona, contains approximately 1, 237, 000 acres, and is composed of two distinct divisions.