Parks & Nature
21 places · Natural escapes in the DMV
Phoenix, AZ
Piestewa Peak
A 2,610-foot peak in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve offering one of the most popular summit hikes in the metro area. The Summit Trail (Trail 300) is a 1.2-mile ascent with panoramic views of the surrounding cityscape and mountain ranges. The rocky trail and summit provide excellent vantage points for sunrise and sunset photography.
Phoenix, AZ
Papago Park
A desert park featuring iconic red sandstone buttes, including the famous Hole-in-the-Rock formation. The park sits between Phoenix and Tempe and contains the Desert Botanical Garden and Phoenix Zoo. Hole-in-the-Rock provides a natural frame for sunset and cityscape photography.
Saguaro National Park, AZ
Saguaro National Park East - Cactus Forest Drive
An eight-mile paved loop road winds through one of the densest saguaro cactus forests in the world. The Rincon Mountain District provides dramatic backdrops of the Rincon Mountains rising behind thousands of saguaros. The road is accessible to vehicles and bicycles and offers numerous pullouts for photography.
Phoenix, AZ
South Mountain Park and Preserve
One of the largest municipally managed parks in the United States at over 16,000 acres. Dobbins Lookout, the highest accessible point at 2,330 feet, provides sweeping views of downtown Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun. The park contains petroglyphs, desert washes, and dense saguaro forests along its many trails.
Scottsdale, AZ
Pinnacle Peak Park
A 150-acre park in north Scottsdale featuring a distinctive granite summit at 3,170 feet elevation. The 1.75-mile trail traverses through a well-preserved saguaro forest with views of the McDowell Mountains, Four Peaks, and the city below. The jagged summit profile is one of Scottsdale's most recognizable landmarks.
Alpine, AZ
Escudilla Mountain and Lookout Tower
Escudilla Mountain rises to 10,912 feet and is the third-highest peak in Arizona. The 6.4-mile round-trip Escudilla National Recreation Trail passes through dense spruce-fir forest and leads to a historic fire lookout tower at the summit. The mountain is referenced in Aldo Leopold's writings as part of the early American conservation movement.
Cottonwood, AZ
Dead Horse Ranch State Park
Dead Horse Ranch State Park encompasses 423 acres along the Verde River in Cottonwood. The park features cottonwood-lined lagoons, marshland, and riparian habitat that support over 150 species of birds. The Verde River greenway through the park provides a rare perennial desert waterway ecosystem.
Sedona, AZ
Red Rock State Park
Red Rock State Park is a 286-acre nature preserve and environmental education center along lower Oak Creek. The park features riparian habitat with cottonwood and sycamore trees set against red rock formations including Cathedral Rock. Five miles of interconnected trails provide access to creek-side and elevated viewpoints.
Jerome, AZ
Jerome State Historic Park
Jerome State Historic Park is housed in the 1916 Douglas Mansion, built by mining magnate James S. Douglas above his Little Daisy Mine. The park's elevated terrace provides commanding views of the Verde Valley spanning from the red rocks of Sedona to the San Francisco Peaks. The museum documents Jerome's mining history and the mansion itself is an example of adobe and brick territorial architecture.
Oro Valley, AZ
Catalina State Park - Canyon Loop Trail
Catalina State Park sits at the western base of the Santa Catalina Mountains and features dense saguaro forests with the dramatic Pusch Ridge as a backdrop. The Canyon Loop Trail traverses washes and desert grasslands with views of rugged granite cliffs. Spring wildflower blooms can be exceptional in wet years.
Show Low, AZ
Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area
Fool Hollow Lake is a 150-acre reservoir at 6,300 feet elevation surrounded by ponderosa pine forest near Show Low. The lake was created in 1957 and is now a state recreation area managed jointly by Arizona State Parks and the U.S. Forest Service. Bald eagles overwinter at the lake and great blue heron rookeries are active in spring.
Show Low, AZ
Show Low Lake County Park
Show Low Lake is a 100-acre reservoir at 6,500 feet elevation on the outskirts of Show Low. The lake is surrounded by ponderosa pine forest and features a county park with accessible shoreline areas. Osprey nesting platforms are installed along the shore and the birds are active from spring through early fall.
Glendale, AZ
White Tank Mountain Regional Park
The largest regional park in Maricopa County at nearly 30,000 acres, located west of the Phoenix metro area. The Waterfall Trail leads to a seasonal waterfall and Hohokam petroglyphs etched into dark desert varnish on granite boulders. The park contains transitional desert vegetation between the Sonoran and Mojave ecosystems.
Glendale, AZ
Estrella Mountain Regional Park
A 19,840-acre park at the base of the Sierra Estrella mountain range in the western Valley. The park features classic lower Sonoran desert landscape with saguaro, palo verde, and seasonal wildflower displays. The Gila River runs along the park's southern boundary, creating a riparian corridor in the desert.
Chinle, AZ
Junction Overlook
Junction Overlook provides a panoramic view of the point where Canyon del Muerto and Canyon de Chelly converge. The broad canyon floor with its cottonwood trees and small Navajo farms is visible far below the 500-foot cliff edge. First Ruin, an Ancestral Puebloan site, can be seen in the opposite canyon wall.
Oak Creek, AZ
Slide Rock State Park
Slide Rock State Park is located in Oak Creek Canyon and features a natural water slide formed by smooth red sandstone in Oak Creek. The park encompasses the historic Pendley Homestead apple orchard established in 1912. The red rock creek bed and surrounding canyon walls create vibrant color contrasts throughout the year.
Tucson, AZ
Tohono Chul Park
Tohono Chul is a 49-acre botanical garden and nature preserve featuring curated desert gardens, ethnobotanical exhibits, and art installations. The gardens include over 500 species of arid-adapted plants from around the world. Hummingbirds are abundant throughout the garden and can be photographed at close range near feeders.
Pinetop-Lakeside, AZ
Woodland Lake Park
Woodland Lake Park is a 1.3-mile paved loop trail circling Woodland Lake in the heart of Pinetop-Lakeside at 6,800 feet elevation. The park features wetland areas, dense ponderosa pine forest, and a walnut grove that attracts diverse bird species. The lake provides calm reflection opportunities with the surrounding tall pines.
Flagstaff, AZ
Flagstaff Urban Trail System - Buffalo Park
Buffalo Park is a 215-acre open meadow on the north side of Flagstaff with unobstructed views of the San Francisco Peaks and surrounding volcanic landscape. As part of the world's first International Dark Sky City, the park benefits from Flagstaff's strict lighting ordinances. The open terrain and mountain horizon make it an accessible location for Milky Way photography with alpine foregrounds.
Greer, AZ
Mount Baldy Trail
The Mount Baldy Trail climbs through old-growth spruce-fir forest and alpine meadows toward the 11,420-foot summit of Mount Baldy, the second-highest peak in Arizona. The trail follows the West Fork of the Little Colorado River through wildflower-filled meadows in summer. The summit itself is on the Fort Apache Reservation and is closed to non-tribal members, but views from just below the peak are expansive.
Chinle, AZ
White House Ruin Trail
The White House Ruin is a well-preserved Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwelling tucked into a sandstone alcove in Canyon de Chelly. The 2.5-mile round-trip trail descends 600 feet to the canyon floor, passing through a tunnel carved in rock. It is the only trail in Canyon de Chelly that can be hiked without a Navajo guide.