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.

People really need to be better educated on the permit process and the strict requirements that are…read morenow being enforced. We had our permit that one of our husbands printed for us but since he was not in vehicle, they would not allow us to enter!! Worse than our problem were 2 women in thier turn around lot at thier gate and those 2 women were still stranded in the heat nearly 6 hours later. We the park rangers failed to relay a hugely important message to those ladies about thier spare tire being In the middle of the road 10 miles back !! Again a huge disappointment for those park employees who witnessed these women being stranded, and we feel with 3 employees and 2 trucks could have easily assisted these women or at the very least let them know where thier spare was located ! We were hugely inconvenienced by driving back several miles to pile into one car as the option they offered us, but these poor ladies we believe were clearly suffering unnecessary while not one of those employees told them where thier spare was located or possibly offered to get it for them .

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.

It was pretty cold and a storm was coming on when I visited Verde River Greenway. There is lots of…read moreshade and there were lots of different birds. I came up on some men who were fishing and they were very friendly. Evidently it's a good place to catch fish. I did a small hike and found it to be very peaceful from start to finish. This is the perfect place to set up a hammock or have a picnic.

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.

great location, nice being close to a river. Dog friendly cabins, and super-clean facilities…read more Great stay..

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 were visiting Sedona and saw this park before heading over there. Our kids had a great time and…read morethe park was big enough! Very clean and well maintained, with shade which was amazing! I recommend it for a chill hang out for the kiddos and the adults too!

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!

Montezuma Well is a separate unit of Montezuma Castle National Monument. It's 20 minutes east of…read moreMontezuma Castle and well worth a stop! There's no entrance fee, but there's a small ranger station at the trailhead and a very enthusiastic volunteer who gave as an orientation speech of the human history of the area and the geology of the area. Without him, the visit would have been less impressive. The water in the sinkhole contains high levels of arsenic and carbon dioxide, so no fish are in the water...but don't worry there are plenty of leeches! Don't enter the water because of that, and also because you do not want to disturb the five species endemic to this spot of water. They're found nowhere else. Interestingly enough, there's near-constant volume of spring water even in times of severe drought, which would have seemed miraculous to the people who lived here. If you look from the rim, you can see several prehistoric dwellings right under the rim on the other side. Hiking down gets you close to more dwellings. Well worth a trip, especially as it's less crowded than the Castle.

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!

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park is beautiful, I'm so glad I had the opportunity to finally check it…read moreout! It costs $10/person and you can pay at the entrance booth with cash or go inside to pay with card. We did not hike down to the creek/observation bridge but will definitely check it out on another visit. There are four easily labeled viewpoints that show different angles of the bridge. There was a lot of wildlife when we went and we even got to see a Coati! This place is great, definitely check it out.

Why it is $10 PER PERSON for a park that isn't that big and only has a few trails? And why do the…read moretrails close at 4pm? At least during the months where the sun doesn't set that early, the park should stay open past 5. Anyway, my mom, dad, and I stopped here around 3 on a Friday in early October. There were several different parking lots to choose from with plenty of spaces. There weren't that many people there but there were quite a few groups for them supposedly closing in less than an hour. Even at 3:45 there were still a decent amount of cars in the various lots. The actual natural bridge was pretty cool to see. The waterfall was interesting in that it was many trickles combined to form a "waterfall." I just wish my mom and I weren't experiencing leg/hip injuries that prevented us from doing the couple strenuous trails that we so would've done had it not be for our ongoing pain issues. I really would've liked to do the Gowan trail. Alas. We loved how each trail was nicely marked and there were even arrows painted on the rocks down in the canyon part. Way to go, Arizona!

This is a must see while in Sedona…read more The entrance fee is $12. You can park your car in either of the two parking lots, picnic, or walk along the creek. Spectacular views of fall colors! Very clean, tranquil and soothing with interesting rock formations at one point. We also sat on one of the picnic tables by the creek and had lunch.

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 :/

We had a blast! Easy to access, zero hiking required! Plenty of shade and areas to sit as well. The…read morejumping rock area isn't too too deep so I would caution when jumping from the rocks. We did not do the hike down to the "crack" we asked multiple people and they suggested since there's no shade it's not the best for a 5 year old. We will be back to this creek for sure :)

Really enjoy this swimming hole. BEWARE THE BLACK FLIES they bite :(( cover up well if you can?…read moreMaybe keep moving? Idk that kinda sucked, but otherwise love this hike.

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.