FYI: If you're planning to go during the government shutdown, you can't drive all the way to the…read moreparking lot -- it's about an 8-mile hike (a lot of it on gravel). But honestly, it's worth every step! Just when you think you've reached the falls... you haven't. Keep going! The road in is pure washboard -- about 13 miles of bump city -- so make sure you have a 4-wheel drive and that nothing inside your car is loose. Fossil Creek is absolutely stunning, and bonus -- no permit needed after October 1st. The other thing says this trail is easy. No, it's not to be careful if you're taking somebody elderly over that doesn't have good mobility because there's some rocks you had a climb and what not also make sure you take plenty of water to drink and a little snack everything you pack in your pack. I would also suggest leaving the house by three 330. No later you don't wanna be hiking in the pitch dark.

I didn't know anything about this place beforehand. If my boss had never been here and my cousin…read morehad never told me about the Permit, I would've made a wasted trip. I wish I knew more before going. I need to know more information about how things work at Fossil Creek. Even after going, though we enjoyed ourselves, I still don't know how it works. There were no signs telling you where you can access trails to get to the creek. You just had to guess. I found a trail at our Homestead parking lot, but it was very steep and a little dangerous. We found a spot okay in the shade but was very small for our party of 6. We worked so hard getting down there that we just made it work. After leaving we went up the road a little way in our vehicle to see what the other spots looked like, but I saw no bridge or easy access from The Bridge parking lot either, and the road was just way too bumpy. I hope my wife's suspension is okay on her Mazda CX-5. The information before going should've told us about the road and what to expect, basically how to plan. It's all a guessing game. I could've asked the Ranger lady more questions, but I didn't know what to ask. My boss made things sound different. Apparently you can't drive people to the waterfall trailhead anymore. You have to walk over 2 miles on a dusty dirt road in over 100 degrees with vehicles driving by kicking up dust. That makes no sense whatsoever. We enjoyed our time at the water. Everything else leading up to it and after it we could've done without. I don't see us coming back unless we have someone with better suspension and/or better knowledge of the area. Thank you.

Fort Verde State Historic Park presents what life was like in Arizona, early in its history -…read moreincluding Indian wars. We spent about an hour in the main building, walking through a number of rooms and browsing the various exhibits depicting life, especially military life in Arizona in its early days. Many wartime artifacts are on display across many discipline from doctoring, to soldiering and more. In the last room of the main building, a video plays on a loop. The video is about Indians in Arizona and how they were involved in wars and especially how many of them helped the white man's army. It was too hot to visit the other 2 buildings across the street today, as they are not air conditioned, so we're not sure what's in them. Restrooms are in another building. Get the key from staff in the main building, then return the key. As the restrooms remain locked, they were in good condition and clean. We did enjoy our visit.

John had this on his hit list of things to do- we stopped in just in time to see one of the rangers…read moregiving a demo on various firearms used in the era that the fort was operational. Insert John's happy face here! They have an extensive museum and an outcropping of buildings that made up the fort. Unlike the other forts we have explored- there was no wall to help with defense. Reasoning was that the natives knew not to attack where the army was. So they didn't bother with the labor intensive work of building high walls. My only complaint was that the restrooms were far enough away from everything and locked. You had to get a key from the ranger for access.

We parked at the Tuzigoot River Access point after visiting the National Monument. This is a large…read moreparking lot, suitable for boat trailers. We went in January to walk along the river. It was very scenic, even though most of the leaves had fallen form the trees. There is a small beach at one location and small rapids for kayaking. Several dog walkers and a few mountain bikes were using the pathways. This would be a lovely place in the spring to fall when the trees are full.

This natural area is located next to Dead Horse Ranch State Park near Cottonwood. There is no…read morecamping or campfires in the riparian zone, but you can camp at Dead Horse Park. The river is stocked with bass, catfish, and bluegill. In the winter they stock it with trout. There is a lot of wildlife in this region to see. The Verde River is a great spot to canoe or kayak because of all the twists and turns in the river. You can load your boat at the ramp at the Tuzigoot River Access Point which has plenty of parking nearby. Swimming is at your own risk.

Absolute gem of a state park and what the model should be for all parks:…read more 1. Incredibly helpful and informed staff 2. Cleanest restrooms of any state or national park I've ever seen 3. Phenomenal fishing for the kids in the lagoons 4. The little cabins are a must for families! Will be on our regular rotation now. Pro tip: if staying in the cabins, there is only one wall outlet inside. Bring an electric water kettle to heat up water for ramen, coffee, cider, oatmeal, and for doing a quick rinse of any cooking pans and utensils. We would died without our hot water kettle. Great job, Arizona State Parks!

