Arizona's National Parks and Monuments
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Rick Wiley
Photo editor
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Arizona is blessed with many areas of natural beauty protected by the National Park Service, which celebrated its 105th anniversary in 2021.
Saguaro National Monument in Tucson was created in 1933, expanded in 1961, and became Saguaro National Park in 1994. There are two units: East…
Fort Bowie was an Army outpost the served as the staging point for the hunt for Apache Indian leader Geronimo. It had a short and bloody histo…
Established in 1937 by Pres. Franklin Roosevelt, Organ Pipe NM in Southwestern Arizona encompasses more than 330,000 acres, much of it wildern…
Chiricahua National Monument near Willcox, Ariz., established in 1924, is a wonderland of standing-up rocks: pinnacles, spires, sheer stone co…
The site protects one of the largest prehistoric structures ever built in North America.
The Franciscans began work on the mission at Tumacacori in 1800, but the bell tower was never finished. President Theodore Roosevelt proclaime…
Under-the-radar and usually not crowded: The three national monuments easily accessible from Flagstaff – Wupatki, Sunset Crater and Walnut Can…
The Grand Canyon in Northern Arizona was designated a national park in 1919. Along with Yellowstone and Yosemite, it is one of the crown jewel…
WATCH: Mule train supplies remote outpost in Saguaro NP
UpdatedWatch Now: The Douglas Spring Trail east of Tucson
UpdatedThe Douglas Spring Trail is a 16.6-mile out and back hike into Saguaro National Park East and the Rincon Mountains. The trailhead is at the eastern end of Speedway and open to access 24 hours a day. Elevation gain is about 3,700 feet. Difficulty varies, but is generally moderate. Video by Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star 2020
WATCH: Rangers live at Manning Camp atop Saguaro National Park
UpdatedWATCH: Fort Bowie National Historic Site
UpdatedWATCH: The beauty of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
UpdatedWATCH: Chiricahua National Monument
UpdatedWATCH: Tumacacori, a monumental mission
UpdatedRick Wiley
Photo editor
As featured on
The war on weeds: Experts now consider buffelgrass an existential threat to Tucson's desert ecosystem on par with extended drought and climate change.
Artifacts linked to Coronado Expedition could reveal first Spanish outpost in Southern ArizonaFor Star subscribers: Tucson archeologist Deni Seymour says she has found hundreds of 16th century artifacts from the Coronado Expedition at an unexpected spot in Southern Arizona. “It sure sounds like she has a really exciting site,” says another Coronado researcher.
Fencing can alter or cut off the movement of mule deer, bighorn sheep and javelina between the Tucson Mountains and ranges to the west.
