Arizona State Parks are some of the best in the country. In 2017, they won the Gold Medal for best managed state park system. We were lucky enough to be able to stay for a week each in Dead Horse Ranch and Lost Dutchman State Parks. It was the first time that we were two weeks without sewer, which found not to be an issue at all. Dead Horse Ranch State Park is Cottonwood and is located on the Verde River next to the Coconino National Forest and the Tuzigoot National Monument. Mid-November was a great time to visit, with great weather and beautiful fall foliage. The park has 20 miles of mountain bike trails with some fantastic views of Tuzigoot, the Tavasci Marsh and multiple lagoons. We especially enjoyed having a socially distant get together with one of the camp host couples, Tom and Allison. Our next park was Lost Dutchman, which was named after a fabled lost gold mine. It is located in Apache Junction in the Sonoran Desert, about 35 minutes east of Phoenix. The park has fantastic hiking trails into the Superstition Mountains and the Tonto National Forest. On Thanksgiving morning, we hiked the Siphon Draw Trail with a 1,000 foot gain and stunning panoramic views. We had fun on the mountain biking trail and watching gorgeous sunsets from our campsite. State Parks remain one of our favorite places to stay due to the large sites, privacy, and beauty of nature surrounding us.
Park Entrance
Lagoon View
Campsite
Tuzigoot National Monument
Another Lagoon View
Mountain Biking
Biking Trails
Entrance
Lost Dutchman Campsite
Siphon Draw Trail View
Scaredy Cat!
Another View from Trail