We've stayed at the basic tent sites many times and LOVE that you have a place to throw away trash,…read moreaccess to public restrooms, and showers. Beautiful inside and I believe you can stay two weeks out of a month.

This is a fantastic park located just minutes from downtown Sedona. We met several locals who were…read moreincredibly friendly and gave us great recommendations for local food and entertainment. My children and I loved having enough space to toss a softball around on the large, grassy field--it was such a relaxing way to spend the afternoon. If you have a few hours to spare, don't miss this little gem. Enjoy your day!

We love this park! We come everytime we are in town. It's clean... friendly and has a splash pad!…read moreAbsolutely gorgeous.

My friend and I stopped to see the Montezuma Castle first. This Well is only a couple miles up from…read morethe Castle. It is another short trail loop to see the Well and it's FREE (no entry fee). It's a amazing site when you reach the top of the well with the view of the well and dwellings. There is a board with some facts. The best part though was there was a wonderful, very friendly Park Ranger stationed at the top to answer any questions and to talk about the Well and surroundings if interested. She also told us of the hidden path to actually go down onto the well. We were there around 3pm, on a Monday and there were no crowds at all. A must see!

This is the place I wanted to keep to myself...from my last visit years ago(2019)...I'm glad it…read morestill hasn't gained much popularity , maybe because it is a little bit of the way compared with the montezuma castle which was pretty crowded when I visited. The trail started from the parking lot where the Ranger station is. It's a loop! You are supposed to do it counterclockwise by passing the ranger station first. it was about 75 feet you will be at the overlook it's a bit steep and def took my breath away. The rest part of the trail was more smooth you will see all interesting desert plants along the way. It was 60 degrees but with the Arizona sun, it still got hot even I only wore a camisole top and I saw someone holding an umbrella:p To go down to the water, I was told it is about 100 steps... please be realistic about your capability. however, I must missed the stairs going down. I think it is a monument however it is free to visit without pass required!

This is a must see!! the trails are breathtaking!! we even saw a lot of wildlife there including…read morejavelinas. I definitely recommend a visit here. Please note that some of the trails could be closed if there's inclement weather.

The natural stone Bridge is incredible and we absolutely loved it here! Make sure you get in there…read morebefore four so that you can actually walk one of the trails because you need to give yourself about an hour and they do put a sign out at the entrance.

Too expensive! $15 to get in and the trails aren't even that long. It was $10 just a year ago…read more Also, $2 for a map - absolutely bonkers charging money for a piece of paper when there's a map once you get inside. We paid $15 to sit at a picnic table and hiked a quarter mile :/

Second time being here, so lovely! So glad we got a nice spot on a Friday afternoon during the…read moresummer as I heard it can be very busy and if they're full they'll turn you away. We took our 3 pups to walk around and chill by the water for a few hours and it was a lovely way to spend the afternoon. Highly recommend! Bring some beach or camping chairs and or a hammock!

Very beautiful and relaxing, we creek walked the opposite direction of The Crack, heading South…read moredown the creek, there still was pockets of people we encountered. Very tranquil place. Saw a few fish.

Parking - I highly suggest to get early because this is popular place and it quickly fills up…read more While they do have extra space at other lots for parking it just gets very jammed up. Hike- Put lots of sunscreen on, bring a hat, lots of water, some snacks of food, and the right shoes! The hike itself is not bad, it's pretty much flat for the most part. It does have some incline, but nothing an average person can't handle. I think the only reason people complain because the heat drains out a lot of energy and water in your body. If you do feel tired they do have a couple shaded areas by trees to rest. Keep following the signs that say Bell Trail. You do have options to stop and check out other smaller cliffs and little river pools but we chose to see the big cliff. Take it slow, enjoy the view and make it all the way to end of bell trail and jump of the cliff! It's amazing . You can spend basically the whole day there if you want but have what you will need in your backpack for that day.

They are dry as a bone, it sure would be nice if they would fill them up and keep them full and…read moreadd fish . This would be great for the community.

This is a community park lake that is actually divided into two halves a larger Lake and a smaller…read morelike it is called Crystal Lake to all the residents here at Cordes Lakes. It has a small picnic area with three picnic tables and a grill it also provides a volleyball net. It also has great views of the surrounding area of Cordes Lakes the only sad part of it is that the lake is completely dried out and empty.